Safeguarding the future conference - Canberra, 23-24 May 2024

Reflections on a journey of school inclusion

A story of a family's courage in going against the opinions of professionals and pursuing a mainstream education for their child with autism.

Erosha will share the story of how she successfully got her daughter Sethmi out of an autism unit. Sethmi is now physically, socially, and academically included in another school.

Many professionals told Erosha that Sethmi wasn’t ‘ready’ to be fully included in a mainstream classroom. So the family moved Sethmi to a school that shared their belief that, with the opportunity of inclusion, they would see her potential.

Sethmi’s achievements demonstrate just how right the family was.

Meet Erosha Bakmiwewa

Portrait of Erosha BakmiwewaErosha is the mother of three children, Sethmi, Jayden and Keisha. She was a financial analyst before moving on to community services and enrolling for further studies in psychology. Currently, Erosha works at Imagine More as a facilitator, mainly in the Inclusive Education space.

Erosha’s priorities in life changed when her eldest was diagnosed with ASD as a toddler. Since then, Erosha has been an active advocate of inclusion. This advocacy has been instrumental in getting Sethmi enrolled in a mainstream school.

Among Erosha’s passions are many community initiatives, including

  • fundraising for charities
  • creating awareness of Inclusive Education
  • and helping other families achieve good life outcomes for their family members.

Erosha is a dance enthusiast. She cooks amazing meals, moves mountains for friends and family, and really enjoys a good chat, with or without coffee.