Learning in the shadow of eugenics: Why segregated schooling persists in Australia

Abstract

Inclusive education is a global priority and binding obligation for Australia to meet as a signatory to international human rights treaties. It is also supported by evidence as an effective model of schooling for all students and supporting those with disability. Yet segregation remains deeply embedded within the education systems of all states and territories and the Australian Government has indicated its commitment to retaining it. In this article, I present a policy analysis using the concept of path dependency to identify historical events that created this dual track of segregated and regular education settings as well as the mechanisms that maintain it. I show that eugenic anxieties were fundamental in the formalised creation of segregated education settings. I also show that their expansion was fuelled by the rise of disability assessments, particularly the assessment of intellectual disability, and remain embedded in current policy even when they are antithetical to its goals. I conclude with suggestions for how this might be overcome and what it might take to achieve an inclusive education system in Australia.

Caregivers of Children With Disabilities in the Northern Territory, Australia: Experiences of Educational Non-Inclusion

“…In 1994, the Salamanca Statement affirmed the ‘necessity and urgency of providing education for children, youth and adults with special educational needs within the regular education system’ (UNESCO, 1994, p. viii). Fourteen years later, the right to inclusive education for all children with disabilities was enshrined in international law (United Nations, 2008), classifying the grouping of children on the basis of disability as discriminatory (de Bruin, 2022). In 2016, the scope of governments’ obligations to enact inclusive education was specified in General Comment No.…”

“…The benefits of inclusive schooling for children with disabilities, their peers and teachers are well documented (Cologan, 2019; de Bruin, 2020; Hehir et al, 2016; Kart & Kart, 2021). Despite the evidence, and ongoing legislative changes, a dual mainstream/special education system persists in the Northern Territory and elsewhere in Australia that continues to exclude and segregate children with disabilities (de Bruin, 2022; Poed et al, 2022).…”