Similar to the issue of class in education,
before the innovation of the public institutions, the privately run independent
school systems were unjust in their failure to educate physically and mentally
disabled students.
My primary school consisted of a special care
education system for students with physical and mental disabilities. In years 5
and 6, some of these students were invited to take part in numerical and
linguistical activities of the regular classes. In certain cases, physically
impaired students were quicker to respond to mathematical problems than the
mainstream students. My year 10-geography teacher used a wheelchair, which
strongly limited his access to certain buildings, confining him to the ground
floor or rooms that were accessible from the disabled lift. He was however, a
very able-minded teacher, pushing the class to achieving stellar marks, and he
was even able-bodied as he was a member of the Australian wheelchair rugby
team. Physical disabilities, therefore, don’t limit the mental capacity of ‘special
needs’ students, and the present and future governments of Australia must take
this into consideration.
In 1997 in the United States of America, the
House of Representatives instigated the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (Palley, 2004), which sought to improve the education standards for
students with physical and mental disabilities. This system additionally saw
the introduction of manifestation determination meetings that purposed to
balance out the needs of regular students and those with disabilities (Palley,
2004) monitoring the behaviors of all students alike rather than isolating the
disabled minority from the mainstream. The introduction of public school
systems, therefore, has given students with physical and/or mental disabilities
an equal chance to receive an education, special care teachers being trained to
cater to the individual needs of each student.
In regards to the Liberal-National Parties
succession in the Australian Government, on 19 September 2013, Stella Young of
the ABC wrote an article on disability inequality in Australia and ideal
candidates for the ministry. Young’s reference to Australia’s negligence in the
past and even the present to elect a minister who has actually experienced a
disability (Young, 2013) forced me to consider the historical inequality that
has existed between disabled and non-disabled people in Australia, the former
often being denied jobs due to their physical disadvantages. The majority of
the comments on this article show opposition to Tony Abbott’s government, with
reference to John Howard’s negligence towards disability care during his time
in office (‘Dazza’ comments on Young, 2013). The Coalition’s Policy for Disability and Carers published in
August 2013, however, suggests that disability inequality in education and the
workplace will be tackled following the restoration of the nation’s economy
that it argues was left in ruins by the Rudd-Gillard Labor Government across
the past six years (Australian Liberal-National Party,
2013, p.8).
Therefore, I conclude that disability reforms
should become a key issue with the new government in an attempt to eliminate
the gap between the disabled and non-disabled in the Australian schools and
workforce.
References:
·
Palley, E; “Balancing Student Mental Health Needs
and Discipline: A Case Study of the Implementation of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act”; Social Service Review; Vol. 78, No. 2 (The University of Chicago Press, 2004); http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/382768.
· Young, S; “Disability reform is enough to keep
any minister busy”; ABC – The Drum;
Posted Thu 19 Sep 2013, 4:10pm AEST;
· Comment by ‘Dazza’ on: Young,
S; “Disability reform is enough to keep any minister busy”; ABC – The Drum; Posted Thu 19 Sep
2013, 4:10pm AEST;
·
Australian
Liberal-National Party; The Coalition’s
Policy for Disability and Carers; p.8; (The Australian Government, 2013);
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