Wayne Herbert, disability employment professional and person with disability makes a powerful argument for inclusive education.

I remember it as if it were yesterday: Year Four News. The topic: ‘Something important to you’ or ‘What is something you are proud of?’

I recall others in my class talking about their skills at ball sports (something I lack unfortunately), their family, friends, and beloved family pets. Some even had props. I did have my ‘My First Pony’ in my bag, a gift from my grandparents. My brothers and I loved them. On this day, I did not talk about my pony. I simply stood up and said, “I am Wayne; I have Cerebral Palsy.”

A fellow classmate even called out; “Is that a transformer?” - with levels of enthusiasm, I had never seen before.

Well unfortunately, I have no superhuman powers. Just Wayne. As I am. In this moment included in a classroom with my peers. Not in a separate classroom, not behind bars or separated by a fence, wall or locked door, but standing right there. Right where I belong. I never attended a segregated school. Thankfully, my parents had an unwavering commitment to ensuring that I was afforded my human rights. What a different path my life may have taken without their support and fearless and fair advocacy.

It was this experience at around seven years of age, that would shape my belief that inclusion changes lives. It did mine. Yet the privileged and powerful want me believe that I am weak and vulnerable. Or, as I prefer to think, it is the powerful and privileged that are chronically obsessed with keeping me powerless.

Despite this, let me tell assure you, I do not consider myself weak. I instead believe I am powerful. However, as people with disability, we live and work in environments, systems and structures that make us vulnerable.

The great Stella Young said, ‘the magnitude of discrimination and stigma faced by people with disability in Australia cannot be underestimated’. This must change. In fact, the only thing we should seriously fear is continued inaction.

Sadly, there are far too many examples of the devastating and lasting impacts of segregation even right here where I live in Canberra. Cast your mind, back to 2015, when it emerged that a ten-year-old boy was being held in a cage. Unthinkable right? However, sadly this was the reality at the time for this student in the ACT, “which has for decades prided itself on a progressive education system” and whilst I acknowledge reforms following this event, there is much work to be done.

In Canberra, we have invested successfully as a city in strengthening our diverse communities. I have had the privilege to be a part of some of this work that we can indeed be proud. Although we cannot claim to be Australia’s most inclusive city whilst we continue to fund segregated education for people with disability. As a leader in the disability sector I have had a long standing position that we must never compromise on human rights, all members of our community with disability are afforded the right to participate fully in all aspects of community life including education. Putting an end to segregation will require our leaders to collaborate, consult and compromise to design policy to ensure a lasting solution.

I am perplexed at times, as to why this practice of ‘special’ school continues. This is not as a reflection on the skilled and dedicated teaching staff. Rather, how we have come to believe that such approaches to education can provide a full meaningful and quality education for students with disability? In my view any form of segregation surely does not, so why do we do it?

The evidence is on my side. As education expert Dr Kathy Cologon (Macquarie University) argues, an overwhelming body of evidence over many decades shows:

“Inclusive education has been found to have equal or better outcomes for all children – not just for children who experience disability. This includes better academic and social outcomes.”

Despite this evidence we continue in our educational institutions to teach students that the segregation and exclusion of students with disability is right, just, and indeed somehow in the best interests of others. Why? because we (people with disability), according to some, are ‘disruptive’ and should be segregated. In my view, that's exactly what the current system needs: more disruption and to be dismantled.

It is with this in mind that I commit to acting to ensure that I can make a contribution to ensuring that we look for effective and contemporary approaches to education that do not simply dictate that because of a particular attribute your education must be segregated from your non-disabled peers.

To that end, Dr Thomas Hehir, Professor of Practice in Learning Differences at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, created the following list for fostering inclusive education:

Establish an expectation for inclusion in public policy
Establish a public campaign to promote inclusive education
Build systems of data collection
Provide educators with a robust program of pre-service and in-service preparation on inclusive education
Create model universally designed inclusive schools
Promote inclusive opportunities in both post-secondary education settings and the employment market
Provide support and training to parents seeking inclusive education for their children

So is change possible? I say yes.

In the words of the great Harvey Milk: “it takes no compromise to give people their rights ... It takes no political deal to give people their freedom'”. In a truly inclusive community, we all must acknowledge it is not me, or any person with disability that needs to change. It never has been. It is the system. It is the structures that must change. Who am I to persuade you? Let me show you. Watch me do just that today and every day. Just like the great, Whitney Houston said “step by step ... brick by brick.”

Who's with Wayne?

The undeniable value of inclusive education …. are we there yet?