Rural and Remote Education Inquiry Briefing Paper

Summary of Commonwealth, State and Territory policies relating to students with disabilities

The following information is derived from submissions to the inquiry from Commonwealth, State and Territory departments of education and supplemented with information presented in hearings.

Commonwealth

DETYA submission

Although the State and Territory Governments have the constitutional and major financial responsibility for school education, the Commonwealth Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs (DETYA) provides supplementary financial assistance to State and non-government school authorities for recurrent costs of schools and support for improvement of capital infrastructure, particularly for the most educationally disadvantaged students. It also promotes and supports a range of targeted policies and programs for these students, including students in rural and remote areas and students with special educational needs.

In 1999, the Commonwealth Government will provide $105 million in funding for students with disabilities. Commonwealth funding is provided to the State and Territory education authorities (government, Catholic and independent), which are then responsible for the distribution and administration of their funding. The State and Territory education authorities determine their own special education funding priorities within broad Commonwealth guidelines.

The objective of the DETYA's Special Education Program is to improve the educational participation of and outcomes for children and students with disabilities.

The program has two components:

support for students with disabilities in schools (School Support); and
support for services provided by non-school organisations and community groups for children and students with disabilities (Non-government Centre Support).

The funding under the School Support program is provided through two mechanisms - a fixed grant which goes to government, Catholic and independent education authorities in each State and Territory and a per capita grant for each eligible student with disabilities. For government school systems the extra per capita funding under the School Support component is currently $82 for primary and $119 for secondary students with disabilities. The funds may be used for salaries of teachers, specialists, support personnel, essential travel and transport costs of students, teachers and support personnel, consultancy and advisory services, development of curriculum, monitoring and evaluation, programs of professional development for staff, parents, community members, purchase of educational equipment and materials, minor building and equipment projects (under $30,000). For non-government education authorities, capital projects worth more than $30,000 can be considered.

The Commonwealth Government's Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Scheme also provides assistance to students with disabilities in isolated areas. AIC provides financial assistance to families of primary, secondary and under 16 year old tertiary students who do not have reasonable daily access to an appropriate government school primarily because of geographic isolation. This includes distance education allowance, second home allowance, boarding allowance and the AIC pensioner supplement fore eligible pensioner students.

AIC will provide this assistance from age three years and six months if the child has a disability or health related condition which requires them to live away from the principle family home and will continue until the child reaches twenty years of age. For children without a disability or health related condition AIC allowances are generally only paid from four years and six months and until the child reaches nineteen.

A student who is receiving a Disability Support Pension and studying at primary level may be eligible for the AIC Pensioner Education Supplement up to 21 years, which is $30 a week. This Supplement is available only where the student is studying below secondary level.

Inclusion in regular schools

Commonwealth funding can assist students who are in mainstream schools, special units or special schools. The Commonwealth does not specify what kind of assistance and what kind of setting for its funding programs, 'although there is a broad - in-concert with general community views - Commonwealth view in support of inclusive approaches to education and special education students.'(Dr Evan Arthur, Assistant Secretary, Literacy and Special Programs Branch, DETYA, National hearings, Canberra, 286 October 1999)

Definition of disability

For the purposes of Commonwealth government funding under the Special Education -School Support program, a student with disabilities means:

a student who is attending a government or non-government school and who has been assessed by a person with relevant qualifications as having intellectual, sensory, physical, social, emotional or multiple impairments to a degree that satisfies the criteria for enrolment in special education services or programs provided by the government of the State or Territory in which the school or centre is located.
a child whose impairments, as defined above, would in the future meet the criteria for enrolment in government special education services or programs.

A student or child whose only impairment is a specific learning difficulty or for whom remedial education or remedial support is appropriate is not eligible for the Commonwealth program.

New South Wales

NSW Department of Education and Training submission.

Departmental policy and guidelines for students with disabilities reflect a commitment to the active involvement of parents/carers in all aspects of their child's education, to the earliest possible intervention to prevent learning failure, and to the provision of support to schools and teachers to assist them in delivering quality teaching and learning programs for students with disabilities. Policies and Programs are outlined in the NSW Department of Education Special Education Handbook for Schools.

The Department provides support for children with disabilities following an assessment of eligibility and then an appraisal of the student's educational needs. Students with moderate or severe intellectual disability, physical disability, vision or hearing impairment or a diagnosed emotional disturbance are entitled to a special service and classes are formed where there are sufficient students to warrant such an establishment. Otherwise, itinerant services are provided where this is the appropriate form of support. Funds are automatically available for both these provisions. If such students are enrolled in regular classes, then resources are available through the State Integration Program.

Services for students with mild intellectual disability or significant learning or behaviour problems are provided in regular schools through a pool of resources allocated to districts. Some isolated children for whom such school enrolment is not available will be educated at home through distance education provisions. In 1999, fifteen students with intellectual disabilities were provided with their education through this mode of delivery.

Special education support and programs include:

Regular Class Support for Individual Students, currently provided for 11 000 students with disabilities who are enrolled in regular classes and supported under the State Integration Program.

Support Classes in Regular Schools where there are sufficient numbers of students with disabilities and where this enrolment option is the choice of the parents or carers. Support classes provide individualised learning programs for students where it is agreed that the student's educational needs cannot adequately be met in a regular class. In rural and remote areas, where the need and viability of this service can be demonstrated, classes can be established based on lower numbers than that required in metropolitan areas.

Special Schools (also known as Schools for Specific Purposes or SSPs) are generally located in centres of larger population. These schools provide programs for students who require individualised programs and intensive levels of support in a more specialised setting and where this enrolment option is the choice of the parents or carers.

Itinerant specialist teachers (e.g. hearing, vision, behaviour) who work across all school settings and across a range of ages (pre-school to Year 12) to provide support for families, students and school personnel. Itinerant teachers operate from a location which is central to their caseload.

The Resource Support Unit, a multidisciplinary team which provides consultancy support particularly to schools in rural or remote locations. This includes educators and therapists who works with students with very high support needs (severe/profound levels of disability). Their role is to provide programming support and assessment report.

The Braille and Large Print Unit which provides support to students with vision impairment so that all required texts and course materials can be converted into Braille or large print as required. Braille centres are located in Dubbo, Tamworth and Deniliquin and provide classroom materials required on a day-to-day basis.

The Distance Education Support Unit based in Sydney provides support for students with disabilities aged 3.5-18 years who are geographically isolated and who have moderate, severe or multiple disabilities. Currently 44 isolated students with disabilities enrolled in small schools who do not have ready access to trained special educators are supported through this program.

Special Transport Services are provided for eligible students with disabilities who are unable to travel independently to and from school, and whose parents are unable to transport them or arrange for transport. These students may be enrolled in regular classes, support classes in regular schools or in SSPs.

Support for Transition to Schools are documented guidelines to support the transition of students with disabilities from early childhood settings to school. The processes described in the guidelines can be implemented regardless of location and focus on appropriate and co-operative planning by all those interested in the education of the student.

The Reading Recovery program is an early intervention acceleration program aimed at improving literacy standards of young students so that they will become effective life-long learners. Year 1 students identified as having difficulty learning to read and write are provided with daily individual instruction to enable them to reach the average level of achievement of their classroom peers.

Support Teacher Learning Difficulties (STLD) positions are allocated to targeted schools to identify and assess students with learning difficulties. In late October 1999, the Education Minister announced a reorganisation of the Learning Difficulties Program, which will establish 40 district-based learning difficulties support teams across the state.

Physical access for staff and students with a disability is provided in all new schools and in those schools where major upgrading programs are undertaken. The upgrading of school facilities is also undertaken on a needs basis so that, where a student with disabilities is enrolling, part of the plan for that student involves provision of access. All new school buildings are built to code to ensure full access for people with disabilities.

Schools providing education for students with disabilities are able to choose special peripheral devices particularly suited to the needs of their students. Funding is available to support the individual needs of students in the area of technology and specialised equipment.

Teacher training programs also are in place in NSW:

The Part Time Special Education Training Program has included three additional strands (sub programs) in the last three years to enable and encourage completion of postgraduate qualifications for teachers of students with disabilities in geographically isolated areas. Strands of training that can now be accessed by isolated teachers are behaviour, vision and hearing in addition to the pre-existing generalist training.

A variety of options have been made available to support and promote the participation of isolated teachers including additional financial assistance with increased travel costs; a combination of external, intensive residential and workplace learning components; provision of mentoring; internet support; establishment of regionalised study groups; on-line and telephone support as well as visits by program co-ordinators if required. Currently this training program supports 48 isolated teachers to complete accredited qualifications in special education.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Education Department of WA submission

Support for students with disabilities in government schools in Western Australia is defined by Social Justice in Education Policy and Guidelines for the Education of Students with Disabilities (1993). Within the parameters of this policy, students with a disability other than an intellectual disability are entitled to be enrolled in their local mainstream school. Support is provided to the school based on the individual needs of the student. This support includes the provision of education assistance time and support and advice from a visiting teacher service. Allocation of support is based on the relative and differential needs of students, with priority being given to those students with the most severe disability.

The present options for placement of students with intellectual disabilities are education support schools, centres and units. Students with an intellectual disability in remote and smaller rural locations where there are no education support facilities within reasonable travelling distance attend their local mainstream school. These students are supported with additional teacher and education assistance time and assistance from the local district education office and the central office of the Education Department.

Education Support Units are classes within regular schools which provide education for students with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. In country areas, units (where they exist) cater for the full range of students with intellectual disabilities.

The Western Australian Government has also committed $3.6 million to support the inclusion of up to 50 students with intellectual disabilities in their local government mainstream school. This inclusion program is currently being evaluated and a report due in March 2000. Policy changes are currently being developed in accordance with the findings of this evaluation and to reflect the new Education Act in WA.

The Education Department assists schools to meet the needs of students with disabilities with the provision of specialised equipment, modifications to buildings and facilities. Visiting Teachers work collaboratively with teachers of these students in the development of individualised education programs (IEPs) and curriculum modifications.

The Education Department also supports students with learning difficulties across the state. Five Visiting Teachers have been appointed to provide a state-wide service to support teachers in rural and isolated locations. The appointees are located in each of the five regional Schools of the Air.

A Student Services Coordinator is appointed to each education district to provide on-going support to teachers of students with disabilities. Student Services Coordinators in rural and remote locations work collaboratively with other agencies to develop and refine culturally appropriate assessment tools to address the needs of indigenous students who are at educational risk.

Definition of disability

Under the new Education Act to come into effect in May 2000,

"disability" means a condition -

which is attributable to an intellectual, psychiatric, cognitive, neurological, sensory or physical impairment or a combination of those impairments;
which is permanent or likely to be permanent;
which may or may not be of a chronic or episodic nature; and
which results in -
1. a substantially reduced capacity of a person for communication, social interaction, learning or mobility; and
2. the need for continuing support services;

NORTHERN TERRITORY

NT Department of Education submission

The Department's Student Services Branch provides a range of services including advice, assessment, teaching and counselling for students, teachers and parents throughout the Northern Territory.

This support is provided under the Special Education Policy - Provision for Students with Disabilities in Northern Territory Schools 1994, which defines students with special needs as those who have been identified as having an intellectual, sensory, physical, social/emotional, language/communication disability, a specific learning disability or multiple disabilities.

Teams of professionals work together across the Territory to provide services in the areas of Guidance, Speech Pathology, School Nursing, Early Intervention, Special Education, Vision, Hearing, Behaviour Management, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy.

Staff in larger schools who provide direct and consultative support to school staff include Special Education Teachers and Assistants, School Counsellors, Home Liaison Officers, School Nurses and Part-Time Instructors.

Due to the distances between small, remote schools and the larger urban centres where Student Services staff are located, the team approach is normally utilised so that personnel from different disciplines travel together to a remote community to provide support to students, their parents and teachers.

Special Education teachers and assistants provide programs for students with significant learning/language disorders. All Northern Territory Government high schools are allocated additional specialist staff to provide for the differentiated curriculum requirements of a large number of students with disabilities of various descriptions.

Integration assistants are considered for the student to continue to access the school.

Behaviour Management Service officers are based in the STAR (Students at Risk ) Centre in Darwin and in the Regional Offices in Alice Springs and Katherine. Their major areas of support include professional development of individual or whole school staff, direct intervention with difficult students in the school setting, parent/guardian support and training programs and centre based programs.

The Guidance Officer Service provides appropriately trained teacher psychologists who are based in Student Services in Darwin, and in most regional offices throughout the NT. They are available to conduct a range of intellectual and personal assessments for a variety of special needs clients, many of whom will have school attendance/discipline problems. Counselling of students, teachers or parents/guardians can be provided by these staff.

Transition Education Support Services are aimed at assisting special needs students prepare and make the transition from school to work or further training. Students accessing these programs are continuing at school beyond what has previously been the experience.

Indigenous students with disabilities

In recognition that current approaches are not adequate in appropriately meeting the needs of students in remote areas of the Northern Territory, the Department of Education has commenced two research projects. These are

ascertaining the nature and extent of disability amongst infants and school-age children in Aboriginal communities throughout the Territory and

informing Aboriginal parents on the Department's Special Education Policy, their rights and responsibilities relation to the policy and the services available to remote parents, including how to access these services. Consultation on appropriate procedures and practices in the policy's implementation and providing staff development has also been undertaken.

As the above issues are not confined to the Northern Territory, the Department of Education has raised the provision of special education services in remote Aboriginal communities at the Conference of Education Systems Chief Executive Officers (CESCEO). CESCEO has formed a working group which is at a national level pursuing a collaborative approach to the special education provision in remote communities.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

SA Department of Education, Training and Employment submission

In SA Department of Education, Training and Employment (DETE) policy the term 'students with disabilities' refers to those students who have "physical, intellectual or sensory impairments and or disabilities in communication and language".

The department acknowledges the right of students with disabilities to enrol in a school and mechanisms are implemented to provide support. Students meeting the definition are supported through a Negotiated Curriculum Plan (NCP) developed in consultation with support staff, parents and school staff and with a resource allocation depending on the intensity of the disability.

Strategies in place to support children with disabilities include the following:

In 1999 students with disabilities are supported through the allocation of 406 teacher salaries and 4482 School Support Officer hours.

The formula for allocating teacher time to country schools includes a 20% loading in recognition of the restriction distance has on access.
A budget of $360 000 was established as recurrent funding to enable the outsourcing of psychological assessments in country schools. This funding is used to employ private psychologists in districts where guidance officer vacancies exist.
Special Education Consultants, Speech Pathologists and Guidance Officers conduct regular face to face meetings with teachers of students with disabilities and support schools/teachers/parents with the Negotiated Curriculum Planning process.
DETE provides specialist support services through outsourcing as required eg Down's Syndrome Association, Crippled Children's Association, Technology NSW for visual impairment.
Training opportunities for teachers and support staff in or near local communities is provided. Video conferencing facilities have been established and used in a number of district offices to enhance the degree of communication country staff have with their support services teams.
In larger schools in rural areas a focus of support has been toward the establishment of in school student support teams. This has aided schools in prioritising resources, tracking students and referral to outside agencies where necessary.
Special Education consultants act as first point of call and/or initiate contact with other agencies, act in a liaison role to develop collaborative partnerships with DETE services and other Government and non-Government agencies to provide services to children/students with disabilities

Support for schools to plan curriculum modifications is provided, through teacher salaries, peripatetic School Support Officer hours and interagency initiatives e.g. Collaborative Action Plan (DETE and the Department of Human Services).
Transport assistance supports children and students with disabilities who attend special schools, classes or programs. An emergency budget line (approx. $ 30 000p.a.) has been established to convert school buses to accommodate students needing wheelchair access. To date, there have been 6 conversions in country South Australia at Bordertown, Burra, Clare, Eudunda, Kapunda and Balaklava.

Open Access College, which provides distance education, receive some extra resources to cover the additional teaching requirements of children with disabilities whoa re using distance education. These students may also get local support from School Support Officers.

There are also Special Schools located in larger rural centres: Murray Bridge, Pt Augusta, Port Lincoln, Port Pirie, Berri, Whyalla, Mount Gambier and a Special Education Unit based at Kadina High School.

TASMANIA

Tasmanian Department of Education, Community and Cultural Development submission

Students with disabilities in regular schools are resourced by the same formula as all other students in the first instance. Additional special education resources are allocated to students with disabilities in regular schools on the basis of individual submissions. An Individual Education and Support Plan (IESP), incorporating requests for teacher aide funding, transport assistance, information technology needs and therapy assistance, is prepared for every student with moderate to severe disability.

Special education staff are allocated to each district according to the number of students with moderate to severe disabilities enrolled in schools in the district on a ratio of 1 FTE to every 7 students. These staff are then utilised in different ways in each district, although the dominant model across the State is for some special education teachers to operate within schools and others to offer support to schools as part of District Support Services.

Each Department of Education District has a Support Service which includes:

Support teachers with skills in teaching children with disabilities, learning difficulties and difficult behaviours;
Guidance officers who are educational psychologists;
Social workers;
Speech pathologists;

Students in rural and isolated schools are supported by these staff on an equitable basis with non-rural schools. In some districts, the officers are located in rural areas; in others, they travel to rural schools on a regular basis.

Students with disabilities such as autism, vision or hearing impairment and physical disability are provided with additional assistance through the State Support Service.

The families of children who are diagnosed as having a disability before they enter school, from as early as birth, can access family and centre-based support through the Early Special Education Service.

The responsibility for assessing the information and communication technology needs of children with disabilities rests with the State Support Service.

The State Support Service is available to families in rural areas, with the State Coordinators of Autism and Physical Disability and the itinerant teachers of students with vision and hearing impairment providing consultative services to children in rural and non-rural areas.

There are 2 students with a disability enrolled with Tasmanian Open Learning Service (TOLS). They have access to resources provided through the Special Education budget including Information Technology.

There are also children with disabilities (Category A) under school age receiving educational support for vision and hearing impairment in home based programs.

The Department also assists where possible with transport for students living in remote areas whose parents choose a Special School.

Inclusion in regular schools

In Tasmania, the majority of students with disabilities (68%) are educated in regular schools, with the balance (32%) enrolled in special schools which are located in the major population centres. There are 98 regular schools in regional Tasmania which currently enrol at least one student with moderate to severe disabilities.

The Department of Education has issued a booklet Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in Regular Schools.

The Department is currently undertaking a review of its Inclusion Policy which is expected to include recommendations on where resources can most effectively be targeted and where there are unmet resource needs.

Disability categories

Tasmania has a two layer model of students with disabilities: Category A and Category B.

Category A is a group of students with very significant disabilities likely to require substantial assistance and support throughout their schooling. These students have minor incident disabilities (less than 1% of the student population). Centrally allocated funds provided to these students based on support needs. The funds are transferable with the students, targeted to individual students, are allocated according to a common procedure and available to students with disabilities regardless of where they live.

Category B students (larger group - about 15-20% of students population) who still have difficulties with learning or less significant disabilities - can include students with challenging behaviour. These students are resourced through a district model that does not depend on the identification of each student's individual needs but provides more general support service for students who have difficulties with learning.

The Department allocates resources to Districts to locally manage support for this group - teachers, guidance officers, speech pathologist, social workers and additional funds to purchase teacher assistance time, teacher relief for professional development and curriculum /learning materials.

ACT

The ACT Department of Education and Community Services school policy on services to students with disabilities states that

The department is committed to providing quality education for all students regardless of individual differences to enable positive educational outcomes for each student and:

will ensure the provision of a range of services and settings to accommodate the wide range of curriculum needs of students with disabilities
recognises the rights of parents/guardians/carers to be fully informed and participate in decisions relating to their child's education
supports the integration of students with disabilities into regular schools when this is in the educational interests of the student.

It briefly outlines departmental, school staff, principal's responsibilities.

Students covered by this policy are those with a sensory, physical, psychological, intellectual, communication disorder; severe disturbed behaviour or multiple disabilities.

In addition there is a policy for Services to Students with Special Needs. This covers students with sensory, physical, psychological, intellectual, language or learning impairment, or a special need which is manifested in severe behaviour problems. This policy is developed from two related principles from the Declaration on the Rights of Child. The policy states that the Department will

foster the integration of students with special needs into mainstream schools when this is in the best educational interests of the student and other students in the school and within the Department's overall resource capacity. At the same time the Department recognises the essential nature of special programs or settings for students who are assessed as being in need of such a placement. The best interests of the student and other students in the school will be assessed and recommended upon by officers of the Department in close consultation with parents.

The policy outlines the responsibilities of the Department, the available programs, including

General support in mainstream settings
Supplementary support in mainstream settings
Intensive supplementary support in mainstream settings
Transitional special programs in mainstream or special settings
Long term special programs in special settings

It also outlines mandatory procedures for schools which include the establishment of a Special Needs Team with specific responsibilities developing a program for the student and implementing the program.

QUEENSLAND

Education Queensland submission

In line with the intent of the Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act, 1992 an Action Plan for Students with Disabilities 1998 has been developed. This is revised regularly.

Education Queensland provides services for students with disabilities from the age of birth through to post-schooling, usually at around 18 years.

Disability Definitions

Education Queensland provides support for students with special needs. 'Students with special needs' includes those that have disabilities and those with learning difficulties as well as learning disabilities.

Students with disabilities comprise about 2% of the total school population, and they include students with hearing impairment, vision impairment, intellectual impairment, physical impairment, speech-language impairment, ASD or Autistic Spectrum Disorder, and a combination of those. In addition to that, students with learning difficulties and learning disabilities comprise between 12 and 15% of the total school-age population.

Otitis Media

Approximately 50 - 80 % of Aboriginal students and Torres Strait Islander students have fluctuating conductive hearing loss as a result of middle ear infection (otitis media). One of the priorities identified in Education Queensland's Action Plan: Educational Provision for Students with Disability 1998 - 2002 is to review the existing service delivery model for these students. Issues that are being addressed include:

hearing screening
models of support
school role
class teacher's knowledge and role
community involvement
ascertainment
teacher training and inservice training.

There are currently over 100 Soundfield Amplification Systems in use in Queensland schools - the highest proportion of these systems per student population in use in any state/territory in Australia. The Low Incidence Unit (a statewide service centre for students with low incidence disabilities and learning difficulties) also has 15 SAS systems available to schools on a loan basis. This loan system allows schools to borrow a SAS for a term to assess the effectiveness of the system before purchasing.

In 1997, The Low Incidence Unit produced a CD ROM professional development package designed for use by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community teachers. The CD "Otitis Media: What Every Teacher Should Know" provides a wealth of information on the health, audiological and educational management of otitis media.

Learning difficulties

Education Queensland has identified a school-based process to identify those students with learning difficulties and learning disabilities.

The ascertainment process for students with disabilities does not look at the students' medical conditions, but relates specifically to the teaching and learning condition, and the best way that these students can be taught in the school that their parents have chosen. Similarly, there are a number of processes that focus on appraisement that identify whole-of-school responses to working with students with learning difficulties and learning disabilities.

There are currently 1,600 support staff to assist in this area. In the seven schools with distance education, currently there are 14 support teachers learning difficulties that look specifically at those needs. In addition to that, at a whole-of-state level there are a further two positions that can provide statewide support, and add additional expertise.

Individual Education Plans

Individual Education Plans (IEPs) are mandatory for students with disabilities ascertained as having specialist educational support needs at levels 4 (from 2000), 5 (from 1999) and 6 (from 1998). The IEP process brings parents, professionals and the student (where appropriate) together to consider the student's current level of performance and to determine needs and learning priorities for the next six months. The plan documents these prioritised educational goals, which are specific for each student with a disability.

Teacher training

Education Queensland has committed some $150,000 to develop an open learning and self-paced package that can be used by teachers and therapists to equip teachers to work specifically with students with physical impairments. This is being conducted in conjunction with Griffith University. Teachers and therapists are able to access this course at their convenience, and in return Education Queensland pays their tertiary fee, should they seek accreditation, as well as gives them one day a week leave to further their studies. These people enrolled in the course are mentored by the specialist support staff that are available in the local area.

The Low Incidence Support Centre provides responses to students, to their schools and to parents, regarding learning difficulties and disabilities.

Last year a self-paced skilling kit was put into every government school in the state, giving teachers strategies to work with students with the various areas of disability. Specialised equipment and technology is making an impact on students with special needs, and whilst most information can be accessed through the district - because the numbers of students with disabilities and learning difficulties are exceptionally small in some districts - Education Queensland has set up across the state a hotline whereby people are able to access the services from the Low Incidence unit regarding specialised equipment and peripheral devices that can be trialled.

There is a new project skilling teachers, 10 in each of our isolated areas, to work specifically with applying technology to the teaching and learning for students with disabilities.

Physical modification

Each year the department spends in excess of $4 million in minor capital works. Many of the smaller schools are in fact built on stilts, and there are increasing numbers of physically impaired students that are required to access those schools.

Funds are provided annually to schools to complete minor capital works to ensure schools are accessible for all students. A specific enhancement through the Education for All initiative has been to provide $1.2m to modify school facilities to meet the needs of students with physical impairment. A large component of this will go to rural and remote schools.

Training for teachers

The Centre for Teaching Excellence was established in 1997 to ensure better professional development and training for educational personnel. Tertiary Inservice Support offers assistance for teachers to engage in open postgraduate study for the purpose of upskilling in an identified area of need. Priority areas identified for 2000 are:

Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Impairments -vision, hearing, intellectual, orientation and mobility
Learning Support and Learning Difficulties
Behaviour Management

Teaching Students with Disabilities (kit)

This resource was designed to support teachers and administrators in primary and secondary schools in the provision of educational programs for students with disabilities. It consists of a videotape and booklet in each of the following areas: introduction, school administrator, hearing impairment, intellectual impairment, physical impairment and vision impairment. The kit presents teaching strategies, information on a range of disabilities and support available. A copy of this kit was sent to every school facility in Education Queensland.

A new course is being developed by Education Queensland to train teachers to work with students with physical impairment. As no courses exist in Australia currently Education Queensland is developing a course in conjunction with Griffith University to skill teachers. Teachers will be able to access the course through a Website and receive mentoring from Advisory Visiting Teachers.

Behaviour Management Initiative

Over the last 3 years, Education Queensland has implemented a behaviour management initiative which is resourced at in excess of $12.m per annum. The initiative is currently being evaluated. Of the 300 Behaviour Management Support Staff, approximately 130 are located in rural and remote areas of the state.

While most of them are behaviour management support teachers, these support staff also include social workers, psychologists, counsellors, guidance officers, youth workers and teacher aides.

Programs range from providing professional development for the behaviour management support staff and the implementation of strategies, such as anti-bullying and anti-violence programs, anger management for high support needs students, education program development for students 'at risk' of or on suspension or exclusion, liaising with community organisations and parents in providing support for particular students, and information sharing via the internet on workable solutions to bullying developed by schools.

Of approximately 446000 students in state schools in Queensland, 13110 are students with disabilities, ie. almost 3% of the total student population. Of these, 2% or 9000 are considered to have high special educational needs. Overall 55.1% of students with disabilities reside in rural or remote locations. This is evenly distributed across each Physical Impairment - 53.3%, and Vision Impairment - 54.8%) except for the area of hearing impairment (Hearing Impairment - 64.4%) because of the higher number of Aboriginal students and Torres Strait Islander students with hearing impairments.

Of the 9 000 with high support needs, 2 500 attend 50 special schools while 6 500 are enrolled in a further 300 special classes in regular schools or receive Visiting Teacher support in local schools.

Children with disabilities may be eligible to receive educational programs from birth. Fifty per cent of students with disabilities live within 1.5 hours of Brisbane, largely due to parental preference due to hospital and large institutions.

Ascertainment for Students with Disabilities

Ascertainment is the process by which the specialist educational support needs of a student with disabilities can be identified from level 1 (data collection) to level 6 (requiring an individualised program). Education Queensland tries to match the recommended specialist educational support needs of a student with the educational program options including identification of the educational facility (closest to the student's home) which is best able to provide a quality educational program for the individual student.

Currently staffing including 1 517 teachers over 150 occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech-language pathologists, 20 nurses who all work toward agreed Individual Education Goals identified by educational teams involving the parents. Special staff are available to assist the local teacher with special education delivery regardless of location.

Appraisement for Students with Learning Difficulties and Learning Disabilities

Appraisement processes are used to assist students with learning difficulties and learning disabilities. Local staff and parents identify the level of support and appropriate intervention strategy for each student. A new Appraisement system will be gradually introduced to support students with learning difficulties and learning disabilities.

Currently there are 930 teachers supporting students with learning difficulties and learning disabilities throughout Queensland schools.

Key points of the ascertainment and appraisement processes are that there is:

an educational focus not a deficit
parental involvement
coordination at the local school
specialist support available at either the school, district, or state level.

Specialised equipment and technology

Low Incidence Unit, Adaptive Technology Services (ATS) provides support to Education Queensland personnel supporting students with disabilities across the state, including rural and remote locations, through:

telephone "Hotline", fax and email
ATS listserv
trial loans library (alternative mouse, keyboard devices, switches, communication devices)
website
On-Line journal
consultancy, workshops and professional development.

The Technology for students with disabilities project aims to inservice support staff (advisory visiting teachers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech-language pathologists and learning difficulties' support teachers) in the use of adaptive technologies with students with disabilities. All districts, including those in rural and remote locations, will be invited to nominate up to ten teachers or therapists to participate.

Teacher aides

A resource kit titled Teacher Aides: Working with Students with Disabilities has been developed to provide practical information for teacher aides working with students with disabilities across Education Queensland facilities. It was developed to complement the training course for teacher aides provided by Bremer Institute of TAFE.

Support teachers (Learning Difficulties)

Currently there are 930 support teachers working in Queensland schools. Fourteen of these are working in the seven Schools of Distance Education and a further two provide statewide support from the Low Incidence Unit. Training for this group has been identified as a priority by Districts. Funded tertiary study and training days are available to support the continual provision of skilled personnel for these positions across the state. The Support Teacher Learning Difficulties is involved in the provision of programs for students in conjunction with class teachers by modifying curriculum and adapting environments to suit individual student needs.

Specialist Support staff

Advisory visiting teacher service:

Advisory visiting teachers play a key role in the delivery of quality education to students with disabilities (birth to school exit) who have been ascertained as requiring specialist educational support (levels 1-6). AVTs in the areas of hearing impairment, physical impairment and vision impairment support students with disabilities in non-government schools in rural and remote locations. If students with disabilities are unable to access specialist services locally then they can request support from the Low Incidence Unit.

Therapy services

Education Queensland employs 46 occupational therapists, 46 physiotherapists and over 100 speech-language pathologists to support educational services to students with special needs enrolled in state schools throughout the state. Students with a disability who have been ascertained may be eligible for support, according to the criteria outlined in the documents: Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy Services (SM-09, DOEM) and Speech-Language Therapy Services (SM-10, DOEM). These guidelines provide a framework for the organisation of therapy services in Education Queensland schools in all locations.

Principal Education Officers, Student Services

Thirty-six PEO (SS) coordinate the array of services and programs for students with special needs across their district. This involves negotiating the access and participation of students with disabilities to specialised programs and services including

Statewide support - Low Incidence Unit

The Low Incidence Unit provides specialist support services on a request basis to schools in the each of the Impairment areas and in the area of Learning Difficulties and Learning Disabilities. These services include the provision of professional development activities to staff, information sessions for parents and students, and assistance in the development of curriculum and pedagogy to meet individual student needs. During the 1999 school year the Low Incidence Unit has responded to 877 requests from schools across the pre-school, primary, secondary and special education sectors.

VICTORIA

Education Victoria submission

Education Victoria's Program for Students with disabilities and impairments handbook 2000 guides principals, teachers, parents through the Department for Education's Program for Students with Disabilities and Impairments.

The handbook states that the Department of Education:

is committed to providing all students with disabilities and impairments access to the highest quality educational opportunities.
acknowledges that the neighbourhood school (regular or specialist) is the first point of contact for all students.
is committed to providing detailed and balanced information about all available educational options to enable parents to make a choice of school location for their child. This includes education at a regular school, at one of the many specialist settings located across the state or , alternatively, in a shared part-time arrangement between a regular school and a specialist setting.
will ensure that when a parent seeks to enrol a child with a disability or impairment, an initial program support group will be formed to undertake an appraisal and provide information to help determine the level of resources available to the school
recognises that funding of an appropriate education for students with disabilities and impairments is based on educational need rather than the description of disability or impairment
will require that an ongoing program support group is formed for each student with a disability or impairment to advise the principal on the appropriate educational program, including resources
acknowledges that educational opportunities for students with disabilities and impairments are non-discriminatory and in accordance with the relevant Acts.

The handbook also specifies that, for consideration for additional resources for a student with a disability or impairment, documentation must be provided that meets the following criteria

physical disability
severe language disorder
severe emotional disorder
hearing impairment
intellectual impairment
visual impairment
autism spectrum disorder

Funding process

A systematic approach to the funding for students with disabilities and impairments has been adopted. All such students are assessed and their educational needs classified against a six level funding index. Around 11,000 students are funded within the global school budget in this way in both regular and specialist settings. This represents 2.6% of the total student population, which is consistent with World Health Organisation benchmarks in this area.

Last updated 2 December 2001.