Speaker Biography
Associate Professor Lisa McKay-Brown is the Associate Dean Diversity and Inclusion at the Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne. Lisa has over 25 years of teaching and leadership experience in a wide range of education settings with a specific focus on the inclusion of students with disability. Internationally recognised for her research in the field of school attendance, she also serves on the Executive Board of the International Network for School Attendance. Lisa is involved in research projects that impact both the education and health sectors, and leads the Faculty of Education Disability Research Collaboration, overseeing projects such as the In2School programs for chronic school absenteeism and Pathways2Participation aimed at enhancing school attendance using Multi-tiered Systems of Support. Lisa is involved in international collaborations centred in inclusive education in India and Latin America. She is particularly interested in how young people with mental health disorders and other disabilities are marginalised by education settings and how this can be challenged.
Abstract
This presentation reports on a study designed to gain a better understanding of the decision-making processes of parents/carers of a child with Down syndrome when transitioning to a secondary school. Co-designed with Down Syndrome Victoria (DSV), the project explored factors influencing the choice of secondary school for parents of children with Down syndrome when their child has had a successful mainstream primary school experience. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with parents of children with Down syndrome as well as school-aged youth and young adults with Down syndrome. Factors that influenced decision making included transition supports, school type, access to preferred setting, links to the local community, social inclusion, inclusive practices, school culture and education support. Participants talked about the extensive, and sometimes conflicting advice, they received about selecting a secondary school and the advocacy they needed to undertake to ensure that their child was in the setting that would be the best fit. Four key recommendations were drawn from the research: (1) Improving supports for inclusive education and social inclusion in our schools; (2) Removing formal and informal barriers to school of choice; (3) Normalising the use of assistive technology for all students and (4) Improving home-school partnerships. While this was a small-scale study, the commonalty of stories suggest that the themes identified are common to parents of children with Down syndrome and need to be addressed as the education system moves towards one that is more inclusive.
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Factors influencing the choice of secondary school for parents of children with Down syndrome in Melbourne, Australia
