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Disabled students let down

14 September 2005

The Victorian Government was letting down disabled students by not helping them attend mainstream schools, an education expert has warned.

From left: Krongold Centre director Professor Dennis Moore, Professor Luanna Meyer and Education faculty dean, Professor Sue Willis.

Delivering the annual Dinah and Henry Krongold Lecture in Melbourne, Professor Luanna Meyer of Victoria University in New Zealand said the lives of children with disabilities were being restricted because they were separated from their communities for most of their school years.

She said the number of students with disabilities in special schools remained high, despite recommendations four years ago to improve the quality of integration by enhancing professional support to mainstream schools.

"In 2001, 36 per cent of students with disabilities were in special schools, and that figure had only dropped by 2 per cent to 34 per cent in 2004.

"The progress to date has been far too slow, and we can do better. Parents and communities generally have a right to expect more."

In 2001, Professor Meyer reviewed the Victorian Education Department's special education policy. Her recommendations included the establishment of a statewide network of integration specialist teachers.

"Such a network would guarantee the quality and consistency of special education services in mainstream schools," she said.

"Rather than redirecting finance to support that proposed network, the government has chosen to put its resources into providing professional development for existing teachers and teacher aides.

"If there is no specialist knowledge in a particular school, it is very difficult to meet the needs of children with particular disabilities. That explains the pattern of continuing to refer children to special schools year after year," Professor Meyer said.