Thread by @PWDAustralia

Commissioner Mason has brought up culturally safe education for Indigenous students with disability - Swancutt explaining how her school interacts with families from different cultures, Kauppilla talking about the ARTIE program: artie.net.au

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Commissioner Galbally asking for examples of bringing parents along on the inclusion transition journey when those parents are fearful of change.

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Morris talking about regular meetings, reassuring parents that their children would have the same social and emotional support in the mainstream school.

She says there is no longer concern from parents as experience has shown that the change worked.

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Kauppila describes a recent success story in which a young man moved to her school from a segregated school, he's been accepted in the community, his carer was very fearful but is now enthusiastic.

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Chair asks about parents withdrawing students from mainstream schools. All three witnesses say it hasn't happened at their schools, including at the one where a segregated alternative is available.

Stark contrast to what was described yesterday.

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Swancutt says some parents really needed the opportunity to see inclusion personally before they could be confident in it, but after a few weeks of their children thriving in an inclusive environment, those parents are their biggest advocates.

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Mellifont: Are there teachers pushing back against the notion of inclusion who are able to slip through the gaps?

Swancutt: They don't speak to me about that, but observed practice would suggest that that is happening in some cases.

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Swancutt describes some teachers deferring responsibility for students with disability to other staff.

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Kauppila describes an inclusion audit at her school, across leadership and teachers, and recognising that it's a journey.

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Morris describes a 4-yearly review during which all teachers at her school expressed a favourable view of inclusion.

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Dr Mellifont is now asking about two other schools in Swancutt's remit and how they're going. Swancutt says they still offer segregated classes and are currently going through a planning process before implementation of #InclusiveEducation.

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Swancutt: Genuine #InclusiveEducation doesn't happen overnight by closing a segregated class and putting everyone in a mainstream classroom - that can result in micro-segregation.

Talking about sustainability and the importance of systematic planning.

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Swancutt: "#InclusiveEducation isn't just about one particular practice, or five particular practices."

"It's everything that we do, embedded within every choice, decision and process."

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Mellifont: What is it about Thuringowa State High School that got it to where it is now, which is lacking in some other schools?

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Swancutt says it's very much about leadership. "Ultimately it was a willingness and a moral imperative within the key leaders of our school" to turn away from bad practices and towards social justice.

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It's about leadership and will to prioritise #InclusiveEducation.

Kauppila: "We believe that every child can learn."

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Contrast Swancutt talking about all-school lessons on positive behaviour like focus and self-regulation with yesterday's examples of students at other schools being suspended without any support to change their behaviour.

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Morris's school also uses a full-school approach to PBL (Positive Behaviour for Learning). The basics are taught to the whole school, and then students who need extra help have individualised support and behaviour support plans.

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Kauppila talks about a student with Tourettes and anxiety, and about working with family and teachers to recognise the difference between deliberate behaviour and symptoms.

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Swancutt now talking about cultural support for Indigenous students, ensuring they have opportunities to connect and engage with their culture. They have some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teacher aides as well.

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Morris and Kauppila also describe a variety of initiatives embedded across their school to support Indigenous students, including students with disability.

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Kauppila is talking about sensory breaks and movement breaks, applying to the whole school. This links back to yesterday's comments about practices that are good for children with disability also being good for other children!

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It's the curb cut effect. Just because not every student will have a meltdown when e.g. overstimulated, doesn't mean it isn't negatively affecting them.

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This also reduces the pressure to get specific diagnoses for children as quickly as possible - when basic adjustments are available to everyone, without reference to impairment tables and the medical model.

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Chair asks the panel how they feel, as individuals, about the Queensland Teachers Union position on Inclusive Education per Mr Bates yesterday. To be answered after lunch!

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The panel says the most effective way to do the teacher training for #InclusiveEducation is for a mentor/coach to come into the teacher's existing classroom and provide that immersive and practical learning.

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They're now talking about the bureaucratic delays currently involved in getting adjustments for students with #disability.

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Many issues, including for students with impairments (like dyslexia) not recognised in the EAP process (the official state method of deciding how many resources a school gets for disability support)

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Another issue is when support staff like occupational therapists are based in special schools, making it more complicated to get their support for students in mainstream schools.

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EAP is difficult for students from Indigenous backgrounds because their culture can relate to disability in a different way, so their parents don't understand or want the labels associated with EAP verification.


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"The data-gathering process is based on a medical model approach."

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Engaging with all that bureaucracy is also very time-consuming for teachers.

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Swancutt: You can only submit one level of adjustment, even when teachers in different subjects find they need to provide different levels to the same student. Time-consuming to get them all together and agree on a level to put in the application.

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Kauppila is now talking about the challenges of declining enrolments with local demographic change leading to fewer resources being allocated to the school, when student needs stay similar.

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The panel is telling stories about positive outcomes from their students.

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Students who might have moved from a segregated school to a sheltered workshop are finding meaningful, independent work after graduating from #InclusiveEducation

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Catherine Morris is talking about how inclusion in and engagement with their communities helps protect people with #disability from winding up in the criminal justice system.

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Dr Mellifont is now asking the panel for their #InclusiveEducation wishlists!

Swancott wants more accountability in how schools use existing resources and not necessarily a whole lot of new resources.

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She also wants more consistency in how adjustments are provided and funded.

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Swancott: It's shortsighted to think special education practices will transfer smoothly into #InclusiveEducation practices - more accountability and training.

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Segregation within a mainstream classroom can happen in subtle ways and we need to address that decisively.

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Morris wants an improved resourcing model, a national one so you don't need to re-do all that bureaucracy when you move states.

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Kauppila: Continuing to build the capability and confidence of the workforce. Schools working proactively with family and young people, giving students a say in their education.

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Swancutt again, talking about the need for structures that provide evidence-informed support to all schools.

"We cannot possibly be happy with what we're currently doing." Talking about the horrific outcomes of segregation. "We must act with urgency."

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A short break - after this the Commission will be talking to three principals, Grant Dale, Judith Fenoglio and Pamela Prichard.

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