Kids with disability face high rates of bullying, study finds

ABC NEWS (Australia)

New research paints a troubling picture for life in Australian schools for some students with disability. The study shows high rates of exclusion, segregation and bullying.

Transcript

00:00 Yeah, look, this research was done by Children and Young People with Disability Australia.

00:05 That's the peak sort of advocacy for youth with disability here in this country.

00:10 And they joined forces with researchers from two universities in Melbourne and New South

00:14 Wales to do three surveys that really did look at the kind of experiences that students

00:20 are having right from early childhood through to higher education.

00:24 I guess one of the sort of surveys that really did have the most disturbing sort of statistics

00:30 was that 65% of respondents said they'd experienced bullying.

00:35 And the academics said that the bullying was experienced both face to face and also online.

00:41 And it was perpetrated often by not only students, but school staff.

00:46 Some of the other troubling figures were things like 27% of students said they felt that they

00:52 had been adequately supported at school, leaving a whole lot of other students who obviously

00:57 don't feel that they are getting the support they need to be educated.

01:00 And one of the others was that 70% of respondents said that they were excluded from events or

01:06 activities.

01:07 So we're talking there things like PE classes and even school excursions.

01:11 What have advocates had to say about how to tackle this problem?

01:14 Yeah, look, in this report, Children and Young People with Disability Australia has talked

01:18 about wanting much more investment to provide training and support for teachers working

01:23 in inclusive education.

01:24 But also they're asking for an independent oversight body, which they think will ensure

01:30 that educational institutions are really meeting their statutory and legal obligations for

01:36 students.

01:37 What's been the response, if any, from the federal government?

01:39 Yeah, we have heard from the federal education minister, Jason Clare.

01:43 And he says that, look, every student in Australia should feel supported and safe at school.

01:48 But he has said that an independent body has already been established and is looking at

01:52 some of these ways to improve the system for all students.

01:56 And that involves looking at things like a multitude of areas, including outcomes for

02:02 students, including their health and well-being.

02:04 And he says that it'll help people in the system who are falling behind really catch

02:09 up and people with disability are included in that as well.

02:12 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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