Ryan Hutchen Student No: 17733957

The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with
Disabilities (2019) Pg 2: states that, “Australia is obligated to promote the human rights of
people with disabilities under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
(CRPD).” It’s universally known and recognised that the right to education is an international
human rights law. Within Australia, all students, irrespective of disabilities, location and
socio-economic status, are entitled to equitable and inclusive education. The Queensland
Department of Education Pg 1: states that, “inclusive education involves all students having
equal access to partake in learning with their peers, supported by differentiated teaching
strategies to meet their needs.” Whilst there are several policies implemented to cater for
and provide inclusive education, the reality is the current system is failing to provide
inclusive and equitable education for all students, in particular, students with disabilities.
Graham, Proctor & Dixon (2016) Pg 1: states that, “students with disabilities have endured
discrimination in Australian schools for years, with exclusive practices such as gatekeeping.”
Whilst there are several barriers to ensuring and implementing inclusive education for
students with disabilities, more needs to be done to ensure no student is left disadvantaged,
regardless of whether or not they’re disabled or otherwise. I’m recommending additional
teacher professional development, as well as policy reform and frameworks being
implemented, to ensure gatekeeping practices are eradicated. It’s essential students with
disabilities are afforded the same opportunities to engage in equitable education, failure to
do so will result in detrimental and long-lasting effects on these individuals, both during and
concluding their school lives. This paper will provide suggestions as it pertains to providing
equitable and inclusive education for students with disabilities. I will also address the issue
of gatekeeping in secondary schools and identify and analyse the negative impacts it has on
students with disabilities.

Despite the plethora of integrated policies and acts that have been established in relation to
providing inclusive education, it’s apparent to all that the current system is failing students
with disabilities. A major issue existing currently to implementing inclusive education is the
use of gatekeeping within secondary schools, within the Australian education system. Poed,
Cologon & Jackson (2017) Pg 1: states that, “gatekeeping practices are utilised by schools as
a means of minimising the enrolment and participation of students with disabilities in
mainstream classes.” This is failing to provide inclusive education, and rather an example of
restrictive practice. Poed, Cologon & Jackson (2017) Pg 2: states that, “Australian schools
have a legal obligation to cater for and provide reasonable adjustments.” Whilst
gatekeeping is illegal at schools, it remains common practice and is further evidence that
policy reforms and frameworks must be adapted. The framework needs to be adjusted to
ensure parents and carers have a greater understanding of their rights. Both the Australian
Discrimination Law 1992 and the 2005 Disabilities Standards for Education, were
constructed to ensure students couldn’t be denied enrolment at school due to their
disability. Graham, Proctor and Dixon (2016) Pg 4: states that, “whilst all schools should be
adhering to these standards, often a lack of parental understanding of this legislation has
resulted in some schools manipulating parents into not enrolling. The lack of parental
understanding, as well as schools manipulating parents, are both causes and barriers to
students with disabilities accessing equal education.
The implementation of gatekeeping in schools is a contradiction to the National Disability
Insurance Scheme (NDIS) 2013. Although the NDIS doesn’t primarily focus on education and
school funding, it does revolve around providing equal opportunities to individuals who
have disabilities. Phillips (2015) Pg 2: states that, “gatekeeping has ensured many families
have had to battle just to ensure their child receives an adequate education.” With so many
schools using gatekeeping, it’s created several issues and barriers for families that have a
child with a disability. Phillips (2015) Pg 2: states that, “educational attainment of students
with disabilities is substantially reduced.” The quality of education received, varied upon
factors including: the parent’s wealth and geographical location. If gatekeeping was to
become non-existent, these external factors wouldn’t have a significant influence of the
quality of education available to students with disabilities. Schools that have been engaging
with gatekeeping, clearly have a poor school culture. Phillips (2015) Pg 4: states that, “the
schooling experience of students with a disability was directly linked to the principals and
teacher’s ability to provide quality education to all students.”

If the current education system continues along the same trajectory, there will be a range of
consequences for both students and parents of a child with a disability including: financial,
social, intellectual and emotional costs. The current barriers that students with disabilities
must overcome are negating student’s opportunities to achieve to the best of their abilities
at school. During schooling, students should be equipped with the essential skills and
knowledge to become capable adults. Phillips (2015) Pg 9: states that, “neglecting the
education of students with disabilities will have detrimental and long-lasting effects.”
Students with disabilities who are receiving an inadequate and exclusive education will have
a reduced capacity for the remainder of their adult lives, leading to unemployment, social
isolation and prolonged disadvantage. The current education system can be modified to
enhance the education received by students with disabilities, it will have positive
ramifications for the student, parents and society as a whole.

Whilst there are several negatives for students with disabilities, as it pertains to inclusive
and equal education, they’re not the only individuals who suffer as a result of the failings of
the current education system. The families, particularly the parents/carers, of these
students, endure a substantial and unwarranted economic and emotional burden. As a
direct result of the schools partaking in gatekeeping practices, parents are often exposed to
economic and emotional hardship. In certain schools, students with disabilities, are not
afforded the opportunity to work with teacher’s aides or student learning support officers.
Phillips (2015) Pg 4???? States that, “some families were spending more than $25,000 per
year on learning support.” For parents in comfortable situations, this may be feasible, yet
for parents who can’t afford to pay such a large amount of money, their children are
continuing to fall behind academically and socially. These services should be available to all
students, irrespective of their families, wealth. Phillips, P (2015) Pg 52: states that, “parents
battling to enhance their child’s education, dominated their time, energy and emotional
reserves.” Parents also indicated the sense of isolation and exclusion, they experienced
within their child’s schooling.
There are several barriers that exist within the education system as it pertains to providing
inclusive and equitable education prospects for student’s disabilities. These barriers place a
massive burden on students and their families. Whilst it’s challenging to eliminate all of
these barriers, more must be done.

I’m specifically recommending additional teacher professional development, both during

their studies, in their initial teaching years, as well as changes in policy reform and
frameworks, to remove current school procedures such as gatekeeping. Jarvis (2019) Pg 1:
states that, “less than 40% of Australian teachers feel capable and competent to teach
students with special needs.” Teachers indicated that current professional development
opportunities were inadequate to equip them to deliver content to students with
disabilities. Without a greater emphasis upon teacher professional development, teachers
will continue to feel unequipped to cater for and teach students with disabilities. Without
greater emphasis on the education of pre-service teachers in relation to teaching students
with disabilities, teachers will continue to have to learn on the spot, which will continue to
hinder the educational prospects of those students. If there is a greater emphasis on
teacher professional development, less schools will adopt gatekeeping practices. Mader
(2017) Pg 3: states that, “85% of students with disabilities can succeed in mainstream
education when provided with adequate learning support.” Additionally, students with
disabilities, placed in mainstream classes, have fewer days off school and have enhanced
post-school outcomes. Mader (2017) Pg 6: states that, “teachers need the time, support and
training to provide high quality education to students with disabilities.” I’m recommending
that teachers are exposed to and engage in additional professional development, both as
pre-service teachers and as full-time trained teachers. If this recommendation is followed,
students with disabilities will experience an equitable education, teaching directed for
students with disabilities will be enhanced and gatekeeping practices will cease to exist.
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Despite various policies and frameworks that have been implemented to eliminate
discrimination of students with disabilities, many inequities persist within the education
system. Despite having the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the National Disability
Standards for Education 2005, that are designed to promote inclusion and eliminate
discrimination, practices such as gatekeeping remain prevalent. DeBruin (2020) pgstates
that, “gatekeeping is illegal under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, yet remains a
constant issue in Australia.” My recommendation is the need to design and implement a
clear policy framework, that ensures inclusive and equitable education is available to all
students. This is essential and must be transparent and provide no loopholes that schools
can exploit as is currently the case. Both of these recommendations, in my opinion will
promote inclusive education for all students, both with and without disabilities.

References:

De Bruin, K. (2020). Does inclusion work?. In Inclusive Education for the 21st Century: Theory, Policy
and Practice (pp. 55-76). Allen & Unwin

Mader, J. (2017). How teacher training hinders special-needs students. The Atlantic, 319(2).