Miss-Delectable
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2004
- Messages
- 17,160
- Reaction score
- 7
New avenues to goal
The extra funding to support disabled children includes:
■$38 million for early intervention services such as speech therapy and physiotherapy for preschool-aged children.
■$38 million to meet rising demand in schools for teacher support and specialist services for disabled students, especially for those with autism or an intellectual disability.
■$18 million to boost bus and other transport services for more than 1700 students enrolled at specialist schools.
■$9.2 million to create a Victorian Deaf Education Institute in Melbourne to support and train teachers working with deaf students across Victoria.
■$4 million to establish, in partnership with specialist schools, purpose-built satellite classrooms in mainstream primary and secondary schools for disabled students to get extra help.
The extra government spending on early intervention services is the biggest funding increase in the area since 2003. Families with disabled children welcomed the overall funding package, saying it would make a noticeable difference in improving children's preparation for school and the quality of their education.
"The funding package is a significant announcement," says Alan Blackwood, the Victorian vice-president of the Association for Children with a Disability.
"Kids with disabilities need more individual support to reach their educational goals. While the extra money is good, we want to make sure it's well spent: there are still a range of implementation issues that need further work, such as professional development for teachers and managing children's transitions to primary school and then from primary to secondary."
Rebecca Ladd, the acting chief executive officer of Deaf Children Australia, says the establishment of an institute to improve the skills of teachers working with deaf children was a positive step. "We consulted with more than 150 families for our submission to the state government's recent review into deaf education and one of the main concerns from families was the need for better training and support for teachers."
The extra funding to support disabled children includes:
■$38 million for early intervention services such as speech therapy and physiotherapy for preschool-aged children.
■$38 million to meet rising demand in schools for teacher support and specialist services for disabled students, especially for those with autism or an intellectual disability.
■$18 million to boost bus and other transport services for more than 1700 students enrolled at specialist schools.
■$9.2 million to create a Victorian Deaf Education Institute in Melbourne to support and train teachers working with deaf students across Victoria.
■$4 million to establish, in partnership with specialist schools, purpose-built satellite classrooms in mainstream primary and secondary schools for disabled students to get extra help.
The extra government spending on early intervention services is the biggest funding increase in the area since 2003. Families with disabled children welcomed the overall funding package, saying it would make a noticeable difference in improving children's preparation for school and the quality of their education.
"The funding package is a significant announcement," says Alan Blackwood, the Victorian vice-president of the Association for Children with a Disability.
"Kids with disabilities need more individual support to reach their educational goals. While the extra money is good, we want to make sure it's well spent: there are still a range of implementation issues that need further work, such as professional development for teachers and managing children's transitions to primary school and then from primary to secondary."
Rebecca Ladd, the acting chief executive officer of Deaf Children Australia, says the establishment of an institute to improve the skills of teachers working with deaf children was a positive step. "We consulted with more than 150 families for our submission to the state government's recent review into deaf education and one of the main concerns from families was the need for better training and support for teachers."