Webinar transcript

0 00:00:02.160 --> 00:00:04.480 Welcome, everyone,

1 00:00:04.480 --> 00:00:06.840 to today's webinar about the review

2 00:00:06.840 --> 00:00:11.120 of the impact of COVID on school students with disability.

3 00:00:11.120 --> 00:00:13.040 My name is Kate Bowmaker

4 00:00:13.040 --> 00:00:16.360 and I'm the managing director of the Social Deck.

5 00:00:16.360 --> 00:00:19.800 I'd like to start by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land

6 00:00:19.800 --> 00:00:23.400 from which we each joined this webinar today.

7 00:00:23.400 --> 00:00:27.120 For me in Noosa in Sunshine Coast Queensland,

8 00:00:27.120 --> 00:00:30.200 that's the Kabi Kabi or Gubbi Gubbi people.

9 00:00:30.200 --> 00:00:31.880 I want to give thanks for being on their

10 00:00:31.880 --> 00:00:35.880 traditional lands and acknowledge the connection and care that First Nations

11 00:00:35.880 --> 00:00:38.920 people have had with the land, water and life of this country.

12 00:00:38.920 --> 00:00:40.920 For many thousands of years.

13 00:00:40.920 --> 00:00:44.560 I pay my respects to elders past and present,

14 00:00:44.560 --> 00:00:47.640 and I extend that acknowledgment, acknowledgment and respect

15 00:00:47.640 --> 00:00:51.600 to all First Nations people joining us today.

16 00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:52.480 I also want to acknowledge

17 00:00:52.480 --> 00:00:56.960 the lived experiences of people with disability joining us today.

18 00:00:56.960 --> 00:00:59.360 Your attendance is so important for this review,

19 00:00:59.360 --> 00:01:03.240 but also towards the principle of nothing about us without us.

20 00:01:03.240 --> 00:01:06.360 We want to hear from as many students and young people with disability

21 00:01:06.360 --> 00:01:11.040 and their families and carers as possible to inform this review.

22 00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:12.760 We also acknowledge the expertise

23 00:01:12.760 --> 00:01:16.200 and leadership of people with disability

24 00:01:16.200 --> 00:01:20.320 and those people who have made the time to be present with us today.

25 00:01:20.320 --> 00:01:22.560 The social deck's hosting this event on behalf

26 00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:26.760 of the Department of Education.

27 00:01:28.800 --> 00:01:29.200 Okay,

28 00:01:29.200 --> 00:01:32.280 I'll hand over to Dannie Edmonds from the Department of Education

29 00:01:32.280 --> 00:01:35.280 to provide a brief introduction about the review into

30 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:38.800 the impacts of COVID on school students with disability.

31 00:01:38.800 --> 00:01:41.080 Then we are privileged to have with us today

32 00:01:41.080 --> 00:01:44.440 Dr. Ben Gauntlett, the Disability Discrimination Commissioner.

33 00:01:44.440 --> 00:01:47.440 He's going to be here to help guide our session.

34 00:01:47.440 --> 00:01:49.920 We also have three other panelists,

35 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:53.480 that is Mac, who's from Melbourne and Poppy from Queensland,

36 00:01:53.480 --> 00:01:55.360 and they're both young people who have experienced

37 00:01:55.360 --> 00:01:59.160 schooling during the COVID 19 pandemic.

38 00:01:59.160 --> 00:02:03.840 Poppy is an aspiring writer and advocate with quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

39 00:02:03.840 --> 00:02:06.840 Poppy currently works for Children and Young People with Disability,

40 00:02:06.840 --> 00:02:08.520 known as CYDA.

41 00:02:08.520 --> 00:02:11.520 Poppy was also a member of the Co-design committee for CYDA's

42 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:15.360 inaugural National Youth Disability Summit in 2020.

43 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:19.040 She believes in reforming education to be more inclusive by enabling student

44 00:02:19.040 --> 00:02:23.320 and teacher relationships to be more direct and solution focused.

45 00:02:23.320 --> 00:02:26.040 Mac’s a 19 year old queer and disabled youth advocate

46 00:02:26.040 --> 00:02:29.320 from a culturally and linguistically diverse background,

47 00:02:29.320 --> 00:02:31.920 recently finishing Year 12, he spent his spare time

48 00:02:31.920 --> 00:02:35.960 working alongside organizations to improve accessibility,

49 00:02:35.960 --> 00:02:42.240 inclusivity and outcomes for both LGBTQIA+ and disabled young people.

50 00:02:42.240 --> 00:02:45.800 He is passionate about making sure youth voices and perspectives are shared

51 00:02:45.800 --> 00:02:48.960 and valued, especially in regards to education.

52 00:02:48.960 --> 00:02:52.240 And then we also have with us today Sue Tape, who's the project coordinator

53 00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:57.720 for Inclusive Education from Children and Young People with Disability.

54 00:02:57.720 --> 00:03:00.480 So thank you all for being here.

55 00:03:00.480 --> 00:03:02.920 Today we're going to cover four main things.

56 00:03:02.920 --> 00:03:06.000 So these are how access and participation to schooling

57 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:09.360 was impacted by COVID 19.

58 00:03:09.360 --> 00:03:14.000 Experiences of support for school education during COVID 19.

59 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:15.840 Impacts on wellbeing and education.

60 00:03:15.840 --> 00:03:21.400 Outcomes for students with disability and what could be done to improve this.

61 00:03:21.400 --> 00:03:23.440 During today's webinar, we'll be talking about

62 00:03:23.440 --> 00:03:26.960 the impacts of COVID 19 and the pandemic,

63 00:03:26.960 --> 00:03:30.720 and we may refer to things like the peak of the pandemic.

64 00:03:30.720 --> 00:03:33.160 This just means that we want to know about your experiences

65 00:03:33.160 --> 00:03:37.840 when things changed for you at school, whether you're a student

66 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:41.320 or a parent of a student or an educator.

67 00:03:41.320 --> 00:03:43.840 So we're sort of looking at those periods between

68 00:03:43.840 --> 00:03:46.880 2020, 2021 and 2022.

69 00:03:46.880 --> 00:03:49.960 But we also acknowledge that COVID still does exist

70 00:03:49.960 --> 00:03:54.440 in our society and is having a continued impact.

71 00:03:54.440 --> 00:03:54.760 Okay.

72 00:03:54.760 --> 00:04:00.120 I'd now like to pass it over to Dannie Edmonds from the Department of Education

73 00:04:00.120 --> 00:04:02.400 for a brief overview of the review

74 00:04:02.400 --> 00:04:06.120 and all the ways that you can engage.

75 00:04:06.120 --> 00:04:07.040 Thanks, Kate.

76 00:04:07.040 --> 00:04:10.440 So welcome to everyone joining us this afternoon.

77 00:04:10.440 --> 00:04:16.680 We really take appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with us.

78 00:04:16.680 --> 00:04:17.800 My name's Dannie Edmonds

79 00:04:17.800 --> 00:04:21.160 and I work for the Australian Government Department of Education

80 00:04:21.160 --> 00:04:25.840 and look after the student learning and disability branch in the schools area.

81 00:04:25.840 --> 00:04:30.160 I'd also like to extend my respect to the traditional owners and custodians

82 00:04:30.160 --> 00:04:35.480 of the land on which I'm speaking to you from today, which is the Ngunnawal people,

83 00:04:35.480 --> 00:04:40.080 pay my respect to their elders, past and present and emerging, and I extend

84 00:04:40.080 --> 00:04:45.360 that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here today.

85 00:04:45.360 --> 00:04:48.120 So the Australian Government is doing this review

86 00:04:48.120 --> 00:04:52.120 to learn about the impact of COVID on school students with disability.

87 00:04:52.120 --> 00:04:55.920 And a really important part of the review was hearing from

88 00:04:55.920 --> 00:05:00.320 people like you about what happened and how it felt from your perspective.

89 00:05:00.320 --> 00:05:03.480 So we want to hear from students, parents and carers

90 00:05:03.480 --> 00:05:07.480 about how their experience of school changed during the pandemic,

91 00:05:07.480 --> 00:05:11.360 how it affected wellbeing and educational outcomes,

92 00:05:11.360 --> 00:05:14.520 what support was offered to students and families.

93 00:05:14.520 --> 00:05:19.440 What worked and what didn't work and what do you want to see happen in the future?

94 00:05:19.440 --> 00:05:23.400 We also want to hear from educators about how their experience of teaching

95 00:05:23.400 --> 00:05:27.840 or supporting school students with disability changed during the pandemic.

96 00:05:27.840 --> 00:05:28.360 And the same.

97 00:05:28.360 --> 00:05:30.000 What worked from their perspective,

98 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:33.240 what didn't work, and what improvements could be made.

99 00:05:33.240 --> 00:05:35.760 And we also know there will be people listening in

100 00:05:35.760 --> 00:05:41.040 who are people or organizations who help support students with disability.

101 00:05:41.040 --> 00:05:42.000 So what kind of issues?

102 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:45.280 Who are you coming across during the period of the pandemic?

103 00:05:45.280 --> 00:05:49.560 What were the good news stories and what are the things we need to do better on?

104 00:05:49.560 --> 00:05:52.840 So this information will help us know what to do differently

105 00:05:52.840 --> 00:05:57.160 next time we have events like COVID 19 or other emergencies.

106 00:05:57.160 --> 00:06:00.880 It'll help us know what were the good things that we need to keep doing

107 00:06:00.880 --> 00:06:04.680 and will help us know what to do to help school students with disability

108 00:06:04.680 --> 00:06:08.240 to recover from the impacts of the pandemic

109 00:06:08.240 --> 00:06:09.880 as we go forward.

110 00:06:09.880 --> 00:06:12.160 So public consultations for the review

111 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:17.080 opened on the 31st of January this year, and we have another few weeks to go.

112 00:06:17.080 --> 00:06:20.680 People will be able to share their views and experiences with us

113 00:06:20.680 --> 00:06:24.720 through the public consultation until the 28th of March.

114 00:06:24.720 --> 00:06:28.840 And this webinar is just one of the ways that you can be involved.

115 00:06:28.840 --> 00:06:32.360 We've tried to make it as easy as we can for people to participate.

116 00:06:32.360 --> 00:06:37.960 Lots of different ways for you to be able to join in in times that suit you.

117 00:06:37.960 --> 00:06:40.760 So you can make a submission in writing

118 00:06:40.760 --> 00:06:43.720 by audio file or by video.

119 00:06:43.720 --> 00:06:47.560 You can attend a small online group discussion.

120 00:06:47.560 --> 00:06:50.640 You can answer some questions online in your own time

121 00:06:50.640 --> 00:06:52.360 through a discussion board.

122 00:06:52.360 --> 00:06:54.360 You can fill in a questionnaire

123 00:06:54.360 --> 00:06:57.960 or there's a shorter survey we've designed for students

124 00:06:57.960 --> 00:07:00.360 so people can access all these opportunities

125 00:07:00.360 --> 00:07:03.960 through the Engagement Hub website and the Social Deck will Share

126 00:07:03.960 --> 00:07:07.800 will share this website address with you during the webinar today.

127 00:07:07.800 --> 00:07:11.520 We would love for you to encourage people in your networks to participate,

128 00:07:11.520 --> 00:07:13.520 so we hear from as many people as possible.

129 00:07:13.520 --> 00:07:16.960 So please spread the word for us. We’d love that.

130 00:07:16.960 --> 00:07:19.280 We will then use what we've heard through the review

131 00:07:19.280 --> 00:07:21.640 to write a report for the Australian Government

132 00:07:21.640 --> 00:07:25.080 and we hope to have that done by the middle of this year

133 00:07:25.080 --> 00:07:29.920 and it will make suggestions to governments about how they and education

134 00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:33.680 authorities and schools can work together to support students

135 00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:37.920 with disability now and in future emergency events.

136 00:07:37.920 --> 00:07:42.120 So thank you again for taking the time to participate in the review.

137 00:07:42.120 --> 00:07:45.360 We really look forward to hearing what you have to say

138 00:07:45.360 --> 00:07:49.880 and I appreciate Ben joining us and our panelists

139 00:07:49.880 --> 00:07:51.480 Mac, Poppy and Sue.

140 00:07:51.480 --> 00:07:55.160 So I'm going to hand over to Ben to take you through the rest of the webinar.

141 00:07:55.160 --> 00:07:59.440 So thank you very much, everyone.

142 00:07:59.440 --> 00:08:02.280 Thank you very much, Dannie, and

143 00:08:02.280 --> 00:08:05.720 thank you for that kind introduction.

144 00:08:05.720 --> 00:08:09.640 I'd like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land upon

145 00:08:09.640 --> 00:08:16.280 which I am presenting to day being Gadigal land of the Eora Nation in Sydney.

146 00:08:16.280 --> 00:08:20.400 Pay my respects to elders, past, present and emerging and acknowledge

147 00:08:20.400 --> 00:08:23.760 any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the audience today,

148 00:08:23.760 --> 00:08:29.160 and also that many of us visiting from different lands throughout society

149 00:08:29.160 --> 00:08:34.520 have a connection to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

150 00:08:34.520 --> 00:08:40.680 We know as a collective society that the impacts

151 00:08:40.680 --> 00:08:42.640 of the COVID 19

152 00:08:42.640 --> 00:08:47.000 pandemic were not even

153 00:08:47.000 --> 00:08:52.480 and they had and continue to have

154 00:08:52.480 --> 00:08:54.520 a considerable impact on people

155 00:08:54.520 --> 00:09:00.000 with disability, school students

156 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:03.480 and young people in particular

157 00:09:03.480 --> 00:09:06.720 experienced particular challenges

158 00:09:06.720 --> 00:09:10.120 as a result of the pandemic.

159 00:09:10.120 --> 00:09:12.120 When lockdowns began

160 00:09:12.120 --> 00:09:16.920 and schools started to close or moved to remote learning,

161 00:09:16.920 --> 00:09:21.280 students with disability were impacted

162 00:09:21.280 --> 00:09:23.760 more than other students.

163 00:09:23.760 --> 00:09:29.040 Exacerb- Disadvantage was exacerbated.

164 00:09:29.040 --> 00:09:31.320 Today, we're lucky to hear

165 00:09:31.320 --> 00:09:35.160 from some of those students and young people with disability

166 00:09:35.160 --> 00:09:39.960 being Poppy and Mac, for which we thank you.

167 00:09:39.960 --> 00:09:42.840 And it's from their experiences

168 00:09:42.840 --> 00:09:48.080 and your experiences today that we must learn.

169 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:52.400 This is why this formal review of the impact of COVID 19 on school

170 00:09:52.400 --> 00:09:56.400 students with disability by the Australian Government

171 00:09:56.400 --> 00:09:59.880 is so important.

172 00:09:59.880 --> 00:10:01.560 It's been well over a year

173 00:10:01.560 --> 00:10:06.720 since the peak of the pandemic, for want of a better term,

174 00:10:06.720 --> 00:10:08.840 has affected us.

175 00:10:08.840 --> 00:10:13.640 But it is important to acknowledge that COVID 19 still remains an issue

176 00:10:13.640 --> 00:10:19.520 and will remain an issue for an extended period.

177 00:10:19.520 --> 00:10:22.560 At the Australian Human Rights Commission,

178 00:10:22.560 --> 00:10:26.280 we heard firsthand about challenges

179 00:10:26.280 --> 00:10:31.040 faced by children with disability experienced through COVID 19,

180 00:10:31.040 --> 00:10:34.440 and we also acknowledge the continuing impact

181 00:10:34.440 --> 00:10:39.240 COVID 19 has on many students.

182 00:10:39.240 --> 00:10:44.760 Our own research on those impacts have found

183 00:10:44.760 --> 00:10:52.080 that children or young people struggled with remote learning,

184 00:10:52.080 --> 00:10:55.880 loss of routine and the lack of social engagement

185 00:10:55.880 --> 00:11:01.920 and contact caused by the pandemic,

186 00:11:01.920 --> 00:11:06.000 and that all children and their families need better support

187 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:11.040 from schools and mental health services during future events

188 00:11:11.040 --> 00:11:13.800 like a pandemic.

189 00:11:13.800 --> 00:11:18.360 This was particularly the case where those individuals

190 00:11:18.360 --> 00:11:23.960 may have experienced other forms of structural disadvantage.

191 00:11:23.960 --> 00:11:27.040 The Disability Royal Commission

192 00:11:27.040 --> 00:11:29.600 has identified that some of the key challenges

193 00:11:29.600 --> 00:11:33.480 for school students during the pandemic, included

194 00:11:33.480 --> 00:11:38.280 getting reasonable adjustments and support online,

195 00:11:38.280 --> 00:11:43.320 making sure students with disability are learning the same things

196 00:11:43.320 --> 00:11:46.600 as those students without disability.

197 00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:50.760 Maintaining positive student teacher,

198 00:11:50.760 --> 00:11:55.200 parent relationships and communication,

199 00:11:55.200 --> 00:11:57.840 and maintaining social connections

200 00:11:57.840 --> 00:12:01.120 with friends.

201 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:06.720 These findings are and were consistent with the 2020 review of the Disability

202 00:12:06.720 --> 00:12:10.800 Standards for Education, which found that in general, the pandemic

203 00:12:10.800 --> 00:12:15.760 amplified existing challenges for students with disability

204 00:12:15.760 --> 00:12:21.360 and impacted their support and connection to school.

205 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:25.080 Research by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

206 00:12:25.080 --> 00:12:29.280 indicated that overall the pandemic has had a negative impact

207 00:12:29.280 --> 00:12:33.120 on the wellbeing of young Australians.

208 00:12:33.120 --> 00:12:36.200 I want to acknowledge the research by Children and Young People

209 00:12:36.200 --> 00:12:41.160 with Disability Australia in this area and their continued advocacy.

210 00:12:41.160 --> 00:12:44.160 Today they are represented by Sue on our panel.

211 00:12:44.160 --> 00:12:47.760 Thank you for joining us, Sue. This research into the effects

212 00:12:47.760 --> 00:12:51.720 of COVID 19 on young people and students with disability.

213 00:12:51.720 --> 00:12:58.080 Conducted in 2020, had similar findings but allowed us to better understand

214 00:12:58.080 --> 00:13:03.520 those specific impacts on students with disability.

215 00:13:03.520 --> 00:13:04.920 CYDA’s report

216 00:13:04.920 --> 00:13:11.120 Not even remotely fair: Experiences of students with disability during COVID 19

217 00:13:11.120 --> 00:13:14.080 showed 61% of respondents

218 00:13:14.080 --> 00:13:18.120 said they had received inadequate support so that they could be included

219 00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:21.880 in education during remote learning.

220 00:13:21.880 --> 00:13:24.440 More than half the said students

221 00:13:24.440 --> 00:13:30.200 with disability during the remote learning period reported that they did

222 00:13:30.200 --> 00:13:35.760 not have regular contact with their school to ensure learning was accessible.

223 00:13:35.760 --> 00:13:39.840 Received learning materials from the school that were inaccessible

224 00:13:39.840 --> 00:13:43.800 and were not adequately supported in their education.

225 00:13:43.800 --> 00:13:46.320 Sue will no doubt reflect more

226 00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:50.360 on this research later in today's session.

227 00:13:50.360 --> 00:13:55.920 But in terms of the review itself, this review will build on the research

228 00:13:55.920 --> 00:14:00.200 from 2020 and help to make sure that governments

229 00:14:00.200 --> 00:14:04.360 understand the full impacts of COVID 19 on school

230 00:14:04.360 --> 00:14:10.640 students with disability throughout 2020 and beyond.

231 00:14:10.640 --> 00:14:16.080 It will involve making recommendations about ways to support the recovery

232 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:21.960 of school students with disability from the impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic,

233 00:14:21.960 --> 00:14:26.360 but also how governments and schools can support students with disability

234 00:14:26.360 --> 00:14:30.280 in future events like this.

235 00:14:30.280 --> 00:14:31.760 So your contributions

236 00:14:31.760 --> 00:14:36.040 and stories, made in whatever way are comfortable to you,

237 00:14:36.040 --> 00:14:42.080 are so incredibly critical to this review.

238 00:14:42.080 --> 00:14:46.520 This is the way the Australian Government will hear directly from you students,

239 00:14:46.520 --> 00:14:52.440 parents and carers, educators, disability advocates and health professionals

240 00:14:52.440 --> 00:14:54.800 about your experiences

241 00:14:54.800 --> 00:14:59.040 and about how students were impacted.

242 00:14:59.040 --> 00:15:01.720 I encourage all of you to the fullest extent

243 00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:06.160 possible to contribute as much as you feel comfortable today

244 00:15:06.160 --> 00:15:08.920 and or in other ways.

245 00:15:08.920 --> 00:15:12.080 The Department has provided you to contribute to the review

246 00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:17.280 and I'm sure more of that information will be provided throughout the session.

247 00:15:17.280 --> 00:15:22.240 Every piece of feedback is important.

248 00:15:22.240 --> 00:15:26.920 Every person has a story that should be valued

249 00:15:26.920 --> 00:15:28.840 and it's my hope

250 00:15:28.840 --> 00:15:34.680 that the department will use the information provided to inform the final report

251 00:15:34.680 --> 00:15:40.120 that goes to government later this year.

252 00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:46.080 And I think it's really important to give perhaps a reminder that

253 00:15:46.080 --> 00:15:49.640 it's your story that is important

254 00:15:49.640 --> 00:15:53.280 and you can tell it in a way that's comfortable to you

255 00:15:53.280 --> 00:15:56.640 and the experiences that you had,

256 00:15:56.640 --> 00:16:01.200 because ultimately it's very important that we hear an authentic

257 00:16:01.200 --> 00:16:05.960 expression of what took place.

258 00:16:05.960 --> 00:16:09.760 There may be both positive and negative aspects

259 00:16:09.760 --> 00:16:12.400 to what was experienced.

260 00:16:12.400 --> 00:16:14.280 It's important that we hear

261 00:16:14.280 --> 00:16:18.400 both of those issues.

262 00:16:18.400 --> 00:16:21.120 But before we move to our first session,

263 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:25.480 we'll share a video from Julia, who's a student with disability

264 00:16:25.480 --> 00:16:31.280 who experienced Year 11 and 12 during COVID 19.

265 00:16:31.280 --> 00:16:34.760 This video is an example of things you might like to think about

266 00:16:34.760 --> 00:16:39.200 when sharing your experiences.

267 00:19:37.880 --> 00:19:38.920 Hi again, everyone,

268 00:19:38.920 --> 00:19:45.120 and thank you to Julia for sharing your story and also to Ben

269 00:19:45.120 --> 00:19:51.720 for that important overview of the review and why it's important.

270 00:19:51.720 --> 00:19:57.840 Okay. So our first session today is about

271 00:19:57.840 --> 00:20:02.160 accessing and participating in school education during the pandemic.

272 00:20:02.160 --> 00:20:05.400 This means the things that changed for students with disability in relation

273 00:20:05.400 --> 00:20:08.880 to taking part in class, getting schoolwork done, and being able

274 00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:13.360 to talk to teachers or other staff who might usually help or support them.

275 00:20:13.360 --> 00:20:16.760 It might be things like being able to access, have access

276 00:20:16.760 --> 00:20:21.240 to the classroom online or in person and, and your teacher.

277 00:20:21.240 --> 00:20:25.280 And what changed about how students participated in class

278 00:20:25.280 --> 00:20:30.080 availability of technology, software and other equipment or aides that students

279 00:20:30.080 --> 00:20:34.800 needed to be able to take part in school, particularly during home learning?

280 00:20:34.800 --> 00:20:37.760 The types of learning materials that were provided

281 00:20:37.760 --> 00:20:42.960 during the pandemic to you particularly, again, if you were learning from home

282 00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:45.480 and what it was like for students

283 00:20:45.480 --> 00:20:56.000 when returning to face to face learning.

284 00:20:56.880 --> 00:21:00.600 Thanks very much Kate, and

285 00:21:00.600 --> 00:21:06.120 I thought I'd just then ask some questions to Mac and Poppy

286 00:21:06.120 --> 00:21:06.720 before then.

287 00:21:06.720 --> 00:21:10.160 I'm going to reflect on some of the comments in Mentimeter,

288 00:21:10.160 --> 00:21:15.160 so please feel free to put your comments in while we're chatting.

289 00:21:15.160 --> 00:21:19.360 But I might go to you, Mac, first, if that's okay.

290 00:21:19.360 --> 00:21:22.440 Mac, what was participating in school

291 00:21:22.440 --> 00:21:25.680 like for you during COVID 19?

292 00:21:25.680 --> 00:21:26.160 Thank you.

293 00:21:26.160 --> 00:21:30.080 So for context I did year 11

294 00:21:30.080 --> 00:21:33.880 and two years of year 12 in lockdown.

295 00:21:33.880 --> 00:21:36.120 I think for me it was a really mixed experience.

296 00:21:36.120 --> 00:21:41.320 So before COVID, my health was so bad that I didn't attend classes,

297 00:21:41.320 --> 00:21:46.680 I would have one on one sessions for an hour per week with my teachers.

298 00:21:46.680 --> 00:21:49.160 And so I was teaching myself everything.

299 00:21:49.160 --> 00:21:52.800 So the only really times I came to school were for SACs.

300 00:21:52.800 --> 00:21:56.880 So I had support but I didn't get the benefits

301 00:21:56.880 --> 00:22:01.760 of actually attending a classroom and it was mostly up to me to educate myself.

302 00:22:01.760 --> 00:22:07.440 So then moving online, it meant I could join online classes. For once

303 00:22:07.440 --> 00:22:10.600 I was no longer severely disadvantaged

304 00:22:10.600 --> 00:22:14.400 because of my health and my disabilities limiting

305 00:22:14.400 --> 00:22:17.280 my ability to attend classes.

306 00:22:17.280 --> 00:22:21.360 And so I got an increased access that I've never had before.

307 00:22:21.360 --> 00:22:24.360 I was able to join classes when in hospital.

308 00:22:24.360 --> 00:22:26.840 I have quite a lot of hospital admissions.

309 00:22:26.840 --> 00:22:30.240 And so because of that, I found it

310 00:22:30.240 --> 00:22:34.280 a lot more beneficial to myself due to that change.

311 00:22:34.280 --> 00:22:38.840 I also found some things harder, such as getting my access needs.

312 00:22:38.840 --> 00:22:43.200 Some of them were easier to accommodate for, others were a lot harder.

313 00:22:43.200 --> 00:22:48.480 Teachers were so busy adapting to a whole new way of teaching that things

314 00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:53.560 such as IEP accommodations and supports often would get slipped up

315 00:22:53.560 --> 00:22:57.960 and things wouldn't get help that I needed that I originally got.

316 00:22:57.960 --> 00:22:59.320 So it was quite a big adjustment.

317 00:22:59.320 --> 00:23:03.840 But overall for me it actually increased my ability to access class

318 00:23:03.840 --> 00:23:07.600 and gave me a degree of equality

319 00:23:07.600 --> 00:23:12.560 to all of my peers.

320 00:23:12.560 --> 00:23:13.320 Well, thanks Mac.

321 00:23:13.320 --> 00:23:17.160 That's very informative to have that that balance

322 00:23:17.160 --> 00:23:20.280 between different issues, which I think

323 00:23:20.280 --> 00:23:24.240 is important to bring out.

324 00:23:24.240 --> 00:23:27.080 Poppy, If it's okay, I might go to you

325 00:23:27.080 --> 00:23:30.720 with our next question and

326 00:23:30.720 --> 00:23:34.040 what stands out for you as something you changed significantly

327 00:23:34.040 --> 00:23:39.640 for your school education as a result of COVID 19.

328 00:23:39.640 --> 00:23:42.800 Uh I suppose COVID 19

329 00:23:42.800 --> 00:23:46.080 was a largely positive experience

330 00:23:46.080 --> 00:23:49.560 for me because

331 00:23:49.560 --> 00:23:54.040 instead of having

332 00:23:54.040 --> 00:23:57.920 to deal with different

333 00:23:57.920 --> 00:23:58.800 teacher aides

334 00:23:58.800 --> 00:24:02.640 for different subjects when I was at school

335 00:24:02.640 --> 00:24:06.600 who some have might not have

336 00:24:06.600 --> 00:24:11.880 understood the technology I needed to use to get my school work done.

337 00:24:11.880 --> 00:24:19.920 I had my own NDIS funded support worker was able to take the place

338 00:24:19.920 --> 00:24:23.760 of the teacher aide and

339 00:24:23.760 --> 00:24:25.600 liaising with my teacher

340 00:24:25.600 --> 00:24:30.320 directly was very helpful as

341 00:24:30.320 --> 00:24:34.880 most of them really understood

342 00:24:34.880 --> 00:24:39.160 with general classroom work

343 00:24:39.160 --> 00:24:44.160 really understood that if

344 00:24:44.160 --> 00:24:47.240 I made clear that if I needed anything,

345 00:24:47.240 --> 00:24:51.960 I could contact them and they'd send me.

346 00:24:51.960 --> 00:24:57.120 They’d send me to work on our

347 00:24:57.120 --> 00:25:00.560 school resources like Day Map and OneNote,

348 00:25:00.560 --> 00:25:04.520 which allowed me to

349 00:25:04.520 --> 00:25:07.480 work through them at my own pace.

350 00:25:07.480 --> 00:25:11.080 And I found I could get through things a lot quicker

351 00:25:11.080 --> 00:25:14.560 because I wasn't having to wait for teacher aides.

352 00:25:14.560 --> 00:25:22.920 Or to have to leave lessons halfway through because of personal care

353 00:25:22.920 --> 00:25:27.160 because I can integrate that into my schedule.

354 00:25:27.160 --> 00:25:32.080 So it was a largely positive experience. However there

355 00:25:32.080 --> 00:25:36.240 there was one subject where

356 00:25:36.240 --> 00:25:38.160 something had happened in it

357 00:25:38.160 --> 00:25:43.680 that was going to affect my

358 00:25:43.680 --> 00:25:48.440 school pathway going into year 12, and

359 00:25:48.440 --> 00:25:50.880 so normally in those situations,

360 00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:58.200 my case manager at my schools.

361 00:25:58.200 --> 00:26:04.560 So the Special Education Unit

362 00:26:04.560 --> 00:26:09.960 would, would, would be expected to liaise

363 00:26:09.960 --> 00:26:16.320 with me and my teacher for that subject and

364 00:26:16.320 --> 00:26:19.800 and help me figure out the best way

365 00:26:19.800 --> 00:26:22.080 I could still achieve my,

366 00:26:22.080 --> 00:26:27.520 my preferred pathways and still get my ATAR

367 00:26:27.520 --> 00:26:34.800 and I still got my ATAR and achieving that subject

368 00:26:34.800 --> 00:26:39.600 but throughout the throughout lockdown,

369 00:26:39.600 --> 00:26:43.680 I found that that

370 00:26:43.680 --> 00:26:46.560 support I needed from

371 00:26:46.560 --> 00:26:52.320 the special education unit, and from my case manager,

372 00:26:52.320 --> 00:26:56.920 liaising with teachers, explaining

373 00:26:56.920 --> 00:26:58.760 the situation.

374 00:26:58.760 --> 00:27:02.840 Sort of mediating it from both sides

375 00:27:02.840 --> 00:27:05.800 just wasn’t just wasn't there.

376 00:27:05.800 --> 00:27:10.880 And so I was left having to

377 00:27:10.880 --> 00:27:16.840 contact the teacher directly myself.

378 00:27:16.840 --> 00:27:23.440 And because she was so busy with

379 00:27:23.440 --> 00:27:26.640 as Mac said, adjusting

380 00:27:26.640 --> 00:27:31.560 and adapting, I didn't get the support

381 00:27:31.560 --> 00:27:37.960 I needed to be able to understand first what

382 00:27:37.960 --> 00:27:41.760 I needed to do to improve my educational pathway

383 00:27:41.760 --> 00:27:50.000 now that I have that mark for that subject, and it got to the point where my

384 00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:52.320 parents had to had to

385 00:27:52.320 --> 00:27:56.760 email that teacher directly as well. And

386 00:27:56.760 --> 00:27:59.440 and request an interview

387 00:27:59.440 --> 00:28:02.680 with her, which due to

388 00:28:02.680 --> 00:28:06.080 COVID couldn't happen

389 00:28:06.080 --> 00:28:08.720 couldn't happen in time.

390 00:28:08.720 --> 00:28:12.360 And so even though I went back

391 00:28:12.360 --> 00:28:15.480 a bit later than everyone else,

392 00:28:15.480 --> 00:28:18.480 I felt really

393 00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:20.680 nervous about going back to school

394 00:28:20.680 --> 00:28:24.640 because I didn’t I didn't know why I had that mark

395 00:28:24.640 --> 00:28:32.160 and how I was going to fix it to have a better integrated pathway.

396 00:28:32.160 --> 00:28:38.320 And so that then of course prohibited my

397 00:28:38.320 --> 00:28:41.920 chances of being able to

398 00:28:41.920 --> 00:28:47.680 focus on a lot of my other schoolwork because I was nervous because I didn't

399 00:28:47.680 --> 00:28:51.880 know what the best outcome would be for me

400 00:28:51.880 --> 00:28:55.920 for that one subject. And I really

401 00:28:55.920 --> 00:28:58.680 wanted to be able to access

402 00:28:58.680 --> 00:29:11.160 and get my ATAR qualifications in the exact same way as my peers, but

403 00:29:11.160 --> 00:29:13.240 the teachers that

404 00:29:13.240 --> 00:29:15.840 the teachers that did directly

405 00:29:15.880 --> 00:29:18.840 liaison with me.

406 00:29:18.840 --> 00:29:21.280 I have a really

407 00:29:21.280 --> 00:29:25.240 one of the best experiences

408 00:29:25.240 --> 00:29:28.800 of school that I'd had for quite a few years.

409 00:29:28.800 --> 00:29:31.680 Just because, the ones who were accommodating

410 00:29:31.680 --> 00:29:36.320 to me were really accommodating and would

411 00:29:36.320 --> 00:29:40.880 email me every time I emailed them a bit of

412 00:29:40.880 --> 00:29:44.160 schoolwork and ask questions and give me feedback.

413 00:29:44.160 --> 00:29:47.520 So overall, it was a positive experience,

414 00:29:47.520 --> 00:29:51.000 but that one sort of

415 00:29:51.000 --> 00:30:00.240 cliffhanger, if you will, not knowing what I would do

416 00:30:00.240 --> 00:30:03.400 to improve my pathway with that one

417 00:30:03.400 --> 00:30:06.960 particular subject was really,

418 00:30:06.960 --> 00:30:10.080 really overwhelmed

419 00:30:10.080 --> 00:30:13.600 my, the entire

420 00:30:13.600 --> 00:30:15.480 process of learning

421 00:30:15.480 --> 00:30:22.800 throughout lockdown. Thanks, Poppy.

422 00:30:22.800 --> 00:30:27.800 And thank you, Mac, as well for the feedback you've given.

423 00:30:27.800 --> 00:30:33.720 I, I think when I reflect on what you've both said, there's

424 00:30:33.720 --> 00:30:34.840 some really

425 00:30:34.840 --> 00:30:38.520 there's some positive aspects of what took place,

426 00:30:38.520 --> 00:30:41.280 and that's a little bit attitudinal.

427 00:30:41.280 --> 00:30:44.080 It's also a little bit systemic.

428 00:30:44.080 --> 00:30:47.880 And there's a need to really emphasize

429 00:30:47.880 --> 00:30:50.920 how that took place and why.

430 00:30:50.920 --> 00:30:55.800 But there was also some less than ideal aspects of what took place.

431 00:30:55.800 --> 00:31:00.080 And we also need to get to the bottom of maybe why that took place and

432 00:31:00.080 --> 00:31:04.320 and to create systems and processes where the likelihood of that happening

433 00:31:04.320 --> 00:31:06.960 again is quite low for students

434 00:31:06.960 --> 00:31:11.160 who might have different life circumstances to other students.

435 00:31:11.160 --> 00:31:15.640 So thank you for those insightful comments.

436 00:31:15.640 --> 00:31:18.560 In terms of Mentimeter and some of the themes

437 00:31:18.560 --> 00:31:24.360 that have come through, it has been noted that lockdowns affected everyone,

438 00:31:24.360 --> 00:31:28.520 but they exacerbated disadvantage in relating

439 00:31:28.520 --> 00:31:31.080 to people with disability.

440 00:31:31.080 --> 00:31:33.640 That included a loss of

441 00:31:33.640 --> 00:31:38.080 routine and difficulty engaging with ICT supports.

442 00:31:38.080 --> 00:31:41.320 And there was a distinction between

443 00:31:41.320 --> 00:31:44.040 special schools and schools where individuals

444 00:31:44.040 --> 00:31:47.960 might not have the same support needs.

445 00:31:47.960 --> 00:31:51.560 There were, though, some aspects of it that people did find

446 00:31:51.560 --> 00:31:55.720 the flexibility was helpful to students with disability.

447 00:31:55.720 --> 00:31:58.320 And so I think there is that again, really nuanced

448 00:31:58.320 --> 00:32:02.320 and balanced question about how do we take

449 00:32:02.320 --> 00:32:06.240 the good whilst creating systems and processes

450 00:32:06.240 --> 00:32:09.640 to prevent disadvantage being exacerbated

451 00:32:09.640 --> 00:32:13.240 and to ensure that people have equal opportunities to others.

452 00:32:13.240 --> 00:32:18.160 But I might hand back to Kate now for the experiences of support for school

453 00:32:18.160 --> 00:32:23.360 education during the pandemic section of the discussion.

454 00:32:23.360 --> 00:32:29.440 Thank you, Ben and and also Poppy and Mac for your reflections there.

455 00:32:29.440 --> 00:32:32.960 We are going to move to our second theme, which is about experiences

456 00:32:32.960 --> 00:32:37.440 of support for school education during the pandemic.

457 00:32:37.440 --> 00:32:41.000 And so this means things that changed in relation to the support

458 00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:45.000 students would usually receive at school or to support their learning.

459 00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:48.520 So it could be things like having access to a support worker,

460 00:32:48.520 --> 00:32:52.240 having particular aids or equipment at school, help

461 00:32:52.240 --> 00:32:58.640 with general and personal care, social, emotional or mental health support,

462 00:32:58.640 --> 00:32:59.800 and modified or

463 00:32:59.800 --> 00:33:02.800 tailored lessons or schoolwork.

464 00:33:02.800 --> 00:33:06.600 I'm actually going to hand over to Sue Tape from CYDA

465 00:33:06.600 --> 00:33:10.520 to share some reflections for us today from some of the research and engagement

466 00:33:10.520 --> 00:33:15.080 that CYDA has done over the past few years about the impacts of COVID 19.

467 00:33:15.080 --> 00:33:17.720 And in particular, Sue, can you share some insights

468 00:33:17.720 --> 00:33:21.240 about how supports that students with disability have or

469 00:33:21.240 --> 00:33:26.880 and can expect to have at school were affected during the pandemic?

470 00:33:26.880 --> 00:33:27.600 Thank you, Kate.

471 00:33:27.600 --> 00:33:32.400 Sue speaking. First of all, I just wanted to acknowledge the trauma

472 00:33:32.400 --> 00:33:37.440 and I suppose the ongoing impact of some of the experiences during COVID

473 00:33:37.440 --> 00:33:40.880 on students with disability and their families and their supporters

474 00:33:40.880 --> 00:33:43.080 just because for many,

475 00:33:43.080 --> 00:33:45.840 obviously their disability was a part of their experience,

476 00:33:45.840 --> 00:33:49.560 but also lack of access to housing

477 00:33:49.560 --> 00:33:53.400 and supports at home, whether it be around

478 00:33:53.400 --> 00:33:55.840 the NDIS or lack of services, etc..

479 00:33:55.840 --> 00:34:00.280 So I just wanted to acknowledge that the ongoing trauma that that creates

480 00:34:00.280 --> 00:34:04.120 for many students and ask that people take care with their engagement

481 00:34:04.120 --> 00:34:09.800 with the review so that they are aware of how that experience.

482 00:34:09.800 --> 00:34:13.080 But I would encourage people, please and thank you

483 00:34:13.080 --> 00:34:16.320 for including Poppy and Mac as part of today,

484 00:34:16.320 --> 00:34:19.640 and I will always defer to those two wonderful people

485 00:34:19.640 --> 00:34:24.120 as to their experience and their ability to share the insights.

486 00:34:24.120 --> 00:34:27.640 It's really important to hear from young people with disability

487 00:34:27.640 --> 00:34:31.560 as part of this review, so I'd encourage people

488 00:34:31.560 --> 00:34:34.960 to support the student in their life, the young person in their life

489 00:34:34.960 --> 00:34:39.080 to tell their story and to get down to specific examples as well.

490 00:34:39.080 --> 00:34:41.240 I know Mac and Poppy

491 00:34:41.240 --> 00:34:43.440 are talking at a at a higher level today,

492 00:34:43.440 --> 00:34:46.920 and I can hear key themes around supports

493 00:34:46.920 --> 00:34:49.840 and that they were looking for relationships

494 00:34:49.840 --> 00:34:53.200 with their school to help them access the right supports.

495 00:34:53.200 --> 00:34:55.960 And they were also looking for,

496 00:34:55.960 --> 00:34:59.240 I suppose, open and timely communication.

497 00:34:59.240 --> 00:35:01.720 So I would encourage people to share their stories

498 00:35:01.720 --> 00:35:04.720 down to detailed level as well.

499 00:35:04.720 --> 00:35:06.320 The other thing I think that's really important

500 00:35:06.320 --> 00:35:10.760 in the discussion about supports is to look at the reality of lockdowns

501 00:35:10.760 --> 00:35:13.480 and the reality of the impact of remote learning,

502 00:35:13.480 --> 00:35:17.200 but also the other changes in Australia that happened.

503 00:35:17.200 --> 00:35:21.000 So there were many states and territories who didn't have as many lockdowns

504 00:35:21.000 --> 00:35:24.000 as, say, Victoria, but the changes due to COVID

505 00:35:24.000 --> 00:35:27.880 still had an impact on their educational experience

506 00:35:27.880 --> 00:35:32.560 and obviously had an impact on educators and staff as well.

507 00:35:32.560 --> 00:35:36.840 So basically many people were in different places to what

508 00:35:36.840 --> 00:35:40.960 they normally are during a school day, and they were with different people.

509 00:35:40.960 --> 00:35:46.760 And to some people that was positive and for some people that was negative.

510 00:35:46.760 --> 00:35:49.520 But as Ben has already

511 00:35:49.520 --> 00:35:54.480 spoken about, the COVID pandemic shone a light on just how poorly

512 00:35:54.480 --> 00:35:59.360 some children and young people had been supported in their education

513 00:35:59.360 --> 00:36:02.760 before the pandemic and also during the pandemic.

514 00:36:02.760 --> 00:36:05.920 And that goes across all states and territories

515 00:36:05.920 --> 00:36:09.200 and also all educational settings.

516 00:36:09.200 --> 00:36:11.480 So I know that in Menti there is a discussion

517 00:36:11.480 --> 00:36:14.600 around different things happening in different settings.

518 00:36:14.600 --> 00:36:19.640 We do know from CYDAs work that there were poor experiences

519 00:36:19.640 --> 00:36:23.520 across all sorts of settings.

520 00:36:23.520 --> 00:36:29.080 The other thing that we heard from families and some young people sorry,

521 00:36:29.080 --> 00:36:32.920 from families, was that the pandemic actually gave them

522 00:36:32.920 --> 00:36:37.200 even more insight into what level their child

523 00:36:37.200 --> 00:36:38.880 or their student was working at

524 00:36:38.880 --> 00:36:43.160 and the sorts of materials that they were being provided with.

525 00:36:43.160 --> 00:36:47.000 So again, it goes back to relationships

526 00:36:47.000 --> 00:36:51.920 and communication where it took a pandemic to really understand

527 00:36:51.920 --> 00:36:57.120 what was being what was happening in their child's education.

528 00:36:57.120 --> 00:36:58.200 We know as far as

529 00:36:58.200 --> 00:37:02.360 supports go, that schools were unable to provide

530 00:37:02.360 --> 00:37:04.040 or had to reduce dramatically

531 00:37:04.040 --> 00:37:08.080 the support for students with disability during their education,

532 00:37:08.080 --> 00:37:12.320 and that was in lockdowns and also post lockdowns as well,

533 00:37:12.320 --> 00:37:18.000 where adjustments to staff, you know, the allowance for visitors,

534 00:37:18.000 --> 00:37:21.840 the availability of support specialists, etcetera,

535 00:37:21.840 --> 00:37:25.200 were limited in many locations.

536 00:37:25.200 --> 00:37:29.040 The big challenge for students with disability, again,

537 00:37:29.040 --> 00:37:34.560 was not their disability, but the lack of assertive and proactive support.

538 00:37:34.560 --> 00:37:38.960 So we heard from families that many students were told,

539 00:37:38.960 --> 00:37:43.280 I just need to sort out the rest of the class and I will get to you.

540 00:37:43.280 --> 00:37:45.120 And that could have been about materials,

541 00:37:45.120 --> 00:37:49.040 it could have been about adjustments that were already in place,

542 00:37:49.040 --> 00:37:54.240 or it could have been about connections and communication.

543 00:37:54.240 --> 00:37:55.720 So a lot of our research at CYDA

544 00:37:55.720 --> 00:38:00.320 was done in 2020, and a lot of it hinged around the impact of lockdowns.

545 00:38:00.320 --> 00:38:03.120 But our subsequent work, so the things that we've done around

546 00:38:03.120 --> 00:38:06.680 education since have continued to pop up

547 00:38:06.680 --> 00:38:10.200 the ongoing impact on the support of students with disability.

548 00:38:10.200 --> 00:38:14.280 There are many people who many students with disability who are still facing

549 00:38:14.280 --> 00:38:19.840 challenges to either get back to where the supports were before the pandemic

550 00:38:19.840 --> 00:38:24.720 or are still facing inequities and are not receiving

551 00:38:24.720 --> 00:38:28.800 what's expected under the disability standards for education.

552 00:38:28.800 --> 00:38:31.560 Some of that you can blame on the pandemic, some the

553 00:38:31.560 --> 00:38:34.680 some of it you can't.

554 00:38:34.680 --> 00:38:37.040 The other thing that we're hearing from students

555 00:38:37.040 --> 00:38:40.920 and from families at the moment is that some of those great things

556 00:38:40.920 --> 00:38:44.760 that say Mac and Poppy talked to us about where things did have

557 00:38:44.760 --> 00:38:45.800 a positive experience.

558 00:38:45.800 --> 00:38:49.880 They lost that as soon as they physically returned to school.

559 00:38:49.880 --> 00:38:54.520 And that meant that that progress they'd made during, say, a lockdown

560 00:38:54.520 --> 00:38:57.640 or the opportunities that it had presented

561 00:38:57.640 --> 00:39:00.880 was lost once they returned to the classroom.

562 00:39:00.880 --> 00:39:04.560 So that inequity popped up again,

563 00:39:04.560 --> 00:39:08.480 and it wasn't necessarily something that required money, it wasn't necessarily

564 00:39:08.480 --> 00:39:13.320 something that required technology, but a mindset change

565 00:39:13.320 --> 00:39:17.520 and relied on communication.

566 00:39:17.520 --> 00:39:18.240 I think

567 00:39:18.240 --> 00:39:21.680 some of the other speakers and Ben in particular has touched on, you know,

568 00:39:21.680 --> 00:39:27.440 disruption, changes to physical setup, etc.

569 00:39:27.440 --> 00:39:30.880 and and Poppy and Mac as young people can speak

570 00:39:30.880 --> 00:39:35.600 very well to their experience, the people that we also heard from in

571 00:39:35.600 --> 00:39:38.760 our research was those who'd just started school

572 00:39:38.760 --> 00:39:41.920 and the experience that it set up for them

573 00:39:41.920 --> 00:39:45.960 as far as identifying what supports they actually needed.

574 00:39:45.960 --> 00:39:50.120 So someone who started who was just starting school maybe didn't

575 00:39:50.120 --> 00:39:54.720 necessarily have a diagnosis, maybe didn't have it all sussed out as to

576 00:39:54.720 --> 00:39:58.320 what was needed for them to flourish at school.

577 00:39:58.320 --> 00:40:03.560 The COVID pandemic really threw a spanner into that situation

578 00:40:03.560 --> 00:40:07.080 because that sort of to and fro of working out

579 00:40:07.080 --> 00:40:12.080 what a student needed at a very young age and what that might mean in the classroom

580 00:40:12.080 --> 00:40:16.760 was extremely disrupted.

581 00:40:16.760 --> 00:40:18.960 And I know that

582 00:40:18.960 --> 00:40:19.920 others have touched on the

583 00:40:19.920 --> 00:40:22.960 social and emotional supports.

584 00:40:22.960 --> 00:40:26.680 I think from our research and also from the conversations

585 00:40:26.680 --> 00:40:31.160 since people grappled with the practical part of that of

586 00:40:31.160 --> 00:40:35.560 of what does it mean to socially and emotionally support students

587 00:40:35.560 --> 00:40:40.120 in a digital space or a COVID pandemic space where you are

588 00:40:40.120 --> 00:40:44.760 1.5 meters, etc., if you were in some settings?

589 00:40:44.760 --> 00:40:50.320 So I’m concious that Kate's going to give me the time dinger in a little bit.

590 00:40:50.320 --> 00:40:53.200 But I think

591 00:40:53.200 --> 00:40:56.960 the overall comments that comes from our work

592 00:40:56.960 --> 00:41:02.040 and comes from the conversations we've had since is the need for planned

593 00:41:02.040 --> 00:41:06.920 and intentional support, and that's an everyday need

594 00:41:06.920 --> 00:41:11.520 for students with disability to deliver on the equitable education

595 00:41:11.520 --> 00:41:16.000 and that suffers greatly under the pandemic.

596 00:41:16.000 --> 00:41:17.960 So I'll throw back to Kate now.

597 00:41:17.960 --> 00:41:21.480 Thank you.

598 00:41:21.480 --> 00:41:22.440 Thanks very much.

599 00:41:22.440 --> 00:41:27.600 Sue and yes, some really insightful

600 00:41:27.600 --> 00:41:34.480 learnings and observations there.

601 00:41:34.480 --> 00:41:35.520 I’m going to hand back to Ben.

602 00:41:35.520 --> 00:41:40.680 He's going to go back to our panel with a couple of questions.

603 00:41:40.680 --> 00:41:41.840 Thanks very much, Kate.

604 00:41:41.840 --> 00:41:46.440 And the feedback we’re receiving on Menti is

605 00:41:46.440 --> 00:41:49.440 very interesting and really does reflect that diversity,

606 00:41:49.440 --> 00:41:54.960 of experience and views that we want to pick up along the way.

607 00:41:54.960 --> 00:41:56.640 Mac and Poppy, I'm going to go back to you.

608 00:41:56.640 --> 00:42:00.960 I might go to Poppy first this time and then, Mac,

609 00:42:00.960 --> 00:42:03.560 I want to ask you pretty much

610 00:42:03.560 --> 00:42:06.720 the same question each.

611 00:42:06.720 --> 00:42:08.640 Poppy

612 00:42:08.640 --> 00:42:11.960 did you have experiences where the supports you would usually have

613 00:42:11.960 --> 00:42:17.360 received at school were impacted by remote learning or other changes

614 00:42:17.360 --> 00:42:24.760 that happened during the peak or peaks of the COVID 19 pandemic?

615 00:42:24.760 --> 00:42:29.240 Well, yes.

616 00:42:29.240 --> 00:42:35.920 But it was mostly a positive impact because

617 00:42:35.920 --> 00:42:38.120 because at school

618 00:42:38.120 --> 00:42:44.280 I was sometimes just, just the nature of how many kids there are my school

619 00:42:44.280 --> 00:42:47.440 and how many required one time,

620 00:42:47.440 --> 00:42:52.320 one on one support in the classroom with the teacher's aide

621 00:42:52.320 --> 00:42:58.360 I was often given, teachers aide who knew how to support

622 00:42:58.360 --> 00:43:02.240 people like me socially and emotionally, but

623 00:43:02.240 --> 00:43:05.840 in terms of physically supporting me

624 00:43:05.840 --> 00:43:09.520 to, say, write an essay

625 00:43:09.520 --> 00:43:13.240 would often struggle with things like

626 00:43:13.240 --> 00:43:17.960 accessing Word processing documents

627 00:43:17.960 --> 00:43:21.720 or helping me with

628 00:43:21.720 --> 00:43:25.440 Excel spreadsheets and things like that.

629 00:43:25.480 --> 00:43:30.720 So what was good about

630 00:43:30.720 --> 00:43:36.120 lockdown was the teachers would

631 00:43:36.120 --> 00:43:40.320 email me the work or put it on

632 00:43:40.320 --> 00:43:45.240 our school websites like OneNote and

633 00:43:45.240 --> 00:43:48.720 Day Map, which were very easy to access.

634 00:43:48.720 --> 00:43:56.840 And then I could work through the work with a support worker who,

635 00:43:56.840 --> 00:44:01.320 from being around me

636 00:44:01.320 --> 00:44:06.520 for a lot more time, say

637 00:44:06.520 --> 00:44:09.520 4 hours compared to

638 00:44:09.520 --> 00:44:12.560 the 2 hours that class, a class might,

639 00:44:12.560 --> 00:44:15.600 a class might take

640 00:44:15.600 --> 00:44:19.240 knew a lot more about how to help me

641 00:44:19.240 --> 00:44:23.560 do things like use my computer to continue with science,

642 00:44:23.560 --> 00:44:33.360 to help me to learn that way see that had a positive impact

643 00:44:33.360 --> 00:44:44.760 but in terms of being able to just to discuss

644 00:44:44.760 --> 00:44:50.600 any wider problems I was having with science

645 00:44:50.600 --> 00:44:54.000 that had a negative influence

646 00:44:54.000 --> 00:44:58.920 because it really depended on whether set

647 00:44:58.920 --> 00:45:02.160 whether certain teachers

648 00:45:02.160 --> 00:45:07.280 had time to get back to me and consider what I’d asked them.

649 00:45:07.280 --> 00:45:13.200 And I suppose that was negative because at school if I had any

650 00:45:13.200 --> 00:45:16.800 major question or the,

651 00:45:16.800 --> 00:45:20.880 the teacher had the classroom teacher

652 00:45:20.880 --> 00:45:26.840 had any major issues with an assignment, what they would do was just

653 00:45:26.840 --> 00:45:27.440 come and talk to

654 00:45:27.440 --> 00:45:31.240 me and say, Hey, Poppy, I noticed in your assignment

655 00:45:31.240 --> 00:45:37.200 you said this, when, why didn’t you just do this.

656 00:45:37.200 --> 00:45:41.520 And during the pandemic

657 00:45:41.520 --> 00:45:47.760 with one teacher in particular,

658 00:45:47.760 --> 00:45:51.240 that that sort of one on one engagement

659 00:45:51.240 --> 00:45:54.360 wasn't there. And

660 00:45:54.360 --> 00:45:57.960 and the next step for that at school was

661 00:45:57.960 --> 00:46:02.560 I would talk to my case manager and they would

662 00:46:02.560 --> 00:46:05.720 generally intervene

663 00:46:05.720 --> 00:46:09.960 at that point and say Poppy has come to us

664 00:46:09.960 --> 00:46:21.800 with this problem with your

665 00:46:21.800 --> 00:46:24.320 your sort of

666 00:46:24.320 --> 00:46:27.560 the way the assignment’s structured,

667 00:46:27.560 --> 00:46:32.840 can we have a word with you.

668 00:46:32.840 --> 00:46:35.880 That, that

669 00:46:35.880 --> 00:46:40.440 ability for those case managers

670 00:46:40.440 --> 00:46:42.720 wasn’t there and so it often

671 00:46:42.720 --> 00:46:45.280 came down to my parents

672 00:46:45.280 --> 00:46:49.280 having to take time out of their work schedules

673 00:46:49.280 --> 00:46:54.520 to email teachers for me, and even then

674 00:46:54.520 --> 00:46:56.760 teachers sometimes wouldn’t

675 00:46:56.760 --> 00:46:59.040 get back to me properly.

676 00:46:59.040 --> 00:47:03.840 So I guess the most negative thing

677 00:47:03.840 --> 00:47:09.840 was how sporadic that communication was.

678 00:47:09.840 --> 00:47:13.560 And it depended on

679 00:47:13.560 --> 00:47:16.320 it really depended on the ability

680 00:47:16.320 --> 00:47:20.560 of the classroom teacher to be looking at their email at

681 00:47:20.560 --> 00:47:25.240 certain times, which it shouldn't have done.

682 00:47:25.240 --> 00:47:29.520 I think as a solution,

683 00:47:29.520 --> 00:47:37.120 if I’m allowed to give solutions,

684 00:47:37.120 --> 00:47:40.360 more I guess should be done

685 00:47:40.360 --> 00:47:49.480 to create emergency contacts for classroom teachers

686 00:47:49.480 --> 00:47:52.000 so that if something like

687 00:47:52.000 --> 00:47:58.920 this does happen again they don't feel

688 00:47:58.920 --> 00:48:02.040 like they’re the only one, having to constantly

689 00:48:02.040 --> 00:48:07.160 check their emails to see if the student with the

690 00:48:07.160 --> 00:48:12.800 disability has has any trouble

691 00:48:12.800 --> 00:48:17.880 with their supports.

692 00:48:17.880 --> 00:48:21.240 Thanks, Poppy. That's very illuminating.

693 00:48:21.240 --> 00:48:28.000 I particularly liked your reference to an emergency number or

694 00:48:28.000 --> 00:48:31.200 finding a way to get in contact with the teacher,

695 00:48:31.200 --> 00:48:35.200 a sort of slightly different or more dynamic manner.

696 00:48:35.200 --> 00:48:40.120 Mac I might go to you again, if that's okay.

697 00:48:40.120 --> 00:48:45.360 I I'm going to ask you the identical question.

698 00:48:45.360 --> 00:48:49.440 Did you have experiences where the supports you would usually have

699 00:48:49.440 --> 00:48:53.600 received at school were impacted by remote learning or other changes

700 00:48:53.600 --> 00:48:59.440 that happened during the peaks of the COVID 19 pandemic?

701 00:48:59.440 --> 00:49:02.600 Before I quickly get into it, I just want to expand on what Sue was saying earlier.

702 00:49:02.600 --> 00:49:07.960 I talk about how my education system was so positive during COVID,

703 00:49:07.960 --> 00:49:11.680 but that is largely due to the fact of how inaccessible

704 00:49:11.680 --> 00:49:14.920 the system was for me before lockdown.

705 00:49:14.920 --> 00:49:19.600 However, that did mean that during lockdown and during online

706 00:49:19.600 --> 00:49:22.640 school, that doesn't mean I did not experience any issues.

707 00:49:22.640 --> 00:49:24.720 There were quite a few.

708 00:49:24.720 --> 00:49:29.880 One of the biggest ones is that I rely on a scribe to take my notes in class.

709 00:49:29.880 --> 00:49:34.120 Partly that's due to the fact that I physically can't take notes and

710 00:49:34.120 --> 00:49:37.560 my memory is so poor as well as I have hearing issues

711 00:49:37.560 --> 00:49:40.680 which makes it very, very difficult for me to take notes.

712 00:49:40.680 --> 00:49:43.440 However, I live in Victoria

713 00:49:43.440 --> 00:49:47.240 and so there was a very huge chunk of time in which one week

714 00:49:47.240 --> 00:49:50.360 we could attend in person and the next week was online

715 00:49:50.360 --> 00:49:55.480 and there was not clear enough communication with my school

716 00:49:55.480 --> 00:49:59.920 to the disability support and then the disability supports to my scribe.

717 00:49:59.920 --> 00:50:04.080 And so there were multiple class sessions where I did not get notes for

718 00:50:04.080 --> 00:50:09.240 or the scribe had to arrive really late because they were at the wrong place,

719 00:50:09.240 --> 00:50:13.200 which meant that come year 12 exam time, there were many topics

720 00:50:13.200 --> 00:50:17.080 I did not actually have any notes for for that content.

721 00:50:17.080 --> 00:50:19.440 So that was one of the really big ones for me.

722 00:50:19.440 --> 00:50:22.920 And it was also little things that in a classroom, for example,

723 00:50:22.920 --> 00:50:26.600 the teacher might explain all the content of what we were doing,

724 00:50:26.600 --> 00:50:29.600 but then would come up to me once we were doing the work.

725 00:50:29.600 --> 00:50:33.720 on our own to just give a quick check in, see if I actually understood

726 00:50:33.720 --> 00:50:36.880 everything where I was at, what did I need help with.

727 00:50:36.880 --> 00:50:39.840 That, that was very impossible to do in a Zoom class

728 00:50:39.840 --> 00:50:42.840 because what's a teacher going to say in front of the other students?

729 00:50:42.840 --> 00:50:46.200 Hey, Hey, Mac, I'm going to ask you some really personal questions

730 00:50:46.200 --> 00:50:48.280 in front of the rest of the class,

731 00:50:48.280 --> 00:50:50.720 because, of course, you'd be super comfortable with that.

732 00:50:50.720 --> 00:50:55.600 So that meant that really important one on one time I would get in the classroom

733 00:50:55.600 --> 00:51:00.480 no longer existed and other things such as, say, during lunch time,

734 00:51:00.480 --> 00:51:03.360 after school, I might have time with my teacher

735 00:51:03.360 --> 00:51:05.880 if I had a health episode, which meant I left class.

736 00:51:05.920 --> 00:51:07.560 We could talk things through.

737 00:51:07.560 --> 00:51:10.680 But teachers were so busy

738 00:51:10.680 --> 00:51:13.040 with so many different things that we weren't able

739 00:51:13.040 --> 00:51:17.080 to have those additional time, which was really valuable to me.

740 00:51:17.080 --> 00:51:21.040 But I also want to touch on how some of my accommodations were better met online.

741 00:51:21.040 --> 00:51:25.560 So during SACs and exams I,

742 00:51:25.560 --> 00:51:28.920 one of my accommodations is to do it in a separate room due to the fact

743 00:51:28.920 --> 00:51:33.000 that I am prone to some medical emergencies

744 00:51:33.000 --> 00:51:37.120 which are more likely to happen during SAC time.

745 00:51:37.120 --> 00:51:41.440 However, due to funding and resources, it was not always feasible

746 00:51:41.440 --> 00:51:44.520 to have me in a separate room on in person.

747 00:51:44.520 --> 00:51:47.560 However, during SACs that we sat online

748 00:51:47.560 --> 00:51:50.880 that was very easy to accommodate

749 00:51:50.880 --> 00:51:53.360 and as well as other things like in person

750 00:51:53.360 --> 00:51:56.280 I had a really great relationship with my school nurse

751 00:51:56.280 --> 00:52:00.000 as well as the school wellbeing team, and we had a really great set up

752 00:52:00.000 --> 00:52:02.760 which was no longer available for me at home.

753 00:52:02.760 --> 00:52:05.520 However, I also found that I didn't need that anymore

754 00:52:05.520 --> 00:52:10.360 because if I needed quiet time to step away, I was in my room,

755 00:52:10.360 --> 00:52:14.280 so the odds of needing that decreased, but it meant that I could just

756 00:52:14.280 --> 00:52:17.640 step out of my classroom and just chill in my room for a moment.

757 00:52:17.640 --> 00:52:21.360 So I also found that some of the supports I wasn't receiving,

758 00:52:21.360 --> 00:52:27.720 I was able to accommodate myself in my home environment.

759 00:52:27.720 --> 00:52:30.280 But yeah, I would say overall a lot of my support.

760 00:52:30.280 --> 00:52:34.160 I think it was also the chaotic rush of changing to online

761 00:52:34.160 --> 00:52:36.960 meant that teachers kind of forgot about the IEPs

762 00:52:36.960 --> 00:52:40.080 and those supports, so it didn't come back till later.

763 00:52:40.080 --> 00:52:42.640 But also other things like I require access to PowerPoints

764 00:52:42.640 --> 00:52:47.840 because I can't see the board but teachers would always make sure to supply that

765 00:52:47.840 --> 00:52:51.680 because all the kids needed it now that we were

766 00:52:51.680 --> 00:52:53.080 joining class online.

767 00:52:53.080 --> 00:52:57.000 And also another really key point I wanted to share finally was that

768 00:52:57.000 --> 00:53:00.240 me, as well as a bunch of other students were pushing to access

769 00:53:00.240 --> 00:53:04.320 online classes before COVID, and I would always be met back with that

770 00:53:04.320 --> 00:53:06.960 it was a privacy or confidentiality issue.

771 00:53:06.960 --> 00:53:10.400 And then overnight, we swapped to online,

772 00:53:10.400 --> 00:53:15.000 I was very lucky that outside of the stage three stage

773 00:53:15.000 --> 00:53:18.720 four lockdowns where we weren’t allowed in class and when we were allowed back

774 00:53:18.720 --> 00:53:22.720 to classrooms, my teacher continued my ability to access online.

775 00:53:22.720 --> 00:53:26.520 So I was one of the few whose wonderful support

776 00:53:26.520 --> 00:53:31.360 and adaptations we discovered during COVID and peaks of the pandemic lockdowns

777 00:53:31.360 --> 00:53:34.920 were continued throughout my education experience, however,

778 00:53:34.920 --> 00:53:43.600 that was a very uncommon situation for most students.

779 00:53:43.600 --> 00:53:47.160 Thanks, Mac. That was

780 00:53:47.160 --> 00:53:48.800 good to hear the,

781 00:53:48.800 --> 00:53:54.040 I think, the evolving nature of systems that you were given and also

782 00:53:54.040 --> 00:53:56.960 perhaps the good, but also maybe how the support structures

783 00:53:56.960 --> 00:54:00.960 that you had in place at times were affected by COVID.

784 00:54:00.960 --> 00:54:04.680 And it does kind of show that the effect of COVID is not

785 00:54:04.680 --> 00:54:07.040 equal across a person's life.

786 00:54:07.040 --> 00:54:11.000 And it can be quite different in terms of what takes place.

787 00:54:11.000 --> 00:54:15.320 It is important to take each and every person as an individual

788 00:54:15.320 --> 00:54:19.520 and their individual circumstances and characteristics.

789 00:54:19.520 --> 00:54:21.840 I might then, though, just

790 00:54:21.840 --> 00:54:23.880 reflect upon some of the comments that are coming in

791 00:54:23.920 --> 00:54:28.160 on the Mentimeter, in particular to how were supports

792 00:54:28.160 --> 00:54:33.600 for school learning impacted during the pandemic.

793 00:54:33.600 --> 00:54:35.440 Some varied responses, often

794 00:54:35.440 --> 00:54:38.880 relating to where the person or what their role was.

795 00:54:38.880 --> 00:54:43.080 People who were sort of more leadership or principal type role

796 00:54:43.080 --> 00:54:46.360 it’s the issue of providing assistance and how that was done well

797 00:54:46.360 --> 00:54:49.880 and the resources.

798 00:54:49.880 --> 00:54:53.160 For the actual students themselves There’s the issue of school

799 00:54:53.160 --> 00:54:57.920 and mental health supports being adequately provided.

800 00:54:57.920 --> 00:55:01.080 And then there's also issues with differentiating between remote

801 00:55:01.080 --> 00:55:05.200 and non remote learning type of school being

802 00:55:05.200 --> 00:55:08.160 potentially a special school or something of that nature.

803 00:55:08.160 --> 00:55:11.280 And also the need for I.T. support.

804 00:55:11.280 --> 00:55:14.520 So the nature of the issues are quite variable,

805 00:55:14.520 --> 00:55:18.040 but it does show that there is a place

806 00:55:18.040 --> 00:55:21.200 for us to be prepared or better prepared

807 00:55:21.200 --> 00:55:23.400 in terms of putting these supports in place

808 00:55:23.400 --> 00:55:27.960 if we do have something similar to the COVID 19 pandemic.

809 00:55:27.960 --> 00:55:31.000 And it is something I think we can all reflect upon.

810 00:55:31.000 --> 00:55:34.240 But I might hand back to Kate

811 00:55:34.240 --> 00:55:39.640 and see if there are any questions in the Q and A that we could answer.

812 00:55:39.640 --> 00:55:41.240 Thanks, Ben.

813 00:55:41.240 --> 00:55:44.080 We've answered most of the questions that have come through in writing,

814 00:55:44.080 --> 00:55:49.200 which have been mostly around different ways people want to engage in the review.

815 00:55:49.200 --> 00:55:50.880 So that's great.

816 00:55:50.880 --> 00:55:53.520 And again, just pointing people to the website

817 00:55:53.520 --> 00:55:57.240 that's in the chat, if you do want to sign up

818 00:55:57.240 --> 00:56:00.720 for a focus group or a discussion board online

819 00:56:00.720 --> 00:56:03.240 or do one of the surveys, that would be fantastic.

820 00:56:03.240 --> 00:56:06.240 As we've all said today, the more people that can share

821 00:56:06.240 --> 00:56:11.520 these experiences, the better as part of this review.

822 00:56:11.520 --> 00:56:12.840 So we might move to

823 00:56:12.840 --> 00:56:17.440 session three now, which is around the

824 00:56:17.440 --> 00:56:21.480 the impact on outcomes and wellbeing.

825 00:56:21.480 --> 00:56:24.960 This theme’s looking at the impact of changes during

826 00:56:24.960 --> 00:56:28.200 the pandemic on students academic results

827 00:56:28.200 --> 00:56:31.920 and on emotional and mental wellbeing.

828 00:56:31.920 --> 00:56:35.280 So this includes things like whether students with disability

829 00:56:35.280 --> 00:56:38.400 were able to maintain grades

830 00:56:38.400 --> 00:56:40.560 as they would have

831 00:56:40.560 --> 00:56:45.040 while attending school if they weren't in the pandemic,

832 00:56:45.040 --> 00:56:48.960 how confident they felt moving from one year level

833 00:56:48.960 --> 00:56:51.960 to the next, or for those

834 00:56:51.960 --> 00:56:55.160 leaving school into employment or further education.

835 00:56:55.160 --> 00:56:58.560 And Poppy’s spoken a little bit about that already,

836 00:56:58.560 --> 00:57:03.920 how students mental and emotional health might have been impacted

837 00:57:03.920 --> 00:57:06.960 and what did or didn't help students to stay connected

838 00:57:06.960 --> 00:57:12.240 socially to friends and classmates during the pandemic.

839 00:57:12.240 --> 00:57:15.320 Before we ask for your input and hear from our panelists, again,

840 00:57:15.320 --> 00:57:17.880 we do have another video story to share with you.

841 00:57:17.880 --> 00:57:21.640 And this time it's from Trae, who talks about their experience

842 00:57:21.640 --> 00:57:28.080 during the COVID 19 pandemic.

843 01:01:04.080 --> 01:01:09.000 Thanks to Trae for sharing their story.

844 01:01:09.000 --> 01:01:12.480 I'm going to hand back to Ben

845 01:01:12.480 --> 01:01:12.880 for the

846 01:01:12.880 --> 01:01:15.960 next session and just to reflect, I guess, on any other comments

847 01:01:15.960 --> 01:01:19.920 that are coming through about this particular session.

848 01:01:19.920 --> 01:01:21.400 Thanks, Ben.

849 01:01:21.400 --> 01:01:22.960 Thanks, Kate.

850 01:01:22.960 --> 01:01:26.880 While the responses are no doubt flooding in,

851 01:01:26.880 --> 01:01:30.840 I'd like just to ask our panelists

852 01:01:30.840 --> 01:01:34.560 their views on this particular question.

853 01:01:34.560 --> 01:01:40.320 We know that disability is diverse and that people with disability are diverse too,

854 01:01:40.320 --> 01:01:44.400 and that people's mental health and other forms of wellbeing

855 01:01:44.400 --> 01:01:48.640 are very personal.

856 01:01:48.640 --> 01:01:52.320 However, I'd like to ask your reflections on

857 01:01:52.320 --> 01:01:56.280 slightly broader context, which is

858 01:01:56.280 --> 01:02:00.320 what, if anything, did schools do that was particularly helpful

859 01:02:00.320 --> 01:02:03.960 to supporting students wellbeing

860 01:02:03.960 --> 01:02:07.400 during the COVID 19 pandemic?

861 01:02:07.400 --> 01:02:10.920 I'm going to ask you all to reflect upon that,

862 01:02:10.920 --> 01:02:14.160 but I might start with you, Sue, considering I've been talking

863 01:02:14.160 --> 01:02:17.320 to Poppy and Mac the most, I'd say.

864 01:02:17.320 --> 01:02:21.840 Sue, what's your view? Thank you Ben. Sue speaking. I think

865 01:02:21.840 --> 01:02:22.360 the two

866 01:02:22.360 --> 01:02:26.440 easy answers to this question because I then have a third hard answer.

867 01:02:26.440 --> 01:02:32.040 The two easy answers to this question is that staff who checked in with students

868 01:02:32.040 --> 01:02:37.040 and families, that was where, so took those more informal routes to check in

869 01:02:37.040 --> 01:02:40.640 with them was where that was often

870 01:02:40.640 --> 01:02:44.320 praised as part of the survey work that we did.

871 01:02:44.320 --> 01:02:48.480 You know, we heard discussions about, you know, actually teachers dropping off

872 01:02:48.480 --> 01:02:52.240 modified materials to people's locations.

873 01:02:52.240 --> 01:02:57.040 But the system wide or some of the school wide initiatives that did focus on

874 01:02:57.040 --> 01:03:02.120 wellbeing, whether it was during lockdowns or the pandemic or subsequent were often

875 01:03:02.120 --> 01:03:04.640 inaccessible or not adjusted

876 01:03:04.640 --> 01:03:07.640 for students with disabilities needs.

877 01:03:07.640 --> 01:03:11.640 And also we heard from young people it was another new person potentially.

878 01:03:11.640 --> 01:03:15.720 So if someone was brought into the school setting or bought into the school

879 01:03:15.720 --> 01:03:17.960 online environment to check in on their wellbeing,

880 01:03:17.960 --> 01:03:22.560 it was often a new person to them and they had to adapt

881 01:03:22.560 --> 01:03:27.200 to explaining who they were, what their adjustments were, etc., etc..

882 01:03:27.240 --> 01:03:30.000 So that whole sort of

883 01:03:30.000 --> 01:03:30.920 rollercoaster

884 01:03:30.920 --> 01:03:33.920 of the individual education, planning and adjustments.

885 01:03:33.920 --> 01:03:37.240 The other easy answer is that students and families

886 01:03:37.240 --> 01:03:40.440 told us about communication to the wider school community.

887 01:03:40.440 --> 01:03:46.120 So some schools and principals got very snazzy with their social media

888 01:03:46.120 --> 01:03:50.680 and recording stuff and really providing some connection

889 01:03:50.680 --> 01:03:54.240 and insight into school activities.

890 01:03:54.240 --> 01:03:58.640 But what it highlighted for some families of students with disability

891 01:03:58.640 --> 01:04:00.600 was that they were getting more communication

892 01:04:00.600 --> 01:04:04.440 from the school during the pandemic about what was happening

893 01:04:04.440 --> 01:04:08.920 and what the experience was more than prior to the pandemic.

894 01:04:08.920 --> 01:04:11.920 And then also that the downside of that was it

895 01:04:11.920 --> 01:04:15.840 dropped away once schools or systems

896 01:04:15.840 --> 01:04:19.840 or teachers had deemed that COVID was over in their local community.

897 01:04:19.840 --> 01:04:22.720 So that obviously varied widely.

898 01:04:22.720 --> 01:04:24.440 So they're the two easy answers.

899 01:04:24.440 --> 01:04:31.480 The third, more difficult answer around wellbeing, and I don't want to

900 01:04:31.480 --> 01:04:33.600 overdramatize this, but is

901 01:04:33.600 --> 01:04:38.920 the potential generational impact that we might actually be looking at.

902 01:04:38.920 --> 01:04:42.240 So if you think about fires, floods and the other disasters

903 01:04:42.240 --> 01:04:47.120 that Australia faces, the pandemic is really on that list now.

904 01:04:47.120 --> 01:04:51.360 And the I suppose the national perspective

905 01:04:51.360 --> 01:04:54.680 that we've got through our work is

906 01:04:54.680 --> 01:05:00.280 largely underwhelming, as in

907 01:05:00.280 --> 01:05:04.960 students with disability and their families felt isolated and didn't feel

908 01:05:04.960 --> 01:05:08.760 that they were receiving an equitable or appropriate education.

909 01:05:08.760 --> 01:05:15.600 But I also just want to acknowledge Victoria so the

910 01:05:15.600 --> 01:05:20.760 the massive impact that it had on children,

911 01:05:20.760 --> 01:05:23.960 siblings of students with disability,

912 01:05:23.960 --> 01:05:27.840 their families, their families' work situation

913 01:05:27.840 --> 01:05:32.880 and the subsequent impact on their wellbeing is still seen today

914 01:05:32.880 --> 01:05:36.000 because the other discussion we haven't had yet is around

915 01:05:36.000 --> 01:05:39.320 staff shortages and the impact of staff shortages

916 01:05:39.320 --> 01:05:43.920 and how that continues to be a problem, particularly in Victoria

917 01:05:43.920 --> 01:05:47.320 and how that impacts IEPs not being revisited.

918 01:05:47.320 --> 01:05:51.600 So individual education plan, the flow on effect to exclusions

919 01:05:51.600 --> 01:05:56.800 from activities, exclusions from school, people not feeling

920 01:05:56.800 --> 01:05:57.080 safe.

921 01:05:57.080 --> 01:06:01.800 So CYDA obviously works at a at a national level.

922 01:06:01.800 --> 01:06:05.160 But we do have an oh three telephone number, which means

923 01:06:05.160 --> 01:06:10.440 that we also have some great connections with organizations like ACD

924 01:06:10.440 --> 01:06:13.840 in Victoria and also the Children's Commissioner, Liana in Victoria.

925 01:06:13.840 --> 01:06:15.480 We did have great connections

926 01:06:15.480 --> 01:06:19.920 and understanding of how difficult some of those experiences were,

927 01:06:19.920 --> 01:06:22.320 and we had a lot of communication with the department there.

928 01:06:22.320 --> 01:06:26.560 But I think it would be great if people could share their stories

929 01:06:26.560 --> 01:06:30.040 so that the review can document and understand

930 01:06:30.040 --> 01:06:34.080 some of that potential for that generational impact

931 01:06:34.080 --> 01:06:37.600 that we’re possibly looking at around the COVID pandemic.

932 01:06:37.600 --> 01:06:40.320 Thank you for indulging the third answer, Ben.

933 01:06:40.320 --> 01:06:41.480 Thank you.

934 01:06:41.480 --> 01:06:44.800 It is good to always

935 01:06:44.800 --> 01:06:48.960 have that structured answer and

936 01:06:48.960 --> 01:06:54.320 that bit of good and that bit of constructive feedback also

937 01:06:54.320 --> 01:06:55.360 is also very helpful.

938 01:06:55.360 --> 01:07:01.320 I'm I might go to Mac and then Poppy,

939 01:07:01.320 --> 01:07:05.320 on the same question.

940 01:07:05.320 --> 01:07:09.040 What, if anything, did schools do that was particularly helpful

941 01:07:09.040 --> 01:07:12.080 to supporting students wellbeing during

942 01:07:12.080 --> 01:07:15.440 the COVID 19 pandemic? Mac?

943 01:07:15.440 --> 01:07:16.640 I'm happy to go first.

944 01:07:16.640 --> 01:07:21.280 I think I am going to mostly share from experiences of my younger brother,

945 01:07:21.280 --> 01:07:25.200 as, you know, just for a little bit more fun during

946 01:07:25.200 --> 01:07:28.680 lockdown and schooling, I, I swapped school

947 01:07:28.680 --> 01:07:32.000 from a traditional high school to more of a TAFE environment.

948 01:07:32.000 --> 01:07:37.520 And so the social aspect of that is very, very different.

949 01:07:37.520 --> 01:07:42.080 I think not enough was done in certain aspects.

950 01:07:42.080 --> 01:07:47.280 So as I did year 12 during COVID, I missed out on those,

951 01:07:47.280 --> 01:07:50.720 and year 11 through COVID, those monumental final years

952 01:07:50.720 --> 01:07:57.080 of like graduation and formals and last carnival days and last swim days.

953 01:07:57.080 --> 01:08:00.320 And while yes, my disability means I couldn't have done those activities,

954 01:08:00.320 --> 01:08:03.920 those are still important parts of finishing high school.

955 01:08:03.920 --> 01:08:05.640 And even though you might look back

956 01:08:05.640 --> 01:08:09.000 and not think they’re that big of a deal that important for us right

957 01:08:09.000 --> 01:08:12.120 now, that that was a big deal and they were huge misses.

958 01:08:12.120 --> 01:08:15.520 I'm very grateful for places like minus18

959 01:08:15.520 --> 01:08:19.200 who host formals that I've been able to attend,

960 01:08:19.200 --> 01:08:23.920 So I don't feel like I've lost too much because I found other ways.

961 01:08:23.920 --> 01:08:29.040 I think one of the other big issues was wellbeing support staff were

962 01:08:29.040 --> 01:08:31.760 having to pick up so much work because everyone was struggling

963 01:08:31.760 --> 01:08:36.960 that those of us with preexisting mental health conditions who would have sessions

964 01:08:36.960 --> 01:08:41.760 weren't able to access wellbeing support at the regularity that they needed.

965 01:08:41.760 --> 01:08:43.640 I feel like that wasn't just a school issue.

966 01:08:43.640 --> 01:08:44.280 That was an issue

967 01:08:44.280 --> 01:08:50.000 with our mental health system as a large trying to cope with the demand need.

968 01:08:50.000 --> 01:08:51.720 But some of the positives

969 01:08:51.720 --> 01:08:55.120 because I feel like it is very easy to talk about the negatives, but

970 01:08:55.120 --> 01:08:59.160 some of the good things I notice that my brother’s school did,

971 01:08:59.160 --> 01:09:02.360 which was the same school as mine, I just left before they had figured out

972 01:09:02.360 --> 01:09:06.160 how to do things, which is some of what Sue was touching on

973 01:09:06.160 --> 01:09:09.720 Our principal would do weekly morning sessions

974 01:09:09.720 --> 01:09:15.440 where he would just have a chat about something, our sport teachers would organize

975 01:09:15.440 --> 01:09:20.280 during lunchtime, random sport activities that you could do from home.

976 01:09:20.280 --> 01:09:25.640 They've done like yoga or doing walks outside.

977 01:09:25.640 --> 01:09:30.520 There were a lot more social activities done during recess and lunch,

978 01:09:30.520 --> 01:09:33.520 which I think was really important, especially for high school

979 01:09:33.520 --> 01:09:35.320 students who have access to technology.

980 01:09:35.320 --> 01:09:38.520 We could text and call our friends or organize zooms.

981 01:09:38.520 --> 01:09:42.680 But for those younger kids, that aspect of socialization

982 01:09:42.680 --> 01:09:45.360 was a lot harder to find a way to work around.

983 01:09:45.360 --> 01:09:49.800 So there were activities done during recess and lunch that those people could join,

984 01:09:49.800 --> 01:09:50.080 which I

985 01:09:50.080 --> 01:09:53.280 felt was really, really important because out of the two age groups.

986 01:09:53.280 --> 01:09:55.160 I feel like the younger ones missed out on a lot more

987 01:09:55.160 --> 01:09:59.240 because they would have to rely on their parents and your friends

988 01:09:59.240 --> 01:10:02.760 parents to be able to find those ways to socialize.

989 01:10:02.760 --> 01:10:03.480 I think

990 01:10:03.480 --> 01:10:07.760 one of the things I really appreciated was the change of teachers attitudes.

991 01:10:07.760 --> 01:10:11.240 Not all some didn't really give you much slack.

992 01:10:11.240 --> 01:10:15.360 Even though there was a pandemic but some teachers

993 01:10:15.360 --> 01:10:18.440 kind of calmed down a little bit.

994 01:10:18.440 --> 01:10:21.880 They kind of cut down our workload.

995 01:10:21.880 --> 01:10:23.120 I went to a private school

996 01:10:23.120 --> 01:10:27.000 that was quite academic, so I had a very intensive workload.

997 01:10:27.000 --> 01:10:30.960 They cut that down, they were a lot more chill, we had a lot more fun

998 01:10:30.960 --> 01:10:37.440 conversations in class, like teachers just talking about aspects of their life

999 01:10:37.440 --> 01:10:40.280 or how people were going was incorporated

1000 01:10:40.280 --> 01:10:44.120 in the classroom sessions a lot more, which was perfect during lockdown.

1001 01:10:44.120 --> 01:10:47.320 But something that I think is important to continue.

1002 01:10:47.320 --> 01:10:49.280 It was also really helpful.

1003 01:10:49.280 --> 01:10:55.200 But as a VCE student I think the teachers having a lot more empathy

1004 01:10:55.200 --> 01:10:59.240 was really, really key because it was it was stressful to manage, especially as

1005 01:10:59.240 --> 01:11:03.120 someone who is severely at risk of COVID and had lots of friends who were,

1006 01:11:03.120 --> 01:11:07.360 it was quite a stressful time and year 12 alone is pretty stressful.

1007 01:11:07.360 --> 01:11:10.080 So I think the teachers' empathy and support

1008 01:11:10.080 --> 01:11:13.800 was kind of a key thing for me.

1009 01:11:15.000 --> 01:11:19.200 That's great, a bit of

1010 01:11:19.200 --> 01:11:22.280 balance in our reflections, which I thought is really important, Mac.

1011 01:11:22.280 --> 01:11:24.600 Thank you.

1012 01:11:24.600 --> 01:11:29.920 Poppy I might go to you if that's okay.

1013 01:11:29.920 --> 01:11:33.000 What, if anything, did schools do that was particularly helpful

1014 01:11:33.000 --> 01:11:40.400 to supporting students wellbeing during the COVID 19 pandemic?

1015 01:11:40.400 --> 01:11:44.480 Well, I think what was good was

1016 01:11:44.480 --> 01:11:47.520 because they knew I was at home

1017 01:11:47.520 --> 01:11:51.920 and learning from home, teachers were more,

1018 01:11:51.920 --> 01:11:55.800 I guess, felt they were more able to communicate

1019 01:11:55.800 --> 01:12:00.120 with me directly about

1020 01:12:00.120 --> 01:12:03.120 how how my schoolwork was going

1021 01:12:03.120 --> 01:12:07.280 and if I needed anything whereas before,

1022 01:12:07.280 --> 01:12:12.440 because I went to a mainstream secondary college

1023 01:12:12.440 --> 01:12:16.600 and they had a special education unit,

1024 01:12:16.600 --> 01:12:19.400 that I think they kind of thought,

1025 01:12:19.400 --> 01:12:25.760 Oh well, to deal with Poppy’s sort of, work,

1026 01:12:25.760 --> 01:12:31.480 I'll just go through her program manager,

1027 01:12:31.480 --> 01:12:40.160 who often had a very different idea of how I should learn compared to what my

1028 01:12:40.160 --> 01:12:42.360 what my classroom teachers knew

1029 01:12:42.360 --> 01:12:47.120 I needed to be able to learn and what I knew I needed to be able to learn.

1030 01:12:47.120 --> 01:12:51.760 So was nice to just be able

1031 01:12:51.760 --> 01:12:57.920 to talk to them one on one and to say

1032 01:12:57.920 --> 01:13:02.040 I, like, understoodthis, but I didnt quite get this.

1033 01:13:02.040 --> 01:13:10.200 And they'd be more willing to

1034 01:13:10.200 --> 01:13:12.720 like let me send them

1035 01:13:12.720 --> 01:13:19.040 three drafts of an exam question and

1036 01:13:19.040 --> 01:13:21.560 say I could

1037 01:13:21.560 --> 01:13:24.280 really

1038 01:13:24.280 --> 01:13:25.440 understood

1039 01:13:25.440 --> 01:13:29.360 what the tasks required of me, which is difficult to do

1040 01:13:29.360 --> 01:13:32.680 when you've got a scheduled teacher aide

1041 01:13:32.680 --> 01:13:36.360 who's scheduled to help me for my class

1042 01:13:36.360 --> 01:13:40.720 and then has to go has to go run off somewhere else

1043 01:13:40.720 --> 01:13:44.480 because then they feel like that's impeding on their time.

1044 01:13:44.480 --> 01:13:50.760 And you have that whole relationship as well.

1045 01:13:50.760 --> 01:13:54.400 And so that was good.

1046 01:13:54.400 --> 01:14:01.800 Another, another thing that was good was

1047 01:14:01.800 --> 01:14:03.600 because at school,

1048 01:14:03.600 --> 01:14:07.320 I needed teacher aides to physically help me

1049 01:14:07.320 --> 01:14:10.640 and do personal cares.

1050 01:14:10.640 --> 01:14:16.160 I often found that

1051 01:14:16.160 --> 01:14:19.920 in crowded environments,

1052 01:14:19.920 --> 01:14:23.720 among my friend group,

1053 01:14:23.720 --> 01:14:25.600 my close friends knew

1054 01:14:25.600 --> 01:14:30.880 how to interact and talk to me but other friends

1055 01:14:30.880 --> 01:14:34.520 who I wanted to get to know a bit better, but maybe I just

1056 01:14:34.520 --> 01:14:39.560 met them in a class or something and just wanted to chat to them,

1057 01:14:39.560 --> 01:14:44.560 who didn't know how to talk to me

1058 01:14:44.560 --> 01:14:49.320 much, would often like

1059 01:14:49.320 --> 01:14:56.880 not ignore me, but to get myself heard I would have to sort of translate

1060 01:14:56.880 --> 01:15:01.680 through one of my other friends what what I meant to say.

1061 01:15:01.680 --> 01:15:06.400 And they’d sort of have to translate it back.

1062 01:15:06.400 --> 01:15:10.600 But because of lockdown everyone could make Zoom calls.

1063 01:15:10.600 --> 01:15:15.800 So we’re able to have much more meaningful, you know, conversations.

1064 01:15:15.800 --> 01:15:19.080 And I got to know people better so that was good.

1065 01:15:19.080 --> 01:15:27.640 The negative thing was, as I've said many times already,

1066 01:15:27.640 --> 01:15:30.560 there was one subject where a grade

1067 01:15:30.560 --> 01:15:34.800 I got impacted my academic pathway,

1068 01:15:34.800 --> 01:15:38.280 and I needed

1069 01:15:38.280 --> 01:15:41.520 the support of my program manager

1070 01:15:41.520 --> 01:15:44.720 to help me liaison with my teacher

1071 01:15:44.720 --> 01:15:48.920 to find out what happened and on that end

1072 01:15:48.920 --> 01:15:52.560 both the systems that my program manager had

1073 01:15:52.560 --> 01:15:57.960 and that my teacher had were sort of down.

1074 01:15:57.960 --> 01:16:02.640 So then that meant my parents having to take time out of

1075 01:16:02.640 --> 01:16:05.520 their schedules to contact my

1076 01:16:05.520 --> 01:16:10.480 school teachers as well, which shouldn't really have happened.

1077 01:16:10.480 --> 01:16:14.080 So I think I have a..

1078 01:16:14.080 --> 01:16:16.680 but then

1079 01:16:16.680 --> 01:16:18.360 and when I went back to school

1080 01:16:18.360 --> 01:16:23.880 it was very much the same like I was having to explain

1081 01:16:23.880 --> 01:16:28.440 to my program manager as well as my

1082 01:16:28.440 --> 01:16:29.520 as well as having

1083 01:16:29.520 --> 01:16:32.520 to talk to my teacher about what happened.

1084 01:16:32.520 --> 01:16:38.320 Because my program manager didn’t realise the full extent of what I’d

1085 01:16:38.320 --> 01:16:44.200 my experience had been like when that event happened,

1086 01:16:44.200 --> 01:16:48.000 it was harder to figure out where to go from there.

1087 01:16:48.000 --> 01:16:54.240 So I think to fix that

1088 01:16:54.240 --> 01:16:58.760 a bit at the start of

1089 01:16:58.760 --> 01:17:01.200 it’s a funding question really

1090 01:17:01.200 --> 01:17:07.200 and at the start of every year maybe on pupil free days or

1091 01:17:07.200 --> 01:17:10.560 a nominated time

1092 01:17:10.560 --> 01:17:19.240 teachers, teacher aides, heads of special education units

1093 01:17:19.240 --> 01:17:25.240 or enrichment centres or things like that all need to sit down together

1094 01:17:25.240 --> 01:17:29.160 to discuss the needs of a particular student.

1095 01:17:29.160 --> 01:17:34.400 And in that process, they should all have a list

1096 01:17:34.400 --> 01:17:41.280 of emergency contacts so that if something like a pandemic

1097 01:17:41.280 --> 01:17:44.640 does happen again they know, okay, that

1098 01:17:44.640 --> 01:17:48.920 that that’s for that

1099 01:17:48.920 --> 01:17:53.840 person and that’s your contact for them

1100 01:17:53.840 --> 01:17:55.920 who I’ll contact for that person.

1101 01:17:55.920 --> 01:18:00.600 And that's how I’ll get information across to them.

1102 01:18:00.600 --> 01:18:03.920 So it's not up to

1103 01:18:03.920 --> 01:18:09.880 students and teachers to have to re-explain

1104 01:18:09.880 --> 01:18:14.400 what happens to to a student

1105 01:18:14.400 --> 01:18:17.200 to have to re-explain

1106 01:18:17.200 --> 01:18:22.320 difficulties to a student's program manager when then go back to school

1107 01:18:22.320 --> 01:18:25.480 because the program manager hadn't

1108 01:18:25.480 --> 01:18:29.440 been in contact with them

1109 01:18:29.440 --> 01:18:34.120 in the first place. So I think

1110 01:18:34.120 --> 01:18:37.320 yeah, more funding

1111 01:18:37.320 --> 01:18:42.200 needs to be given to start of each year

1112 01:18:42.200 --> 01:18:47.640 make program managers, teachers,

1113 01:18:47.640 --> 01:18:51.360 teacher aides and students all sit down and discuss

1114 01:18:51.360 --> 01:18:54.960 the student's educational pathway

1115 01:18:54.960 --> 01:18:59.760 and then maybe once every term

1116 01:18:59.760 --> 01:19:04.160 review that pathway on a specific day

1117 01:19:04.160 --> 01:19:06.600 and look at how the person's going

1118 01:19:06.600 --> 01:19:13.720 and in the case of a pandemic

1119 01:19:13.720 --> 01:19:19.560 use, you could

1120 01:19:19.560 --> 01:19:20.520 use technological resources.

1121 01:19:20.520 --> 01:19:25.080 Like Zoom to also review, Okay, I'm

1122 01:19:25.080 --> 01:19:32.680 just checking in that so-and-so’s emergency contacts still work.

1123 01:19:32.680 --> 01:19:34.560 And still

1124 01:19:34.560 --> 01:19:38.160 are still the ones we need for events like this.

1125 01:19:38.160 --> 01:19:40.920 But yeah, I think

1126 01:19:40.920 --> 01:19:43.720 if we can have in place, no matter what

1127 01:19:43.720 --> 01:19:47.080 that time for that discussion anyway,

1128 01:19:47.080 --> 01:19:51.640 and then this has to be on

1129 01:19:51.640 --> 01:19:54.520 things like pupil free days where

1130 01:19:54.520 --> 01:19:58.800 the teachers would normally

1131 01:19:58.800 --> 01:20:01.600 update their

1132 01:20:01.600 --> 01:20:05.640 professional knowledge anyway.

1133 01:20:05.640 --> 01:20:10.880 It just has to be on a day like that.

1134 01:20:10.880 --> 01:20:14.680 But what they could do is sit down with students

1135 01:20:14.680 --> 01:20:19.080 and sort of ask them

1136 01:20:19.080 --> 01:20:22.640 what they need and have funding to have that time

1137 01:20:22.640 --> 01:20:27.720 to really figure it out and then review it each term

1138 01:20:27.720 --> 01:20:30.800 just in general, because I think

1139 01:20:30.800 --> 01:20:35.040 if the like the thing today with Mac

1140 01:20:35.040 --> 01:20:39.360 and Julia and Trae if

1141 01:20:39.360 --> 01:20:44.640 they'd had the supports and that in the first place a lot of

1142 01:20:44.640 --> 01:20:46.840 the negative impacts wouldn’t have

1143 01:20:46.840 --> 01:20:50.560 existed and wouldn't have

1144 01:20:50.560 --> 01:20:54.120 led to events that have, may have

1145 01:20:54.120 --> 01:21:00.360 caused further trauma.

1146 01:21:00.360 --> 01:21:00.840 Well.

1147 01:21:00.840 --> 01:21:04.840 Thank you, Poppy, that’s

1148 01:21:04.840 --> 01:21:05.880 really illuminating

1149 01:21:05.880 --> 01:21:09.160 what you've said, and particularly that access to the teacher

1150 01:21:09.160 --> 01:21:15.240 and the importance of communication is just so important in terms of building,

1151 01:21:15.240 --> 01:21:18.560 I think, good frameworks and can never be underestimated.

1152 01:21:18.560 --> 01:21:23.160 And then within that good communication, there are obviously systemic issues

1153 01:21:23.160 --> 01:21:27.800 in terms of the availability of resources, but also almost a safeguarding

1154 01:21:27.800 --> 01:21:31.440 or quality control mechanism to prevent those adverse outcomes

1155 01:21:31.440 --> 01:21:35.040 and deal with them quickly when they arise.

1156 01:21:35.040 --> 01:21:37.680 I might throw then to Kate

1157 01:21:37.680 --> 01:21:41.160 to get her reflections and comments and we'll go from there.

1158 01:21:41.880 --> 01:21:42.960 Thanks, Ben.

1159 01:21:42.960 --> 01:21:44.640 We're coming up towards the

1160 01:21:44.640 --> 01:21:48.480 end of our webinar today and I wanted to let people know say

1161 01:21:48.480 --> 01:21:54.040 thank you to to Sue and Mac and Poppy who have just shared their experiences

1162 01:21:54.040 --> 01:21:58.080 of that support, particularly, you know, for wellbeing

1163 01:21:58.080 --> 01:22:02.760 and for for learning outcomes, but also some solutions there,

1164 01:22:02.760 --> 01:22:06.120 which is is great.

1165 01:22:06.120 --> 01:22:11.240 So in the interest of time, we I might just hand back to Ben

1166 01:22:11.240 --> 01:22:15.240 if you have any final reflections, I guess, on anything that you've seen

1167 01:22:15.240 --> 01:22:18.360 come through today in the Menti that you want to share.

1168 01:22:18.360 --> 01:22:21.360 And then I can do a wrap up and let people know how else

1169 01:22:21.360 --> 01:22:23.840 they can engage.

1170 01:22:24.480 --> 01:22:25.120 Thanks, Kate.

1171 01:22:25.120 --> 01:22:26.200 And above all,

1172 01:22:26.200 --> 01:22:29.840 I'd like to thank Mac, Poppy and Sue for their reflections and insights.

1173 01:22:29.840 --> 01:22:31.520 I think

1174 01:22:31.520 --> 01:22:34.080 there's no better form of insight than a person

1175 01:22:34.080 --> 01:22:37.360 who's been involved in the system, particularly to Mac and Poppy.

1176 01:22:37.360 --> 01:22:40.920 And what you said was incredibly insightful and

1177 01:22:40.920 --> 01:22:48.760 I think really is the way of policymakers to build upon what you've said.

1178 01:22:48.760 --> 01:22:49.920 In terms of reflections.

1179 01:22:49.920 --> 01:22:54.080 One of the biggest reflections is that the effect of COVID 19 is not consistent

1180 01:22:54.080 --> 01:22:58.800 across the community, but it's also not consistent across the individual.

1181 01:22:58.800 --> 01:23:02.720 And it can be quite dependent on the environment around the individual,

1182 01:23:02.720 --> 01:23:05.920 the people they're dealing with and quite individual specific.

1183 01:23:05.920 --> 01:23:12.480 And that notion of understanding that things change over time

1184 01:23:12.480 --> 01:23:15.240 and it's a dynamic aspect or concept

1185 01:23:15.240 --> 01:23:18.520 in terms of that interrelationship is so important.

1186 01:23:18.520 --> 01:23:23.520 There are obviously some factors which can predispose people to adverse outcomes.

1187 01:23:23.520 --> 01:23:30.000 It seems rural and remote areas, a lack of resources or services,

1188 01:23:30.000 --> 01:23:34.920 high support needs can sometimes mean that schools just are not equipped

1189 01:23:34.920 --> 01:23:38.880 to to undertake that dynamic change which is needed.

1190 01:23:38.880 --> 01:23:41.680 And preparation is incredibly important to ensure

1191 01:23:41.680 --> 01:23:44.880 that people with disability

1192 01:23:44.880 --> 01:23:49.080 are actually able to be put it in a position where they thrive.

1193 01:23:49.080 --> 01:23:53.520 But I guess the big messages would be one communication

1194 01:23:53.520 --> 01:23:56.080 two preparation

1195 01:23:56.080 --> 01:24:00.000 and three, a long term attitude where you're checking over

1196 01:24:00.000 --> 01:24:03.880 time to make sure things are working.

1197 01:24:05.160 --> 01:24:06.560 Thank you, Ben,

1198 01:24:06.560 --> 01:24:09.800 and I know you will need to rush off shortly,

1199 01:24:09.800 --> 01:24:12.720 but just to wrap up the webinar today, I would like to thank you,

1200 01:24:12.720 --> 01:24:17.280 Ben, for your facilitation and your support of the review.

1201 01:24:17.280 --> 01:24:20.400 I'd also like to thank again, Mac, Poppy and Sue

1202 01:24:20.400 --> 01:24:25.960 for being on the panel and contributing such valuable insights to the discussion,

1203 01:24:25.960 --> 01:24:28.440 you know, particularly for sharing,

1204 01:24:28.440 --> 01:24:31.320 you know, your experiences and and you know,

1205 01:24:31.320 --> 01:24:33.320 what happened for you during schooling.

1206 01:24:33.320 --> 01:24:37.360 But again, some of those ways that things could be done

1207 01:24:37.360 --> 01:24:45.000 in the future, or ideas you have and solutions as well.

1208 01:24:45.000 --> 01:24:48.800 We do, as we said, have a website

1209 01:24:48.800 --> 01:24:52.600 which is disability covid review

1210 01:24:52.600 --> 01:24:54.640 Dot education

1211 01:24:54.640 --> 01:24:58.560 Dot gov, dot au.

1212 01:24:58.560 --> 01:25:00.600 There is two surveys on there.

1213 01:25:00.600 --> 01:25:06.520 One survey is specifically for students who are 9 to 21 years old.

1214 01:25:06.520 --> 01:25:11.640 You can also express your interest in a focus group or online discussion board.

1215 01:25:11.640 --> 01:25:14.200 This does require an EOI form.

1216 01:25:14.200 --> 01:25:16.840 If you're not comfortable doing the EOI form or you'd like

1217 01:25:16.840 --> 01:25:21.360 to just have a chat to us separately about the options to engage,

1218 01:25:21.360 --> 01:25:23.560 please feel free to call us directly.

1219 01:25:23.560 --> 01:25:24.520 I'll give you that number.

1220 01:25:24.520 --> 01:25:31.680 It's 0458228142.

1221 01:25:31.680 --> 01:25:38.280 So again, 0458228142.

1222 01:25:38.280 --> 01:25:39.960 Sometimes that's easier if you're not sure.

1223 01:25:39.960 --> 01:25:41.440 There's lots of ways to engage.

1224 01:25:41.440 --> 01:25:45.240 So if you're not sure, you can text or call us or you can email us

1225 01:25:45.240 --> 01:25:52.080 as well at engage at the social deck dot com

1226 01:25:52.080 --> 01:25:53.400 so we might be able to match you

1227 01:25:53.400 --> 01:25:57.760 to the best way for you to engage or offer a bit of support.

1228 01:25:57.760 --> 01:26:00.920 Again, I'd like to thank everyone for taking part in today's webinar

1229 01:26:00.920 --> 01:26:02.040 and for being here today.

1230 01:26:02.040 --> 01:26:06.280 And again, thank you to our panelists that closes today's webinar.

1231 01:26:06.280 --> 01:26:08.800 Thank you everyone.