Education of Children with Disabilities in Australia - Literature review Example

TOPIC: CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES Authors [Name] University’s [Name] Part 1 In Australia, 7.8% of the students in educational institutions live with disabilities. Due to segregation of Australian youths with disabilities, the current transition to educational support systems is failing. According to Gabriel (2015), the institutions have condemned the young minds to marginalization and dependent life with inadequate opportunities for social and economic participation. Since they are marginalized and segregated, Australia is significantly failing people with disabilities. Importantly, the disabled are normal, only that they are inconvenienced in performing tasks. As such, this does not make them less human. Moreover, since most of the selection of employees is characterized by equality, they can be active members of Australian workforce if schools and government dissuades low expectations, limited or no exposure, as well as, employment vacancies. Disabled children should be taught alongside other students in the educational setting. As Allen and Cowdery (2014) argue, inclusive learning helps the students to be socially integrated to their peers. Furthermore, it helps them create long lasting friendships, as well as, allowing vicarious learning to take place. In addition, later in life, skills gained from peers enable them to navigate social relationships. Again, their peers can act as role models for social skills through their interactions with others, as opposed to being in a homogenous or marginalized classroom (Allen & Cowdery, 2014). This is particularly true for more cruelly disabled students who would be placed in a setting with students who have little or no social interaction. Better still, the student can benefit academically in an inclusive classroom. In an elegant inclusion classroom, however, the teacher uses inclusive approaches to help students succeed educationally. Therefore, students encounter higher opportunities both from their peers and their teachers, as well as, the optimistic academic role models of their developing colleagues (Kang, 2016,). Common morality should be observed when dealing with disabled children, For instance, they should not be taken advantage of, and thus, they should not be subjected to social vices such as rape or embezzling their funds. The Australian legislative body has provided a department which takes care of the needs of those with disabilities, especially via funding. On the other hand, there are tremendous benefits for those without disabilities. According to Singleton (2015), the students develop a strong relationship that would otherwise be impossible, as well as, appreciation and recognition of different people. Also, as the writer asserts, they help to learn how to help each other in achieving academically, which is a foundation for success in life. Additionally, the classmates who are not disabled learn how to appreciate their disabilities (Singleton, 2015). However, to ensure that there is the best education practice taking place, the Australian government must make sure that the teachers are trained on how to handle the disabled, as well as, advocating for inclusion classes (Allen & Cowdery, 2014).Most of the educators have low expectations for the disabled, which potentially reduces their optimum academic achievement. At the same time, most educators expect them to be slow learners. For this reason, as Brown et al. (2001) asserts, all the teachers in the country must undertake a course on particular student's needs, which will in turn create a favorable environment for the disabled. At the same time, there should be special funding for the disabled, which will ensure that they have enough facilitating equipment such as ear plug, braille, wheel chairs among other materials that are needed by the disabled students (Cook et al. 2014). Again, giving vacancies to the disabled in the public, as well as, in the teaching profession will ensure that disabled students are motivated. Better still, giving the jobs to the disabled will challenge the typically developing students and make them work hard (Rodríguez, 2015). Besides, for the government to guarantee commitment and willingness to the disabled, customizing the classrooms to facilitate better learning for the needy will be handy. Incorporating enabling infrastructure such low stairs, blackboards and modern braille will also be vital for the learning process. Also, the government should pay half of the disabled fees to safeguard dropping out of the children in schools due to financial constraints. Again, to ensure that there is a conducive environment for disabled children, there should be a connection between constructive and evocative parent involvement, and student achievement. As Brown et al. (2001) points out, there is a direct correlation between high academic development, better school attendance, better cooperation behavior, and low dropout with parental involvement. As a result, the parents with disabled children should be taught on how to make the dynamics work. For example, anger management classes to enable them understand their children who maybe underperforming in school or slow in their chores. Additionally, parents should be taught skills such as appreciation of their own child and the formation of groups where such children are supported will help. Also, the parents should read books written for such purposes. At the same time, the parents must know how to handle their children to ensure that the school concept has clicked in their minds. One of the steps that can be taken, as Gowdey (2015) points out, is setting clear expectations on the child. To allow special needs students to access education, there should be a long-term plan, typically known as individualized program plan (IPP). The IPP helps the disabled by alleviating their problems, and also monitoring their success. In other words, as Arnardóttir (2010) asserts, it outlines the plan of action like goals and objectives so as provide suitable care for the disabled, as well as supporting the adoption of specialized instruction which looks into the unique needs of a student. IPPs are also used by student for progress recording and to help create even shifts throughout the student's school career. As expected, the government must set standards, as well as clarifying the obligations of education that will help the disabled to acquire education on the same basis as typically developing students. According to the Constitution, all children have a right to be included in the educational programs that suit them. The international law and human right pact postulates that every child has a right to education and all the countries signatory of the pact will safeguard that. As such, Australia is no exception. One of the key challenges facing disabled is low expectations. As Carter (2010) points out, standards that the government is supposed to put in place should form a baseline where the students do not struggle to fit in the group but struggle to fulfill individual potential. Part 2 Educating the disabled children is an excellent investment. Educating the disabled helps the country, as well as their families, reduce cost and future dependency. It minimizes the dependency and frees other households' members from caring responsibilities, allowing them to use the money in other productive activities and projects. Again, taking a child with a disability to school increases the potential productivity, and promotes health creation, which is the first step that fights poverty. According to World Bank, as Yuker (2011) reports, the rate of returns of investment to education among the disabled varies between 18 and 35 per cent. The disabled have a high likelihood of destitution due to the fact that they may not be able to mingle around with other people. Coupled with segregation, as well as physicality also presents further problems for them. For this reason, taking them to school significantly reduces the chance of destitution because education is the only tool that can eradicate seclusion. Furthermore, the probability of destitution is little compared to illiterate persons with disabilities (Rose, 2015). Disabled children have a right to access education. Since the UN declaration of human rights in 1948, there has been a legislation of providing education to all children without segregation. This has led to the establishment of convections such as convention on the rights of the disabled. It has signed pacts to all countries other than Zimbabwe and Afghanistan. The pact states that all disabled people should not excluded from the general education on the basis of disabilities. Australia being a signatory of the pact has a sole mandate to ensure that there is smooth running of inclusive education. As Darrow (2015) stressed, this includes free and compulsory elementary and secondary education. According to Allen and Cowdery (2014), the inclusion of disabled in the education system is paramount so as to unveil the large potential lying the people with disability. The disabled are normal people only that they are disabled in one of the human senses. However, despite that, when they are directed to an educational system they have a high possibility of producing the same results as typically developing people. Nonetheless, extreme disability such as mental disorder is an exception. In addition, as Foreman and Arthur-Kelly (2014) points out, supporting the inclusion of the disabled help to create a more different workforce and the world. As a result, educating the automatically outweigh the notion of the not taking them to school (Singleton, .2015,). Recommendations Firstly, the Australian government must ensure that there is the consistent and central national collection of data on school disabilities. The move will enable the effective and efficient budgeting, which will facilitate equitable allocation of resources. Additionally, with their statistics, it is easier to incorporate the changes that may come up in the world. With enough and effective budgeting, it is easier to execute plans such as individualized program plan (IPPs) learning. Secondly, the government should promote inclusive learning, whereby disabled children are allowed to learn concurrently with typical ones. In essence, this will ensure that the disabled are not segregated, thereby fostering an effective learning process. Besides, the move will foster the appreciation of the disabled within the society, as well as helping them to learn better, which will increase the chances of academic achievement and success later in life. Lastly, the Australian government must take initiative in training teachers and parents on how to effectively deal with the disabled. For instance, since it is conventionally believed that those who are disabled have a high tendency of achieving minimally, the program will be important in stressing that those who are disabled can still achieve highly from an academic viewpoint, just as the students without disabilities. Also, parents and guardians will be provided with skills that will ensure that they develop optimally and also know how to effectively deal with them through issues such as anger management. References Read More