The Queensland Government made a recent announcement to build 6 new special schools. This is a backwards step which goes against community expectations, the rights of students with disability (Article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) and the findings of the Disability Royal Commission. All Royal Commissioners agreed that segregation causes harm and should not continue indefinitely. None endorsed the growth of segregation.
But this is not just a Queensland issue. It sets a dangerous precedent for the rest of the country, unwinding hard-won progress towards inclusion. We need to ...
The Queensland Government made a recent announcement to build 6 new special schools. This is a backwards step which goes against community expectations, the rights of students with disability (Article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) and the findings of the Disability Royal Commission. All Royal Commissioners agreed that segregation causes harm and should not continue indefinitely. None endorsed the growth of segregation.
But this is not just a Queensland issue. It sets a dangerous precedent for the rest of the country, unwinding hard-won progress towards inclusion. We need to make sure that increased federal school funding is not used to expand segregated models and is directed to resourcing inclusion.
Building more segregated facilities is not inclusion. Co-location is not inclusion. Choice is not real when inclusive options are under-resourced or unavailable. Every child deserves the right to be welcomed, supported and included in their local school with their siblings and neighbourhood friends—not separated based on their disability. Every teacher deserves to be supported and resourced to be the best inclusive teacher they can be.
This campaign gives people a powerful way to speak up for inclusion and against the segregation of students with disability. By sending an email to the Federal and State/Territory Education Ministers, you're joining a national call for leadership that upholds every child’s right to be welcomed, supported, and included in their local school.
Together, we can help shift the system towards genuine inclusion where all kids can learn together, and set them up for a better future.