Section 2 of our submission dives into the idea that students should not have to give up their supports and accommodations to be feel included. In fact, inclusion only truly exists when a student is both supported properly and is meaningfully a part of the classroom, as a valued peer and as an active participant.

Many students who participated in this submission described experiences of feeling that they had to choose between being supported and included in the WA education system – and for some of them, neither of the two were accessible. Many students who participated were home-schooled, simply because their experiences in the education system had left them feeling and believing that they could not access an education without a traumatising experience. Some students even described their local government schools essentially turning them away, by suggesting that they did not have the capability to educate them. Other students described being taken out of the classroom incredibly regularly for disciplinary measures. Unfortunately, this is a reality for many disabled students.

Section 2 explores the current state of the Western Australian education system and what must be done to move towards inclusion.