“Enough with the closed doors adorned with inclusion and diversity statements”: an examination of the Disability Royal Commission’s position regarding special schools

Abstract

One of the most contentious outcomes of the Disability Royal Commission (the Commission) is the divided recommendations regarding special schools. This is an outcome that is particularly relevant to students with intellectual disabilities who are more likely than other students with disabilities to be enrolled in special schools. The place of special schools in an inclusive education system has long been debated among educators, policymakers, and parents of students with disabilities, and this debate was no less prominent in the investigations of the Commission, as it grappled with the question of what safe, quality, inclusive schools look like for students with disabilities. The Commissioners sought unsuccessfully to avoid polarised discussions about special schools and arrived at a split conclusion about the role of special schools going forward. Understanding and critiquing the Commission’s divided recommendations on special schools is the focus of this article.