Action for Autism Education founders, Danny Sorbello and wife Angela Hickey-Sorbello. Photo by Charlotte Brundrett.
Locals have successfully lobbied for a new P-12 autism specific school, the first of its kind in the western suburbs.
On a large block of land in Laverton work has begun on the much-needed school for autistic children in the western suburbs. For Angela Hickey-Sorbello and her husband Danny Sorbello, the school represents five long years of lobbying, cajoling and not taking no for an answer.
The autism-specific school will not only provide greater access for hundreds of affected families in the region, it will also stand as a symbol of how one voice can make a difference if that voice is determined and prepared to talk to everybody and anybody – even take their own protest group to the steps of State Parliament – until they succeed in their goal.
The school’s development follows the 2013-14 state budget’s additional $8 million injection into the project, which came as a pleasant surprise to the Werribee couple.
“We were ecstatic, it was an absolute relief because we had put so much time and energy into lobbying for this school and soon it will be up and running,” says mother-of-two Angela.
Angela and Danny are passionate advocates of education services for autistic children and they began campaigning for better facilities in the western suburbs after noticing the area had no local secondary-level autism schools.
“My son Dante started off at Western Autistic School in Niddrie, however it only teaches kids from prep to grade three, which became an issue as he grew older,” says Angela.
“As time went on I soon discovered there were prep-to-Year 12 autism schools in other regions. And then the eastern suburbs ended up getting another one as well so I questioned how that could be when the western suburbs didn’t even have one.”
“I got involved with other local action groups, but frustratingly they weren’t getting much done, despite their best intentions. I just thought if we don’t go for it, they’ll never give us a school.”
An artist’s impression of the Laverton school project. Photo credit: CICG.
The couple decided to take a stand of their own, setting up Action for Autism Education in 2010.
“I guess the drive just came from within, I wanted the best education services offered to my child and other autistic children in the western suburbs,” says Angela.
The couple quickly became aware of the sheer volume of western suburbs families facing a similar predicament.
“You don’t realise how many people are actually willing to move house to try and access education services for their autistic children,” Danny says.
In 2011 Action for Autism Education received attention following a protest at Parliament House in Victoria. In addition to making it onto that night’s ABC news bulletin, they caught the attention of Liberal MP Bernie Finn, who became a strong campaigner of the project and helped vocalize the issue.
Victoria’s Education Minister Martin Dixon was also a keen advocate of the school and welcomed the project’s development.
“This new school will provide a supportive and specialised education for students with autism, and will work closely with surrounding schools to support their students with autism as well,” Mr Dixon says.
Though the couple are ecstatic that their project has been given the green light, they aren’t in any rush to lobby for future projects.
“At this point I’m pretty exhausted, but later down the track I’d like to lobby for more education services, specifically more social programs for autistic children,” says Angela.
“Geelong is also after a P-12 autism college, so we’ve offered our support to families there and offered advice on lobbying. Hopefully they can get a similar outcome to us,” says Danny.
“I’d also like to see the federal government come on board. One in 88 children are diagnosed with autism, yet they’re hardly a focus of the national government,” Angela adds.
The school, which has the working title of Jennings St P-12 School for Autism, is expected to be completed by mid-2014 for grades four to seven, with eventual plans to become a P-12 school.
