The Disability Inclusion Profile forms part of the $1.6 billion Disability Inclusion package announced in the Victorian Government’s Budget 2020–21.

The Disability Inclusion Profile is an innovative strength-based approach to supporting children with disability in schools. It puts the needs of the student at the heart of our response – shifting away from outdated practices to focus on what a child can achieve, rather than what they can’t.

To support this significant reform, AHA is partnering with the Department of Education and Training to:

• Establish and operate the Disability Inclusion Facilitator Service (DIFS) to transform the way support is provided to students with disability in Victorian government schools
• Assist schools to transition from the current Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD) to the Disability Inclusion Profile approach
• Recruit and train a team of specialist disability and early and developmental educational experts who will facilitate Disability Inclusion Profile meetings with each student’s teacher, principal, and family
• Develop an online Portal to efficiently receive, process and finalise up to 18,000 Disability Inclusion Profiles each year once fully rolled out
• Ensure an equitable, strength-based approach to the allocation of supports, that allows each student to access the supports they need regardless of their location
• Act as a change agent for the education sector, promoting disability inclusion and student voice as key tenets of the Department’s reform agenda.

The new tiered funding model and the Disability Inclusion Profile will be introduced through staged roll-out over the next five years, commencing across 3 regions in 2021 and scaling up to a state-wide service by 2025.