Thursday, 23 March 2023

 Iwan WALTERS (Greenvale) (10:01): I recently had the privilege of meeting Mikaela, a Greenvale constituent and a graduate of one of our great local special schools. Mikaela generously shared with me her experiences of special education and of her life as an adult living with a disability. Mikaela emphasised the importance of special schools equipping students with financial literacy skills and the tools and knowledge to ensure respectful and safe relationships so that young people are able to live independently, confidently and securely beyond their school years. I want to thank Mikaela for sharing her insights with me and for her contribution to our community, which she now serves as a passionate and highly valued early childhood educator. I want to particularly congratulate her on recently completing a diploma in early childhood education. Mikaela is a powerful advocate for people living with a disability. I am grateful that she was able to share her insights about some of the challenges that residents living with disabilities within my community may experience but also where opportunities exist for government and service providers to continue to improve their services and to ensure that people with a disability are heard, seen and at the centre of policy development and implementation. Thank you very much, Mikaela.