Exclusion and bullying of students with disability is on the rise in Australia, with three in four impacted in 2024, according to a new survey.
Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA) can reveal today that 75% of disabled students were bullied last year, while 72% were excluded from school activities or events.
This marks a dramatic increase from 2022 when a similar CYDA survey found 70% of disabled students were bullied and 65% experienced exclusion.
The damning findings have fuelled widespread calls from the disability sector for all political candidates to commit to urgent action on inclusive education this Federal election.
"These statistics are shocking but unfortunately not surprising," said CYDA CEO Skye Kakoschke-Moore.
"Students with disability, and their families, have been telling governments for years that our schools are simply not set up to truly include them.
"Sadly, it seems that not only has nothing changed in the 18 months since the Disability Royal Commission – we have somehow gone backwards. This election is the time to end this trend."
Reports of bullying in 2024 included verbal abuse, physical violence, sexual and online harassment, and social exclusion, with students describing being spat on, threatened, groped, or mocked for their disability.
Lily Gaulton, a student with cerebral palsy and autism from Perth, faced some of this firsthand. The 12-year-old said fights and problems occurred daily but were brushed aside as minor misunderstandings by staff.
"There was a boy in my class who told someone not to waste their energy running from me when we played. That really hurt," she recalled.
"[The bullying] went on for a long time and it was really hard."
Lily's mother Jenni Crowther said she was often forced to explain her daughter's disability to the school, a process she called "exhausting".
"The biggest challenge has been getting staff, parents and students to understand that neurodivergent kids can interpret the same situation very differently, and that matters," she said.
"There are passionate teachers and staff who go above and beyond, but the system isn't set up to give them the time, tools, or resources they need."
CYDA's survey heard from 118 Australian students like Lily. It found that more than two in three (71%) of those who left the education system early cited inaccessibility, discrimination, and bullying as the main reasons.
With more than 500,000 children and young people with disability aged 25 and under in Australia, the impact on current and former students is staggering.
Most are enrolled in mainstream schools, making it critical these settings provide genuine inclusion and support.
Youth disability advocate Ashleigh Keating pointed to improved teacher training, better resourcing, and a coordinated national strategy as essential for achieving this.
"If I were to sum up [my school experience] in two words, they would be difficult and frustrating," the 25-year-old Canberran said.
"I faced a lot of preconceived notions because I'm autistic, whether that be down to a lack of understanding from staff or a system that is not built for me… I was always told I couldn't or shouldn't do things because of my disability.
"These failures have had long-lasting repercussions on me as an adult and have made it harder to engage in things like higher education."
In 2023, the Disability Royal Commission's final report called for the implementation of a National Roadmap for Inclusive Education and the phasing out of segregated education.
It recognised that an inclusive system benefits everyone, improving learning, social, behavioural, and physical development outcomes for disabled and non-disabled students alike.
While the Federal government, and all states and territories, agreed to the idea of a National Roadmap 'in principle', to date no concrete steps have been taken towards making it a reality.
This Federal election CYDA is calling on all candidates to finally deliver inclusive education by committing to:
- Action a National Roadmap to Inclusive Education
- Set up a national independent oversight body to make sure providers meet their legal obligations
- Create an Inclusion Fund for Early Childhood Education and Care
- Provide federal funding to schools to guarantee safe and quality education for students with disability
- Strengthen pathways into higher education for students with disability
Read CYDA's full election platform, including its specific demands, here.
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