Bold start: Australia just took a bold step toward inclusive education by creating the country’s first Deafblind class within a mainstream public school. Now, Ari Bennett—a four-year-old who is both deaf and blind—participates in ordinary school life, using touch to understand lessons, feeling his mother’s kiss at drop-off, and reading through raised pictures. He learns through tactile sign language formed on his hands and body by his teacher. This opportunity came about because his mother, Jamie Bennett, dedicated two years to securing a place for him at their local primary school.
“I wanted him to be included and to have the support he required and not be limited in his potential,” Ms Bennett shared.
To take part in class, Ari needs a learning support officer by his side to help him engage with lessons, along with a teacher skilled in tactile sign language. For this level of support to exist at Tenambit Primary in regional New South Wales, the education department had to undertake something historic: establish Australia’s first Deafblind-focused class within a mainstream public school.
Ms Bennett cried with relief when she learned the school could accommodate her son. “I was excited and really proud of the effort that we went to,” she recalled.
The road to Tenambit Primary was long. In Ari’s early weeks, Ms Bennett felt a mix of emotions. “He is not needing me as much as I thought that he would,” she said. Yet the experience has been largely positive, and Ari is thriving.
Tenambit Primary was chosen because it already runs a class for children who use sign language. Jamie Bennett wanted Ari in a mainstream setting with staff and students who understood his needs. The NSW Department of Education recommends that parents contact a chosen school at least two years before kindergarten, so she approached the principal in 2024.
Last year, ABC News highlighted the challenges Bennett faced in securing support for Ari in a hearing class, noting Ari’s cerebral palsy as well. In that setting, teachers taught in Australian Sign Language (Auslan), but because Ari is blind, he cannot access sign language without adaptations that allow him to feel the signs. Bennett was told that enrolling Ari in a mainstream class with one-to-one support funded by Integration Funding Support (IFS) would be possible, but the NSW Department of Education would not fund one-to-one support in the hearing class since it was already funded. Bennett described the situation as confusing and frustrating, saying, “A family having to fight for two years for an outcome is inexcusable.”
Advocacy groups joined in the call for change. Skye Kakoschke-Moore, CEO of Children and Young People with Disability Australia, argued that advocating for a child with a disability should not require turning to a full-time job. If the system turns advocacy into a constant burden, it signals deep, unresolved failings in the system.
School improvements followed. The department’s inclusive-education policy promises reasonable adjustments and personalised support for all disabled students, but until now, one-to-one assistance in a supported class hadn’t been implemented. That changed with the Deafblind class at Tenambit Public School, which provided Ari with the necessary support to learn and communicate. A department spokesperson explained that after clarifying Ari’s needs, staff took time to review all options before concluding that the Deafblind support class was the most appropriate path forward.
Tenambit’s principal, Deanne Brown, called starting a Deafblind class within a mainstream setting a privilege. She noted that while Deafblind classes exist in schools, integrating one into a general school required careful planning around structures and processes to ensure success. The school hired a learning support officer and a class teacher—both deeply committed to accessibility, including a Deaf woman who teaches Ari using tactile sign language on his hands and body.
Beyond Ari, the school is upgrading its infrastructure to improve accessibility: ramps, tactile markers at stairways, and a new drop-off zone. Brown believes these changes will benefit many other students who are Deafblind and that Ari’s experience will serve as a model for others seeking entry into mainstream education.
Despite the progress, many families still face uphill battles. Kakoschke-Moore emphasizes that inclusion should not require tireless advocacy or constant labor, and she cautions that the absence of a universal approach means some families remain in struggle as they work to have their child welcomed into a school community.
Jamie Bennett’s perseverance has paid off: Ari is happily attending his local school, and his inclusion benefits his peers as well. Bennett believes that being raised around disability, treated as a normal part of life, helps children grow into more understanding and inclusive people. Include, for her, means more than Ari’s growth; it signals a broader societal shift toward embracing diversity in education. Are we ready to push for similar changes everywhere, or will gaps and inequities persist in the system? Share your thoughts on whether mainstream schools can and should fully accommodate every need, and what trade-offs you think are acceptable in the pursuit of truly inclusive education.
