(New Zealand Disability Strategy Objective 3: Provide the best education for disabled people)

Access to a good education is a crucial factor in determining whether disabled people can develop skills and get access to opportunities, including employment opportunities, so they can participate in and contribute to society. In past years, disabled people have tended to miss out on opportunities for education, whether because of a lack of support, low expectations, or outright exclusion.

Government is giving increasing attention to ensuring schools provide a welcoming and supportive environment for disabled students, and they improve the educational outcomes for those students.

Review of Special Education

The major action planned for 2009/2010 is the Ministry of Education’s review of Special Education. This is to determine the future directions of Special Education and to inform the use of Budget 2009 funding ($51 million over four years) to extend support to more children under the Ongoing and Reviewable Resourcing Scheme. A report on the review is to be provided to Cabinet in July 2010.

A welcoming and supportive school environment

Achievements in 2008/2009 included:

• the development and circulation of a guide for educators on their obligations for the education and support of children and young people with special education needs (Ministry of Education)
• the preparation and circulation of a letter to the chairpersons of boards of trustees emphasising their responsibilities to enrol all students (Ministry of Education)
• the development of an enrolment resolution process to ensure a nationally consistent, effective and timely management of enrolment issues of children and young people with special education needs (Ministry of Education)
• the development of an approach to ensure students with disabilities are visible in all external communications of the Ministry of Education, such as its website and the Education Gazette.

Actions planned by departments for 2009/2010 include:

• ensuring disabled people get the same access to learning in the early childhood and school sectors as others do at a similar age and stage in life, so all disabled people can get access to the learning opportunities of their choice from early childhood to secondary school and can attend with their peers: 2009–2012 (Ministry of Education)
• providing accessible information to educators and families to help them make informed decisions regarding children and young people with special education needs (Ministry of Education)
• evaluating how schools manage the inclusion of high needs students and their issues, and identifying exemplars of good practice in including students with high needs: July 2009/March 2010 (Education Review Office).

The Ministry of Education will also continue to implement its plan for the removal of language barriers for Deaf people’s access to education, through the three approaches of communication and raising awareness, workforce development relating to New Zealand Sign Language, and access to learning though New Zealand Sign Language. The strategy aims to work with the public, educators and parents and family/whānau of Deaf/hearing impaired children.

Improving educational outcomes

Achievements in 2008/2009 included:

• the development of a three-year Autism Spectrum Disorder Action Plan, focused on increasing the capability of teachers and specialists working with children and young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health)
• the completion and circulation of a publication on teaching strategies for students who may be struggling to acquire literacy skills (Ministry of Education)
• the commencement of a contact register to record all contact with Special Education, particularly complaints (Ministry of Education)
• the establishment of the Deaf Education Steering Group, to consider a range of issues relating to the provision of resourcing of specialist Deaf education services across New Zealand (Ministry of Education)
• the extension of Ministry of Education library services to disability resource teachers, therapists in special schools and specialist school providers (Ministry of Education)
• the implementation of the Pasifika Education Plan, to run from 2008–2012; this is aimed at improving outcomes for Pacific students and acknowledges the need to improve educational opportunities for Pacific students with special education needs, as well as the need for a better understanding of Pasifika culture in relation to special education (Ministry of Education)
• a review of training for Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour focused on shaping and improving future training to ensure the best possible outcomes for students with special education needs; this is to proceed alongside a general review of the structure of Special Education training (Ministry of Education).

Other actions planned to improve educational outcomes include:

• a programme (Te Hikoitanga) preparing teaching staff to work with Māori who are disabled and/or who have special education needs (Ministry of Education)
• developing a diversity framework as part of the Education Workforce Strategy work programme, so the future workforce is trained and skilled to support disabled students: 2009/2010 (Ministry of Education).