Different Does Not Mean Bad
23 June 2017 at 9:47 am
Senator Pauline Hanson’s comments that children with disability should be removed from mainstream classrooms could have a damaging impact on how disability is viewed in Australia, writes EPIC Assist CEO Bill Gamack.
I’ll admit it was a moment of head-shaking disbelief when I heard Senator Pauline Hanson’s recent comments that children with disability should be removed from mainstream classrooms. The fact that we’re hearing this ill-informed, destructive rhetoric from an Australian politician in 2017 is nothing short of disgraceful.
Senator Hanson believes children with autism monopolise resources and prevent other students from reaching their potential. Not only is this claim blatantly untrue; it could also have a damaging impact on how disability is viewed in Australia.
The truth is, inclusive classrooms provide multiple benefits for all students. By working alongside students with disability, other students learn about the value of diversity. They learn that the world is made up of all sorts of people. They learn that just because someone may have different needs or behaviours, it doesn’t make them any less important; it just makes them different.
We’re all different. And different does not mean bad.
Keeping students with disability in mainstream classrooms, or at least giving them and their families that option, also sends an important message to people with disability. We are trying to raise expectations around disability, and show people with disability that they are just as capable of reaching their goals as anyone else. Disability does not need to prevent them from leading a fulfilling life.
Senator Hanson’s comments convey exactly the opposite message. She indicates people with disability are a burden and should be segregated. She speaks of students with disability as second-class citizens without any potential, who are simply holding other students back from achieving greatness.
Is that the sort of message we want to be sending the children of today; the future decision-makers of tomorrow?
The organisation that I lead, EPIC Assist, has helped countless people with disability into the workforce for almost 30 years. I have seen first-hand what people with disability can achieve when given the chance.
People with disability positively contribute to workplaces and society every day. They’re natural problem-solvers because they’ve been forced to become so, based on the hand they’ve been dealt in life.
People on the autism spectrum are very intelligent individuals, with a great level of focus, commitment and attention to detail. Once those attributes are harnessed, anything is possible. I know this through close contact with a family member of mine who is on the autism spectrum, but also through extensive contact with many other individuals throughout my personal and professional life.
I suggest Senator Hanson could benefit from spending time with the people against which she chooses to cast baseless judgements.
Senator Hanson is in the privileged position of having a public speaking platform, and she must know that comes with great responsibility.
Australia has come a long way in improving opportunities for people with disability, but when people threaten to send our country in a backwards trajectory, we must speak out.
There’s a lot to learn from people with disability. So let’s listen and learn.
About the author: Bill Gamack has been CEO of disability employment not-for-profit EPIC Assist for four years, and is passionate about helping people with disability secure meaningful, sustainable work. Bill also has family experience with disability, and understands the challenges faced by participants and families in seeking the services needed to achieve success.
Dear Mr. Gammet,
Whilst I appreciate your concern for children with disabilities I believe you are being very unfair in your statements.
Pauline Hanson would be well advised to employ the services of skilled speaker who would coach her in expressing herself and her views in a more comprehensive manner. But Pauline Hanson is Pauline Hanson and despite her lack of polish at times, the facts are that she is not a racist, bigot or an uncaring or unintelligent person.
Bright students are bullied by the not so bright, gentle children are bullied by aggressive ones and it is a known fact that children can be cruel to one another whether a child is disabled or not.
A bright child is put into a higher class because that child is held back in a mainstream class and a special needs child needs special care and would do far better in a class that would address those needs. If a teacher has to spend more time with the special needs child then the mainstream class suffers and no one wins.
Good manners, values, respect, kindness and empathy towards those less fortunate comes from the home. It is the parent’s role to instill those values. It will not automatically occur because there is a special needs child in the classroom. Just coming from a different cultural background is enough for the bullies to have a field day. Maybe times have changed since I was a schoolchild but I doubt it. It certainly had not changed in my son’s school years. Regretfully, not all teachers are kind or nurturing and few are skilled to provide appropriate care and education for children with special needs. Therefore, I disagree with you in your comments regarding mainstream and special needs children being taught in the same class and I disagree with your unfounded comments regarding Pauline Hanson. The sad reality is that all people should display a lot more empathy and kindness towards their fellow man no matter what differences set them apart. That is the reality of life today and what we should concentrate on.