Every child and young person has the right to feel safe, valued, and supported at school.
The Disability Standards for Education are meant to protect these rights, but many students with disability still face barriers, exclusion, and harmful practices.
In CYDA’s submission to the government’s review, we argue the Standards must be strengthened so that they genuinely deliver inclusive education across Australia.
Our key recommendations focus on:
- Preventing bullying and promoting belonging with inclusive school cultures
- Building staff capacity by making sure teachers have strong inclusive education skills
- Replacing restrictive and exclusionary practices with positive behaviour support
- Providing clear, accessible complaints processes
- Developing stronger Individual Education Plans with genuine participation
- Encouraging inclusive decision-making through plain language, rights-based principles
- Outlining clear responsibilities across systems, especially for assessments, placements, and course design
These changes will help make sure the Standards truly support fair, inclusive, and high-quality education for every child and young person with disability.
You can download the PDF and Word versions of our full submission using the buttons above.