The next round of education reforms can fix this, researchers Catherine Smith and Helen Dickinson report The National School Reform Agreement is made about once every five years in Australia. This is the main way the federal government can steer changes in how Australian schools are...
Doris Taylor founded 'Meals on Wheels' writes Carolyn Collins, and it all started when she watched a child scavenging for lunch in a school playground. When Doris Taylor took possession of a new motorised wheelchair in 1951, she quipped: “Heaven help any bureaucrat who gets in...
Australian adaptive fashion brand, The Shapes United, launched in Walmart Fashion and style know no boundaries, and thanks to the incredible work of Melbourne-based fashion designer, Penny Weber, adaptive clothing is now taking centre stage. Founder of the award-winning adaptive clothing brand, The Shapes United, Penny...
AllPlay Footy: Paving the Way to Inclusive Football for Every Child In a remarkable collaboration, Monash University and the Australian Football League (AFL) are teaming up to revolutionize community football and make it accessible to all children. With one in five Australian children facing developmental challenges...
Adam Guastella, Kelsie Boulton and Natalie Silove guide parents and what they should know about getting a neurodevelopmental assessment With childcare and schools starting the new year, parents might be anxiously wondering how their child will adapt in a new learning environment. Some parents may be concerned...
At a press conference recently, paralympian Dylan Alcott recalled the pain of being a child with a disability. He said he missed out on childhood friends, writes David Armstrong “I had no friends when I was five,” the Australian of the Year told reporters. “I even...
Katrina Hartley’s daughter, who was born with spina bifida, made a successful transition to school. My daughter Hanna was born 7 years ago. While most parents agree that tiredness is a part of parenting, my husband, Bruce, and I are truly exhausted as Hanna was born...
Catherine Smith asks, when research tells us they do better in the mainstream system? Recently, the disability royal commission is looking at the experiences of children and young people with disability in different schools across Australia. This includes mainstream schools as well as so-called “special schools”. An...
A group of Monash University researchers report that over the past 20 years, there have been monumental shifts in the way we work with young people with disability and their families. Back in the 1990s, when a child was diagnosed with autism it followed a sad...
Ruth Wajnryb reflects on the usage of euphemisms. When my son was little, I took him to the Boston Children’s Museum. The impact of one experiential display stayed with me long after the event. It was a group picture and the task was to count the...
