Disability advocate addresses national summit

Social Futures School Facilitator Maree Jenner will present at the National Disability Summit from September 18-19 at Crown Promenade, Melbourne.

She will be joined by her colleague Prue McCarthy from the Central West of NSW.

They will speak on the impact being achieved in regional schools through not-for-profit Social Futures’ Inclusion in Schools programs.

The full suite of programs reach more than 9,000 students annually, and their impact is so significant because students get to meet, learn about, and speak with people with disability. 

Social Futures Senior Manager, Capacity Building and Engagement, Lynda Hope, said it was lifechanging for students and teachers to meet someone with disability, who will answer all their questions.

The students feel comfortable enough to approach facilitators after sessions and tell them about their own invisible disabilities, and of their bullying experiences as a result of being different.

About 15% of students participating in the Inclusion in Schools programs live with disability, as do 5.5 million Australians across the country.

Hope said changes in the way children treat each other following the sessions were evident.

She said classrooms were becoming more welcoming and easier for students with disability to access.

Schools are widening doorways, installing ramps, repainting lines to be more visible, and building programs into curriculums.

Inclusive sports are being incorporated into PE classes – sports like adaptive soccer and various blind sports using a ball with a bell.

Several students with disabilities have reported that they feel more included and accepted after the program.

Mainstream students are speaking and playing with special education students where they didn’t previously.

Principals have also expressed a realisation that their schools should be employing more teachers with disability.

“It is really important for our students with disability to see adults with disability leading full lives,” one said.

Social Futures is a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) partner, working with communities, schools and workplaces to promote inclusion for people with disability.

NSW Central Coast and Central West primary schools interested in participating in Social Futures free Inclusion in Schools programs, can call 1800 522 679 or visit socialfutures.org.au/inclusion-in-schools/