Consultation • Developmental Disability WA

Are you a parent of a school-aged child with disability?

We need your help to make schools better for ALL children!

About this consultation

The Department of Education WA would like to understand the views of students with disability and those of their parents and carers regarding aspects of the education system.

The Department have enlisted the Centre for Social Impact at the University of Western Australia (CSI UWA) and Developmental Disability WA (DDWA) to conduct an external independent consultation process to explore how schools can be more inclusive.

Participation in this project is completely voluntary and does not affect your relationship with the school or government.

Your responses will be strictly confidential.

Who can take part?

Students with a disability in years 5 – 12, who are attending, or have been enrolled in, a WA Government school
Parents and carers of students with a disability in years K - 12, who are attending, or have been enrolled in, a WA Government school

How to take part?

There are four options

Completing an online survey only
Completing a face-to-face interview only
Completing the online survey AND face-to-face interview
None of the above. Participation is voluntary.

Online Survey

Parents and carers of children in Kindergarten to year 12 are invited to contribute feedback by completing an online survey.

The online survey asks about your thoughts and experiences on inclusive education and neurodiverse-friendly classrooms and schools. We estimate it will take about 20 minutes to complete.

Any information that identifies you will be removed from the survey and your responses will be kept confidential.

Survey responses will be summarised and included in a report that will help the Department of Education to learn from your experiences and make improvements for all children.

Click here for the online parent survey

Face-to-face Interviews*

Parents and carers of children in Kindergarten to year 12 and/or students in years 5 – 12 are invited to take part in short interviews (20-30) minutes.

Parent and carer interviews will be held online (Microsoft teams). Student interviews will be held face to face.

You can express your interest to take part in an interview through the link below.

*Unfortunately we may not be able to interview everyone.

Click Here to express your interest in attending an interview for yourself or your child

Frequently asked questions

Why is this study important?

What does participation involve?

Parents and carers are invited to complete an online survey and/or take part in a 30-minute online interview.

During the interview, we will ask about your thoughts and experiences of inclusive education and neurodiverse-friendly classrooms and schools.

Students in year 5-12 are invited to take part in a 20 minute interview. This will be a face to face interview.

*Please note that we may not be able to interview everyone who expresses interest in an interview.

Do I have to take part, and what if I change my mind?

What will happen to the information I provide? Is it private and confidential?

Who do I speak to if I change my mind about being involved?

Participation in this study is voluntary and you may withdraw consent at any time, without explanation, justification, or prejudice by contacting Dr. Jacinta Francis: jacinta.francis@uwa.edu.au. If you would like further clarification or information about this research project or would like to discuss this project, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Jacinta Francis directly using the details listed above.

Where are the interviews held?

For more information about this consultation please contact:

Beth Marchbank (Project Manager,DDWA)
beth.marchbank@ddwa.org.au

Dr Jacinta Francis (Senior Research Fellow UWA)
jacinta.francis@uwa.edu.au.