Australia — The
peak body for Australians with disabilities has welcomed
the historic introduction of Standards for Education
under the Disability Discrimination Act.
The Education Standards were
introduced into Federal Parliament yesterday by the
Attorney-General and should come into effect on 20 June
2005.
The Standards clarify the
obligations of education providers to treat students with
disability on the same basis as other students. This is
critical to the development and inclusion of people with
disability in the Australian community.
Mr Maurice Corcoran, President,
Australian
Federation of Disability
Organisations, said that
the Standards would give students with disabilities
greater protection by outlining the steps education
providers will have to take to avoid
discrimination.
“The Standards clear up some
of the grey area in disability discrimination,” he
said.
“By giving schools, TAFEs,
universities, private colleges and community education
providers clear instructions on how to work with students
with disabilities, the Standards make it easier for
everyone.”
It will be unlawful for an
education provider to contravene the
Standards.
Under the Standards all aspects of
education will have to be accessible to students with
disabilities including the classroom or lecture hall,
practicum, sports programs and extra curricular
activities.
“The Standards are
particularly historic because they make it unlawful to
discriminate in curriculum design. This is fantastic news
for the inclusion of students with disability in the
long-term,” Mr Corcoran said.
Mr Corcoran paid tribute to those
who worked to develop the Standards, particularly the
representatives of people with disabilities: Sandi
Seymour, Graham Smith and Paul Cain.
“This is another great example
of how national Standards can be developed and refined
through the collective input of industry, Commonwealth
and State Governments and people with a direct experience
of disability”, he said.
