Speech: What made me no 31? Launch of IHC resources

Launch of IHC resources:

Grand Hall, Parliament, 3 June 2009 5pm

Hon Tariana Turia, Associate Minister of Disability Issues

 

‘What made me number 31?’

Thank you to Trish Grant, the Director of Advocacy for IHC, for your introduction.

It is a great opportunity for me to also acknowledge you, Trish, as a leading cause champion for the movement – and to mihi to you, for your commitment in supporting inclusive education in New Zealand schools.

In the stories brought together in the book, The Man with no Arms, Pip O’Connell tells the story of her beloved Ben, and the challenges they have encountered in his experience of Downs Syndrome. She says,

 

“A child is a child first. They have a name. They belong to a family; a family no different to any other.

 

And if you find yourself confounded, if it happens that you are confused or unsure, the way forward is simple, ask me. “What is your child’s name? What is their disability?”

 

It is this type of simple yet profound advice that transforms parents of children with disability into community leaders, educators, counsellors, advisors, and genuinely wise heads.

 

This is the every-day life for families of children with intellectual disability. Battling and confronting marginalisation and isolation, while forever looking out for the best interests of their child.

 

It is my great pleasure to be here to celebrate the vision of IHC that people with an intellectual disability can live satisfying lives.

 

The two resources we are launching today, the research report and the DVD Learning Better Today, encourage us all to see that inclusive education is part of the journey towards that goal.

 

These resources provide a strong foundation to support the participation, presence and learning of disabled children while at school.

 

They help schools to know the way forward, how to invest in hope, how to act with compassion, how to teach with optimism.

 

These resources are about creating an enabling community, not a disabling society.

 

They show us how disabled persons and young people can be included and participate in their local school, and importantly, the publication backs up all of the bright ideas in the DVD with the international and national research evidence for inclusive education.

 

One of the most telling moments in the DVD is when Tyler’s Mum recalls a teacher telling her that Tyler could not take part in a computer class because they only had 30 computers and yet there were 31 children. Her simple question was “and what made Tyler number 31?”

 

 

 

I want to acknowledge the President of IHC, Donald Thompson; and the Chief Executive, Ralph Jones, for making it matter – for being convinced that schools needed help to respond to the needs, interests and wellbeing of children and young people with disabilities.

 

Dr Jude McArthur and John Macrae then went out and made it happen by creating these excellent resources.

 

For over sixty years, IHC has been out there where it counts – providing support and advice to thousands of New Zealanders with intellectual disabilities.

 

The impact of IHC is not just evident in services and community support, but also here in Parliament with the range of advocacy roles you have taken up.

 

The emphasis on inclusive education to improve the opportunities, access and participation for disabled children in the school setting is an example of the action; the leadership and the partnership approaches promoted within the IHC workforce.

 

It is about taking action, so that the entire school community is engaged with the experience of school for disabled children – not just the individuals or families seeking support.

 

It might at its most basic form be about attitude. It might be encouraging a rethink – to realign our messages from those that emphasize dependence, to instead focus on inter-dependence; what we can do for each other.

 

How can we ensure every student in the school setting feels what they are doing is meaningful or that the outcomes they achieve are relevant?

 

Leadership is required, to convey an attitude that makes the impossible possible.

 

Inclusive schools will be identified by teachers who see all students as capable learners.

 

Inclusive schools will understand that the impairments that come with a disability are not just those that can be seen – they will also be felt in the way that we treat each other.

 

I was shocked to learn that significant numbers of intellectually disabled children report levels of abuse which are deplorable. I am outraged that children whom we would think are most vulnerable are being treated in this way.

 

Inclusive classrooms make sure all children are learning well, participating in the activities of the school day while also aspiring to achieve and to improve on progress.

 

To really show compelling leadership, we need to model that teamwork and co-operation are necessary to learn well.

 

It is just as important that the example of collaboration is modelled between government and providers; departments and communities.

 

Collaborative approaches are required to ensure the appropriate and additional support is in place to help all students learn.

 

When we work together in respectful partnerships we can acknowledge the value of learning from each other.

 

We might appreciate the benefits that kaupapa and tikanga Maori can bring, in encouraging the collective responsibility to care.

 

The most important thing we can do is to value our relationships with each other.

 

And so I go back to the opening statement offered by Pip –

 

“A child is a child first. They have a name. They belong to a family; a family no different to any other’.

 

As Associate Minister of Disability Issues I want to do everything in my power to see that disabled children are supported to live satisfying lives in the loving embrace of their families.

 

I have seen one too many examples when disabled children have been too quickly taken into foster care; where families have been offered the permanent intervention of the state as another option rather than the response of last resort.

 

A key indicator of success for me would be to see disabled children reunited within their families; in as many situations as possible.

 

I am pleased to see Chief Human Rights Commissioner Roslyn Noonan, Acting Commissioner for Children, John Angus, and other distinguished guests in here tonight; as I believe the fact that disabled children and their families have far too frequently been marginalised and neglected is one of the most glaring human rights breaches that we need to address from all fronts.

 

I am proud that I was part of the Parliament that last September unanimously ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

 

Article 24 of that convention is all about education, and states that all parties must recognise the rights of persons with disabilities to an education.

 

It states that this right must be realised without discrimination and on the basis of equal opportunity. Parties shall ensure an inclusive education system.

 

Inclusive schools are an absolutely critical factor in achieving a more supportive society in general.

I am pleased that Government is looking to review the special education sector, to think about ways to improve the services provided, and the policies and processes in place.

 

That review will be taking a close look at how special education is being run, how funding is allocated, and what areas can be improved on.

And so it is perfect timing to receive this Research Report entitled Learning Together Better- the case for inclusive education in New Zealand schools, to help provide a better understanding of what inclusion is.

 

Learning Better Together identifies the tools needed to make sure that nobody gets left out of school. And it provides guidance on how to achieve better learning for all students in classrooms.


The DVD then goes on to identify best practice in how inclusive schools respond to children and young people with disabilities.

It shows principals, teachers, students and parents talking about how to ensure students with disabilities are part of the school community.

 

As Pip would say, the way forward is simple – just ask.

 

I am very proud to be part of such an important launch. It is always good to be part of something which will be useful. But tonight, we know that the difference these resources will make to principals, classroom teachers and the education sector in general is not just pragmatic – it is transformational.

 

It is about safeguarding the precious principle that every child should be included in the classroom; every child deserves the opportunity to learn.

 

And so for the children, for the families, and for our future as a nation, I celebrate and congratulate with us all, these two very important resources, and the vision they represent.