Using Quality of Family Life Factors to Explore Parents’ Experience of Educational Provision for Children with Developmental Disabilities in Rural Australia

Australian education service provision includes the delivery of quality educational programmes to rural and remote living children. However, according to their parents, many children with developmental disabilities (such as Down Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorders) who are living in rural country areas in New South Wales (NSW) still do not have access to an acceptable education programme. This study aimed to use quality of life factors via a family quality of life scale to explore 51 parents’ experience of educational service provision for their children with developmental disabilities in rural NSW. The results indicated that successful engagement with the school system is strongly affected by the views, assumptions, expertise and prejudices of teaching and care professionals. Further research into how local educational service providers may assist rural Australian families with a child with IDD in rural and remote locations is warranted.     

‘Asking for the moon’? a critical assessment of Australian disability discrimination laws in promoting inclusion for students with disabilities

The aim of this paper is to critique the dichotomy between the legal regulation of disability discrimination in Australia, particularly in the State of New South Wales, and inclusion policy as espoused by public education authorities. It is argued that the law and inclusion policy are aiming at different outcomes. As a result, through legal regulation, New South Wales undermines the human rights of individuals with disabilities by restricting their access to ‘mainstream’ education. Extracts from a variety of sources are used to enable the voices of students, parents, carers, advocates, teachers and members of the judiciary to be heard, a novel approach in a paper which is essentially concerned with the law. The paper begins with a consideration of the context in which disability discrimination in education laws operate, and the distinctions between policies and practice in that context. The paper then asks to what extent disability discrimination law is capable of expressing inclusive ideals. Finally, the paper suggests means by which international law norms could be incorporated into New South Wales law and policy, so as to achieve effective human rights protection. The paper concludes with Carla's story, which serves to demonstrate that inclusive ideals have not yet been appropriately incorporated into law or practice in New South Wales.     

Inclusion of students with special needs: Benefits and obstacles perceived by teachers in new South Wales and South Australia

Abstract

This study compares the views of primary teachers from South Australia and New South Wales on selected aspects of inclusive education. The questionnaire administered in the study probed the following issues: (i) the numbers and types of students with special needs in inclusive classes; (ii) any benefits that had occurred as a result of including children with disabilities in mainstream classes; (iii) the types of disability or , ‘special educational need’ most difficult to cater for in the regular classroom; (iv) the teachers’ level of satisfaction with the personal and material support available within their schools; and (v) the amount of special education training each teacher received during their pre‐service and in‐service experience. The questionnaire was sent to a representative sample of schools listed in the Disadvantaged Schools and Country Areas Programs in both states. Seventy‐seven (77) responses were received and analysed, comprising forty‐one (41) from teachers in South Australia and thirty‐six (36) from teachers in New South Wales. The overall patterns of responses from teachers in NSW and South Australia were similar. Major findings indicate that approximately one third of teachers in both South Australia and New South Wales report definite benefits associated with having students with disabilities enrolled in their classrooms. However, teachers in both states also report that the major difficulties they encounter are ‘lack of time’, combined with difficulty balancing the demands of all students. Specific obstacles to implementing inclusive practice included class size, lack of appropriate teaching resources, behaviour problems exhibited by some students (resulting in a need for constant behaviour management), and lack of appropriate professional training in inclusive methods. The article discusses these and other factors reported by the teachers. This investigation adds usefully to Australian research into problems and practices associated with inclusion.

Peter Westwood is an Associate Professor in the Department of Education, University of Hong Kong, where he teaches and researches in the field of special education. For twenty‐five years he was a teacher, lecturer and researcher in Australia. He is author of the recent books Commonsense methods for children with special needs (published by Routledge), Spelling: approaches to teaching and assessment, and Numeracy and learning difficulties (both published by Australian Council for Educational Research).

Lorraine Graham is senior lecturer in Special Education at the University of New England. After some years as a primary teacher in Queensland, she completed her Masters and Ph.D. at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia. Lorraine is particularly interested in ways to foster the literacy skills of students with learning difficulties. Her current projects focus on cognitive strategy instruction, inclusive education and automatkity in basic academic skills.     

Trends in the Educational Placement of Students with Disabilities in New South Wales

This paper reports the results of an analysis of trends in the placement of students with intellectual, physical, sensory, or behavioural disabilities in New South Wales for the period 1986 to 1994. Although there was a general trend of movement of students from special schools to support classes, there were some major differences across disability groups. The results are discussed in relation to current special education policy in New South Wales and the philosophy of including students with a disability in regular schools and classes.     

Working‐class parents' views of secondary education

Parents of upper‐secondary students in public schools in New South Wales, Australia, gave accounts of their experience of education and their wider thinking about educational issues. Working‐class families are bearers of educational histories which are often difficult or truncated, leaving parents with little familiarity with upper‐secondary or post‐school pathways. General views of education are strongly positive, sometimes diffuse and sometimes articulated, and are by no means narrowly instrumental. A mixture of criticism and praise for teachers responds to current family experiences with schools, parents' views often following the outlines of teachers' own perceptions. A fund of working‐class support for public education has thus survived recent educational upheavals; at the same time, working‐class families very much depend on the service and guidance provided by the schools.     

“Montrose” child life protection unit: A treatment and assessment model in child abuse intervention

In New South Wales, Australia, the Department of Youth and Community Services is empowered by statute to deal with cases of child abuse and neglect. Its child protection services include the Montrose Child Life Protection Unit which is designed to support and complement the work of both the Intake Service, Field Service and most importantly the work of child protective facilities in the community. The service has intake crisis counselling and call out resources; maintains a central register; provides a facility for crisis residential care for children and families, diagnostic assessment, and a day programme. The emphasis in service delivery in New South Wales in the area of child protection is on multidisciplinary intervention. The Department of Youth and Community Services is involved in promoting interagency cooperation and co-ordination. Over and above a philosophy that underlies service delivery is the Montrose Unit's involvement in sensitising the community to the difficult and often demanding role of parenting. Montrose represents an attempt to create an environment where parenting myths can be examined from a reality base and strategies implemented for reeducation.     

How Family and Informal Supporters Appraise Service Quality

Within the field of intellectual disability, progressive policy thinking in Wales has led to an emphasis on the tailoring of services to individual needs and wants of service users, especially through individual planning processes and the creation of service packages. Using an adapted structure‐process‐outcome evaluation model, research is reported about how informal supporters appraise service quality. Based on a survey of 752 families, the first phase of the research reported here has been concerned with charting relationships between personal characteristics of users, service process factors and appraisals by informal supporters of service quality. The findings suggest the importance of key service process factors to an understanding of dimensions of service quality.     

The impact of theories of 'New Public Management' on the provision of support services for low-incidence special needs

This short report examines the impact of changes of government policy within England and Wales on the organization and provision of support services to pupils with a low-incidence disability. The specific case of support for pupils who are visually impaired is explored against a framework based on theories of ‘New Public Management’.     

Assisting secondary support teachers to work in the recommended service delivery model: introducing the concept of a subculture of learning support

The original concept of a subculture of learning support in secondary schools developed from a study of ‘Support Teachers, Learning Difficulties’ in New South Wales, Australia. The study examined the influence of school culture on the service delivery model used by these support teachers in three case studies, one of which is reported in this article. Both research and policy recommend consultation and co‐teaching with a minimum of withdrawal of students with learning difficulties for intensive instruction. To employ the recommended service delivery model it was found that support teachers need to be immersed in a subculture of learning support within the school, which involves interacting with others who share similar values and beliefs about the education of students with learning difficulties. If such a subculture does not exist the support teacher must play a major role in its development. The use of the recommended service delivery model will enhance the education provided for students with learning difficulties.     

Case studies using co:Writer

Abstract

This report provides some recent data on the numbers of students with different types and degrees of disability and special educational need placed in mainstream primary classrooms in South Australia and New South Wales. Information was collected from teachers in seventy‐seven classrooms, representing a total enrolment of 1919 students. The authors have computed the overall prevalence rate for students with special educational needs, together with the prevalence rates for different types of disability or difficulty. These rates have been compared with those reported in the national and international literature. The results suggest that the commonly accepted notion of 20% of the school population as the upper limit for students with special educational needs is almost certainly too low. The indications are that up to 32% of students may need some degree of additional short‐term or longer‐term support. Comparisons are made between the two states, and some implications for the planning and funding of support services and resources are briefly discussed.     

Beyond a command performance: reflections on Classmates as a new teacher preparation initiative

This paper reflects on a new pre‐service teacher education initiative, Classmates. Classmates is a collaboration between the University of Western Sydney (UWS) and the New South Wales Department of Education and Training (DET), South Western Sydney Region. Classmates aims to prepare pre‐service teachers to work in challenging, hard‐to‐staff schools. These contexts typically have socially disadvantaged populations and annually experience teacher shortages and high teacher turnover, particularly amongst beginning and early career teachers. Classmates seeks to produce beginning teachers who are highly prepared for, confident and mentally and emotionally equipped to work in such environments. This discussion focuses on some of the positive attributes about the initiative, particularly its practicum structure; its nurturing of pre‐service teachers to work in challenging contexts; and its strong focus on networking and development of ongoing support structures.     

Resilience: a study of risk and protective factors from the perspective of young people with experience of local authority care

As part of a review of services in one local authority, young people aged 13–19 with experience of local authority care were asked to provide their views of what makes a difference to them. As Jackie Dearden makes clear in this article, young people consistently reported on themes collated from previous research into resilience and identified factors which were most and least helpful. The compelling personal accounts draw attention to what services could do to increase protective factors which include interest of carers, access to facilities, taking bullying seriously, a clear sense of a positive future and adults who listen. Additionally, positive change occurred most often after significant changes in circumstances, especially transition phases, providing turning points for some young people. Such personal stories present a powerful perspective that would be hard for service providers to ignore. This raises the question of how local authorities are routinely consulting with vulnerable young people.     

Teacher education for rural–regional sustainability: changing agendas,challenging futures,chasing chimeras?

Rural schooling has remained a concern for policy‐makers, employers, teacher education providers and schools throughout our recent history. In particular, the allegedly variable quality of teaching and learning in rural Australia is a major concern for teacher educators and educational leaders alike, with the provision of quality services for rural Australians a major equity issue in social as well as political terms. Working from an explicitly situated perspective, this paper explores these issues in relation to a set of current and recent research projects and government reports, with particular reference to a study currently exploring the articulation of teacher education and rural schooling in New South Wales. This is contextualized within a larger agenda of national and environmental sustainability which raises the key issue of social policy and educational priorities as we look forward into a radically uncertain future for teacher education, rural schooling and rural‐regional sustainability.     

The third wheel ‐ to be a respite caregiver by profession

ABSTRACT

This paper focuses on respite caregivers (i.e. the professionals) and is a complement to previous studies on municipalities' and parents' views on respite care for families of children and adolescents with disabilities. Three parties are involved in the support service and this explains the title of the paper ‐ the ‘third wheel’. The paper is based on a pilot study and reports the results from a questionnaire answered by 10 respite caregivers and personal interviews with 6 of them. It appears that respite caregivers need basic education and inservice training in functional impairments, and that they require supervision.     

The Open College: six months on

What expectations do we make of distance students in terms of the time that they give to study and their study activities each week? Do these expectations match the actual practice of students themselves? By means of postal questionnaires and 14 day diaries, external students of Riverina‐Murray Institute of Higher Education in New South Wales, Australia, informed David Roberts of the difference between Institute assumptions and their own behaviour. The conclusions provide food for thought to educators inclined to recommend ideal study patterns to their students.     

The Value of New Parent Groups in Child and Family Health Nursing

A reorganization of child and family health nursing services followed policy changes in New South Wales, Australia, in the late 1990s. However, the introduction of universal and sustained home visiting to all new parents limited resources available to provide support groups for new parents. This qualitative research study used a case study approach to examine the impact of new parents'' group attendance on mothers and on mothers'' interactions with their baby. Key findings demonstrated that attendance at a group created an opportunity, the overarching theme, for both the mothers and infants. New Parent groups appear to be as important as other modes of nursing service delivery to children and parents and serve a different purpose to center-based or home visits.     

Teenagers with Down Syndrome in a Time of Changing Policies and Practices: Progress of Students who were Born Between 1971 and 1978

Since the early 1970s, significant changes have occurred in New South Wales in the educational services provided for students with Down syndrome which should have resulted in improved educational outcomes for the students. Information is reported, here, on the schooling, employment, life experiences, and general skills of sixty‐six 13‐ to 20‐year‐old students with Down syndrome who were born over the period 1971 to 1978. These results are compared with data on achievement levels reported in earlier British and American studies of students with Down syndrome. Overall, the personal and leisure skills of the two groups of students appeared to be similar, with some difficulties associated with social isolation. However, when compared with the other groups, the New South Wales students appeared to have received more of their education in integrated settings, attained higher levels in academic areas (reading and money skills), were more independent, required less supervision, and had more optimistic futures in terms of integrated employment and accommodation options. Clearly, the changes in services begun in the 1970s did result in improvements in outcomes for some students with Down syndrome, though it is also evident that changes in policy do not always lead to the implementation of more effective services for all students.     

Teachers with learning disabilities: a view from both sides of the desk

The purpose of this qualitative multicase study was to explore the perceptions of individuals who could speak from both sides of the special education desk--as students and as teachers. The three participants for this study each received special education services for learning disabilities while in school and were currently teaching students with learning disabilities. Specifically the study focused on how participants' past experiences with receiving special education services influenced their current practice as special education teachers. Participants' views on service delivery models, the importance of teacher expectations, and the value of conceiving a learning disability as a tool rather than a deficit are discussed.     

Developing a code of practice for disability coordinators

In England and Wales the Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs, and the role of the special needs coordinator, are well established at statutory level, but they are neither universal nor well established in the higher education (HE) sector. Where disability services do exist in HE, they vary in staffing, policy and practices, and disability coordinators have many concerns about the service they provide. In Australia the tertiary sector has recently developed a code of practice for students with disabilities, and in the USA the Association on Higher Education and Disability has developed a code of ethics for its members. A survey of HE disability coordinators on the issues and dilemmas experienced in their work and their views on the need for a code of ethics was undertaken in February 1998 by Skill (National Bureau for Students with Disabilities) and the University of East London. The findings and proposed strategies are discussed in the light of current initiatives for disability services in HE.     

Who Chooses Teaching and Why? Profiling Characteristics and Motivations Across Three Australian Universities

In this large‐scale Australian study, we profile the background characteristics and teaching motivations for individuals entering teacher education across three major established urban teacher provider universities in the Australian States of New South Wales and Victoria. Our recently developed and validated “FIT‐Choice” (Factors Influencing Teaching Choice) Scale determines the strength of influence for a range of motivations from individuals choosing teaching as a career. Findings build upon and extend previous literature relating to reasons for teaching as a career choice, which have not systematically applied current motivational models to developing explanations. Participants were the entire cohorts (N = 1,653) of first‐year pre‐service teacher education candidates at three universities in Sydney and Melbourne. Results provide a profile of a large sample of pre‐service teachers whose decision to enrol in a teacher education program has been made at a time when the mass media and the general public have increasingly looked upon teaching as a poor career choice. Our new theoretical approach allows us to recommend strategies for teacher recruitment campaigns, based on a comprehensive understanding of individuals' motivations for choosing teaching.