Supporting inclusive education in classrooms
Inclusive education means that all members of every school community are valued and supported to fully participate, learn, develop, and succeed within an inclusive school culture.
The Victorian government’s aim is to create safe and inclusive school environments for students with disabilities and additional needs.
To support our students living with print disabilities, the VCAA is working with Vision Australia to offer these students access to thousands of books, magazines, and newspapers in accessible formats.
We spoke to Prahran High School teacher Isabella about how she supports her student using these resources. ‘When my student enrolled at the school they were already connected with Vision Australia, so having an expert from there to help us understand this student’s condition was immeasurably useful’ says Isabella. ‘We were able to use their expertise to set up clear communication systems and protocols that are adjusted regularly to support the student.’ Isabella goes on to say that having access to resources developed for students with disabilities is not only helpful to her as an educator but supports the student to meaningfully engage in learning. Isabella confirms that she works closely with other teachers toward the school’s plan to deliver goals for inclusive education.
The Victorian Curriculum F-10 is designed to be accessible to all users. The requirement to read and view texts is fundamental in the development of key literacy skills and accessing the rich world of literature. It is important those students who live with print disabilities can meaningfully access texts in their study of the Victorian Curriculum F-10: English. This video explores the role audio texts can play in providing that access, and information about the services the Vision Australia library offers to teachers and students.
Watch the video to learn how to support your students with additional needs.