Collaborative engagement between stakeholders in the education of Australian students with disability: a scoping review

Abstract

ABSTRACT Effective collaborative engagement between diverse stakeholders is vital to supporting the developmental and educational opportunities and outcomes of students with disability. While Australian policy and legislation mandates collaborative engagement between a teacher and other members of a student’s support network, the extent of data examining stakeholder experiences of fulfilling these obligations remained unknown. To close this gap, the current study employed a scoping review methodology to investigate how collaborative engagement between teachers and families and/or allied health therapists had been reported in the literature since the introduction of the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (Commonwealth of Australia 2006). A total of seven empirical articles were suitable for inclusion within the review. The findings address the existing span of literature into collaborative engagement between teachers and other stakeholders for students with disability, as well as the facilitators, barriers, and opportunities acknowledged. This article adds to the growing body of literature around the concept of collaborative engagement between stakeholders supporting students with disability. It further provides recommendations for researchers and policymakers to continue advancing knowledge and support of this critical practice.