In this presentation, Erosha shares 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.

Introduction

This session was introduced by Laura Esplin

Hello, my name is Laura Mary Esplin. I am a year 4 student, sister and gymnast. I am here to tell you about Erosha.

Erosha is a mother of three children. She works at Imagine More. She is also studying psychology. She is a great believer of Inclusive Education. Today she will talk about her daughter Sethmi and their inclusive education journey.

Meet Erosha Bakmiwewa

Erosha 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.

Resources mentioned in Erosha’s presentation

• Vision - Resources about vision on the Imagine More website
• Darcy Elks - Darcy is an educator, consultant, human service evaluator, and advocate on behalf of people who are socially devalued.
• Inclusive Education - Resources about inclusive education on the Imagine More website
• Reading Mastery program - to find out more about this program please contact Erosha: erosha@imaginemore.org.au
• Amigos - A Bunch of Mates - Erosha Bakmiwewa created a friendship group called The Amigos around her daughter Sethmi, who is fully included in her primary school. She explains how difficult it was to first start a friendship circle because of the emotional involvement. But it’s been well worth the challenges, and the experience has been very rewarding for Sethmi.

Contact details

• Erosha can be contacted at Imagine More