KIDS with disabilities have the right to go to mainstream schools.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
That's the message Family Advocacy development manager Karen Tippett wants parents to understand.
"We still have people who don't know it's an option, they think their child has to go to a special school or support unit," she said.
READ MORE:
"This is their right and it's important for the ongoing life of the child."
Students with disabilities usually attend special schools, or alternative classes in a mainstream school according to an Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW] report.
The likelihood of children with disabilities attending special schools has increased, around one in five of those children don't need any additional assistance with their education, the report shows.
Family Advocacy will run a free workshop for Armidale families to promote and defend the rights of people with disabilities.
Mainstream students will probably benefit too, Ms Tippett said.
"There's a large body of evidence that indicates kids with and without disabilities perform better socially and academically when schooled together," she said.
"Kids with no diagnosis perform a bit more of a peer-teaching role to assist the other kids and improve their own learning."
A lot of families Ms Tippett has worked with take their kids to therapy and are led down a segregated path to education.
"It's families that have to find the right environment and support so they can live in society beyond the school days," she said.
The workshop is at the Powerhouse Hotel on Thursday.