Reimagining education with Rebekah Corlett: A whānau perspective on partnership and inclusion

Abstract

Kia ora koutou
Ko Hikurangi te maunga
Ko Waiapu te awa
Ko Ngāti Porou te iwi
Ko Rongohaere te marae
Ko Rebekah Corlett toku ingoa

I’m a mum to Sophia who is fourteen. She was diagnosed as autistic at age 2 1/2; she is non- speaking and uses Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) to communicate which for her is an iPad with a communication app on it. She uses a mixture of a few spoken words, AAC, a few NZSL signs and lots of gestures. That’s how she makes herself known.

We live on the Kapiti Coast which is about an hour north of Wellington. I live with my husband Jason and also our son Ryan who is eleven. Sophia is ORS funded, and she has moved in the last couple of years from a specialist primary school to a mainstream high school, which has been a massive undertaking and mostly successful.

I write a blog Reasonable Accommodations with Rebekah which explains what those experiences and education are like, and gives a voice to whānau who are supporting and keeping their child or young person engaged in the education system.