25 Jul 2014 — we have 1715 signatures support for our cause is growing and yesterday we emailed the Minister for Education Martin Dixon, the shadow parliamentary secretary for Education Colin Brooks, the member for Yan Yean Danielle Green, the member for Mill Park Lily D'Ambrosio, the liberal candidate for Yan Yean Sam Ozturk and the greens candidate for Yan Yean Daniel Sacchero to let them know that support for our cause is growing and to ask what a vote for them in november will mean for families living with autism and their concerns over the education system, so far we have had a response from the greens candidate Daniel Sacchero. If you want to keep up to date with the campaign in the lead up to the november election make sure you are following us on Facebook at Autism Awareness and Advocacy in Victoria and Australia. Remember to keep seeing the page's posts in your newsfeed you need to be liking and commenting on the posts on a regular basis thanks again for your support
Natasha
You can sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/petitions/state-government-of-victoria-improve-school-funding-for-kids-diagnosed-with-an-autism-spectrum-disorder
Improve school funding for kids diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder
Petition by
Puna Ngarua
Melbourne, Australia
Too many kids are falling through the cracks and being failed by the current system, it is important to improve access to the school funding system for integration aides to ensure the futures of these kids are to their full potential so they lead full adjusted lives and don't end up on disability support pensions
To:
State Government of Victoria, Martin Dixon Minister for Education
Colin Brooks, Member for Bundoora
Please improve school funding for kids diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder or other learning difficulties/disabilities. We are asking that you
- increasing funding to provide more 1 :1 aides in the classroom of mainstream schools and adjust criteria so that the system is more fair and equitable
- improved teacher training for teachers teaching in mainstream schools in special needs such as autism spectrum disorder and ADHD at a university level so that graduate teachers have a better understanding of the impact of these difficulties on a child in the classroom before teachers start teaching in the classroom
- a catch up education plan for teachers already in the teaching profession to equip them with the necessary skills to teach children on the spectrum and with other learning difficulties
- provide more places in autism specific schools especially the Northern School of Autism which has only 176 places at one campus (primary) and 50 at the other (secondary) meaning more than 2/3 of the kids will be moved on to mainstream secondary schools where the system isn't equipped to cope
- more funding for reading, writing and math recovery programs in mainstream and specialist schools
- improve access (provide more places and at more locations) for specialist schools
-provide special needs co-ordinators in mainstream schools to ensure individual learning plans are put in place and acted upon as well as advocate on behalf of special needs students to reduce the number of suspensions and expulsions that are very common in these students
Sincerely,
[Your name]