Education position statement
1. PWDACT advocates for inclusive education in accordance with Article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of People with Disability.
2. All schools in the ACT should be provided with the resources required to ensure that children with disabilities have education provided in safety and harmony. This includes both adequate and appropriate aids and equipment and extends to appropriate training and upskilling of staff, including educational support staff.
3. Students with disabilities deserve to be educated in mainstream schools with their siblings and peers.
4. We believe school environments must be welcoming and pleasant. There should not be bars used in these environments, where walls, doors, igloos, windows and skylights should form a comfortable built-for-purpose learning environment. Students should always have daily access to interact with other people, the outdoors, natural light, fresh air, and stimulating and engaging activities whereby learning is a joy.
4A. We believe that restrictive practices in schools must be eliminated and that all schools will liaise with the ACT Senior Practitioner Restrictive Practices for approval of any restrictive practices used in the interim.
5. We advocate for the ACT Government and educators to be committed to bringing students with disabilities into an inclusive mainstream environment as frequently, and as swiftly as is possible.
6. We uphold that superior social and vocational outcomes are achieved by people with disabilities educated in inclusive environments.
As at September 2018
