Taylor Lloyd has mild cerebral palsy, vision impairment, epilepsy, complex communication needs and an intellectual impairment – none of which defines him.
The 15-year-old from Brisbane’s northern suburbs is social and funny. He likes getting on trains, watching quizshows and playing practical jokes, and he knows lots about the weather.
“He’s a very happy person all the time,” Taylor’s mother, Hazel, said.
“He’s a very, very giving and loving person who everyone who meets is quite taken by. He brings joy to a lot of people.”
But, unfortunately for the Lloyds, Taylor’s ability to bring joy won’t determine his educational opportunities. His disabilities will.
After almost two years of advocating for Taylor to be included at his local high school, Hazel said she was forced to take her son’s teaching into her own hands.
And she said there are many hundreds, maybe thousands, of stories like Taylor’s across Queensland – though the same issues are playing out across the country.
The Lloyds will be among a group of families of students with disabilities, and their advocates and allies, who will rally outside the Queensland parliament on Wednesday, with an aim to transform the education system by 2030.
The rally is organised by the Queensland Collective for Inclusive Education (QCIE), of which Hazel is the convener. QCIE’s demands include: the establishment of an independent complaints body; restricting the power of school principals to exclude students with disabilities; and the immediate end of funding for segregated infrastructure, such as special schools or special buildings.
“We want every child to have an inclusive experience at their local schools,” Hazel said. “But, unfortunately, that’s not the case for a lot of our kids.”
The Queensland Teachers Union president, Cresta Richardson, said every student deserves a quality education and respect, “much like our teachers”.
“Meeting the needs of disabled students and students with complex needs is challenging and requires a strong working relationship between schools, teachers, parents and caregivers,” she said.
“While state government disability funding in schools is increasing, it’s extremely important to understand the impact of the current teacher shortage and the urgent need to address it nationally.”
Hazel said children with disabilities are still being refused enrolment. Some are referred to special schools, some to government schools in other neighbourhoods. Others are “managed out” with reduced enrolment hours or suspensions.
Some schools may not provide the support for a child to be happy and successful, leading them to become so distressed that the parents are forced to change schools or, Hazel said, turn in increasing numbers to home schooling.
Which is not what Hazel had hoped for Taylor. He was taught at his local primary school, which tried hard to include him. She said their approach was not perfect but at least Taylor was in the same room as his peers most of the time and able to make connections.
Hazel wants Taylor’s community to know him – to know what he is like when he is comfortable and safe and behaving normally, so that they recognise when things are not OK. She wants him to have high expectations of his learning, and she wanted him to be able to walk to school with his sister Maddison with whom he has a great relationship.
But at the end of 2021, after almost two years of persevering, Hazel opted to pull Taylor out of his local high school. Despite many meetings and much effort to get Taylor out of special education and into mainstream classes, Hazel felt the school was unwilling to work towards the “big systemic changes” required to make it truly inclusive.
“I wanted him to have a regular experience just like every other kid does,” Hazel said. “Unfortunately, none of that has worked out to be.”
Queensland’s education minister, Grace Grace, said the government was committed to giving families a choice between sending eligible children to a special school or their local state school.
“In fact, the overwhelming majority of children with disability in Queensland – 95% – attend their local state school,” Grace said.
“Starting in January 2023 Queensland will be transitioning to a game-changing new disability resourcing model, providing dedicated resources and support to a further 30,000 students with disability.”
