A new partnership between the state government, Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott and Get Skilled Access will help to better support Victorian students with disability, including those in Hobsons Bay and Maribyrnong.
As part of Labor’s Disability Inclusion reforms, the partnership will design and deliver Abilities Awareness in Schools resources, to raise disability awareness among students and staff.
Mr Alcott said his “purpose” as Australian of the Year was to help people change their perceptions of disability, lifting their expectations about what they think people with disability are capable of.
“That’s why the Abilities Awareness in Schools partnerships is important, it will build inclusive school cultures which is how we can improve perceptions and lift expectations,” Mr Alcott said.
In a statement, the government said the resources will include the voices of people with lived experience of disability, such as Mr Alcott, exploring topics to build understanding of disability and improve their confidence to interact with classmates with disability.
The resources will target kids of all ages in mainstream primary and secondary schools.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the program was about doing more to support students with disability at school.
“With these new resources from Get Skilled Access, we’re building our school communities’ understanding of disability to make every single Victorian school an inclusive one,” Mr Andrews said.
The government said the resources would start to roll out from term three, which will also see the delivery of workshops and evidence-based resources for teachers and staff.
Education Minister James Merlino said students were “far more than their diagnosis”.
“We’re rolling out our nation-first Disability Inclusion reform to completely change the way we support children in our schools – focusing on what they can achieve, rather than what they can’t,” Mr Merlino said.
