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Speech Pathology Australia: Speech Pathology in Schools Project
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strategies, good teaching and partnerships. The
statement calls for schools to provide a continuum
of support to meet the needs of students.
This provides the context in which we describe the
Response to Intervention Strategy – the provision of
a continuum of increasing frequency and intensity of
support to meet the needs of students.
Disability Discrimination Act
Disability is broadly defined within the Disability
Discrimination Act (DDA) to include physical,
intellectual, sensory, neurological and psychiatric
disabilities as well as including people who may
have a disease and people with an imputed
disability, (i.e. being treated as if you have a
disability). People like relatives, friends, and carers
are also protected if they are discriminated against
because of their association with a person with
disability.
The definition of disability in the DDA is very broad
and covers a wide range of cognitive, physical,
sensory and social/emotional disabilities. This
includes speech language and communication
needs.
Disability Standards for Education, 2005
The Disability Standards for Education
are subordinate legislation to the Disability
Discrimination Act. In effect, it sets out the
standards that schools and education facilities must
adhere to in order to meet their obligations under
the
Disability Discrimination Act
, 1996.
Children and young people in Australian education
settings have differing needs, abilities and interests.
Learning happens when teaching responds to these
individual qualities. As there is no single method of
teaching that supports the learning of all students,
education providers make adjustments to enable
every student to participate in learning.
Many students, including students with disability,
need adjustments to support their learning.
Under the Disability Standards for Education 2005,
students with disability are entitled to reasonable
adjustments to enable them to participate in
education on the same basis as other students.
Overview of the National Disability Strategy
2010–2020
The
National Disability Strategy 2010-2020
is
Australia’s whole of government plan for the
progressive implementation of the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities
. The Australian Government undertook
significant consultation with people with disability,
their families and carers to inform the strategy. This
process reflected the fact that people with disability
are their own experts and are best-placed to provide
input on issues that affect them. Most importantly, it
ensured that the strategy was truly reflective of the
priorities of people with disability across Australia.
The final strategy includes six core outcome areas.
Each of these outcome areas then includes a
number of policy directives to help guide the work
of governments in meeting that particular outcome.
Outcome area 5 focuses on learning and skills.
Outcome area 5 – learning and skills
• Strengthen the capability of all education
providers to deliver inclusive high quality
educational programs for people with all abilities
from early childhood through adulthood.
The Education Institute > disability our
rights
Context
Overview
Disability Discrimination
Act