The Ministry of Education has received a black mark in a new reoprt that shows that Choice in schooling is "nothing more than an illusion" for high-needs special education pupils.
A survey late last year looked at the choices parents and families have when their disabled child starts school or needs to change schools.
It found about half of the 217 respondents, who had applied for ongoing and reviewable resourcing schemes (ORRS) funding, felt they had "not always had real choice" between schools.
About 25% who had not been able to enrol their child in the school of their choice reported an "unwelcoming" atmosphere, lack of special services and poor equipment and physical access.
For many parents, there is limited choice for their children's education .
The research also revealed 60% of respondents found the process of finding a school emotionally stressful, 29% found it financially draining, 35% found it negatively affected siblings, and 32% had to enrol their children in distant schools.
When it came to selecting a school, it was found the most important factors were availability of necessary facilities to support the child's learning needs (51%), school reputation (46%), and attitudes of principals (45%) and teachers (44%).
Parents and caregivers have indicated that in order to improve the process of choosing schools for their children, they want better information and advice, more support and for legal and funding issues to be addressed.
The research added further support to  IHC's case against the Ministry of Education, before the  Human Rights Tribunal, about the education system failing disabled pupils.
