13/05/2026
I know many families who are advocating so hard right now! This is a helpful read, and although this post is about Vic, the same applies to WA schools.
Schools do not get to choose whether they “believe” in disability inclusion.
It is not optional.
It is not a favour.
It is not dependent on funding, staffing shortages, convenience, personal attitudes, or whether a school believes a child is “too difficult” to support.
In Victoria, students with disability have legal rights.
Those rights exist under federal and state law, including the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, the Disability Standards for Education 2005, the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic), the Victorian Child Safe Standards, and Department of Education policy.
That means schools are legally required to make reasonable adjustments so students with disability can access and participate in education on the same basis as other students.
Reasonable adjustments may include changes to teaching, communication, assessment, supervision, behaviour support, sensory needs, attendance planning, transitions, safety planning, or classroom participation.
They are not “extras.”
They are not rewards.
They are not optional supports offered only when a school feels resourced enough.
They are legal obligations.
Schools must consult with parents and carers.
They must consider the individual child.
They must act to prevent discrimination, exclusion, victimisation and harm.
They must support students to participate safely and meaningfully in education.
And in Victoria, schools also have child safety obligations. That means inclusion cannot simply mean placing a child in a classroom without adequate support and calling it access. Safety matters. Dignity matters. Proper supervision matters. Trauma informed support matters.
Yet across Victoria, families are still reporting the same patterns again and again.
Children placed on reduced hours instead of properly supported.
Students repeatedly suspended or excluded for disability-related behaviour.
Parents pressured to collect children early.
Children isolated from peers.
Safety plans not followed.
Student Support Groups treated as box-ticking exercises.
Adjustments refused, delayed or ignored.
Families blamed when schools fail to meet their obligations.
And too often, parents are made to feel unreasonable for asking schools to do what the law already requires.
Let’s be clear.
A child does not need to be “severely disabled” to have rights.
A diagnosis does not need to be convenient for the school.
A child’s access to education cannot depend on whether the school has enough staff, enough funding, or enough willingness.
And “we don’t have the resources” does not erase legal obligations.
The real issue is that the Victorian system is failing everyone.
It is failing children with disability.
It is failing families.
It is failing teachers.
It is failing education support staff.
And it is failing school leaders who are being expected to manage complex needs without adequate funding, training, accountability or support.
But systemic failure does not make discrimination acceptable.
Parents are not asking for special treatment.
They are asking for lawful treatment.
They are asking for their children to be safe.
To be educated.
To be included.
To be supported.
To be treated with dignity.
Because disability inclusion is not a slogan.
It is the law.
