By Michelle Diament, November 1, 2012

Inclusion is often believed to be the best option for students with disabilities, but a new study calls into question whether or not the practice truly leads to better outcomes long term.

Anna Patty, State Political Reporter

CHILDREN with autism are being inappropriately suspended from school, forcing their parents to abandon their jobs to care for them, research has found.

Karen Bevan, the director of social justice at UnitingCare, whose research found school long-term suspensions have increased by more than a third over the past six years, said children with autism are among those being suspended.

Rachel Browne Sun-Herald journalist

CHILDREN and young adults with disabilities are three times more likely to suffer abuse and neglect than their peers without disabilities, according to a policy paper released on Tuesday.

According to the paper, abuse can often occur in the form of behaviour management.

The paper, prepared by Dr Sally Robinson, of Southern Cross University's Centre for Children and Young People, cited cases of children who had been abused or neglected by school staff.

The ABC's Q&A program squibs on the disability questions that top its list of "most liked" question.

The ABC Q&A website invites people to submit questions online. And it has a list of "most liked" questions (see http://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/latest-questions-by-likes.htm). The extract below (accessed on 1/12/2012) shows questions about disability are at the top of their list of questions. Disability question are:

1. the top two questions
2. four of the top six questions

A fear of the unknown is deterring Australian employers from hiring more people with disabilities, according to the chief executive of one of Australia's largest companies.

Luke Sayers, chief executive of PriceWaterhouseCoopers, has challenged corporate Australia to increase opportunities for people with disabilities.

About 5 per cent of the PwC 5500-strong workforce has a disability, and Mr Sayers would like to increase the proportion to between 15 to 20 per cent. He believes more employers could do the same.

"It's clearly the right thing to do," he said.

Media reporting of research often has its challenges. An research article¹ says:

Autism-Associated Mutations in ProSAP2/Shank3 Impair Synaptic Transmission and Neurexin-Neuroligin-Mediated Transsynaptic Signaling.

Arons MH, Thynne CJ, Grabrucker AM, Li D, Schoen M, Cheyne JE, Boeckers TM, Montgomery JM, Garner CC.

Abstract

BRUCE MCDOUGALL The Daily Telegraph November 05, 2012

Katrece Burns with her eight-year-old son Ethen. She has lost count of the times Ethen has been suspended from school. Picture: Cameron Richardson Source: The Daily Telegraph

Lauren Murada

Jokes about people with disabilities are no laughing matter for Marrickville resident James Eggleton.

Australia has its racial, homosexual and religious hate-crime laws, but Mr Eggleton can't understand why there are non for the disabled.

Mr Eggleton, who has a disabled family member, says he's sick of seeing vilification of the disabled in the community.

HUNDREDS of disabled Victorians have been assaulted and left languishing in hospitals, with many others suffering unexplained injuries that go unreported.

In one case, a disabled woman who could not speak spent almost three days with broken legs before she received appropriate treatment.