School leaders are central in making sure that school-wide strategies, policies and initiatives are in place to
support the inclusion of students with disability, and to support teachers in providing accessible and inclusive
learning environments.
The Disability Standards for Education
(DSE) 2005 outlines the obligations for all Australian schools to make sure that students with disability
are able to participate in the curriculum, and school activities, on the same basis as students without disability.
While this does not
mean that every student should have the exact same experiences, it does mean that students with disability should be
provided with rigorous, meaningful and dignified learning opportunities and choices.
This guide references the Australian Professional Standard for Principals (Principal
Standard) in outlining the roles and responsibilities of school leaders, relevant to the DSE. The Principal Standard
creates and promotes a shared vision, clarity of understanding and a common language around effective, high impact
school leadership
(AITSL, 2019).
School leaders play a vital role in building an inclusive, safe and equitable schooling environment. Supporting
the inclusion of all students in a school requires the support of the entire school community including
teachers, other school staff, students,
guardian/s and associates.
What are the Disability Standards for Education (2005)?
The Disability
Standards for Education (DSE) 2005 has specific information for educational settings on the legal
obligations of education and training providers, such as schools, under the Disability
Discrimination Act 1992. The purpose of the DSE is to ensure that students with disability can access
and participate in education on the same basis as students without disability. Schools should be equitable,
where all students are given the opportunity
to thrive.
The objectives of the DSE are:
- to eliminate, as far as possible, discrimination against persons on the ground of disability in the area of
education and training
- to ensure, as far as practicable, that persons with disability have the same rights to equality before the
law in the area of education and training as the rest of the community
- to promote recognition and acceptance within the community of the principle that people with disability have
the same fundamental rights as the rest of the community.
Making reasonable adjustments
Under the DSE, schools are required to make every effort to provide reasonable adjustments (see
Table 1) to support the inclusion of students with disability. This must be undertaken through consultation with
students with disability, their guardian/s
and associates , and service provider/s (where relevant) to determine reasonable adjustments and implement them
where relevant throughout the school.
Reasonable adjustments need to be made by schools in the areas of:
- admissions and enrolment
- participation in learning activities
- curriculum development, accreditation and delivery
- student support services
- harassment and victimisation.
Every school is required to comply with the DSE and make adjustments to the maximum extent that does not impose
unjustifiable hardship. Where there is unjustifiable hardship in implementing a specific adjustment, schools
should work to find a suitable
alternative that benefits the student and meets their needs.
Table 1: What is a reasonable adjustment?
What it is | What it isn't |
|---|
For example: - A change made to one or several aspects of the school, classroom, activities and/or
events that provides a student with equal ability to access learning as other students.
- An adjustment that allows the student to participate harmoniously with other students
(whether in a supported learning class or standard class).
- An adjustment that allows the student to undertake a task or activity.
| For example: - A change that would have little-to-no impact on improving the learning experience of the
student.
- A change that would cause unjustifiable hardship on other students, staff and/or the
education provider.
|
Examples of reasonable adjustments - Allowing a student more time to move between classes.
- Providing screen readers for students with hearing-impairment.
- Providing adaptive styles of delivering teaching and learning, such as presenting
information more visually or breaking lessons down into focused, small sections.
- Arranging specialist service provider/s.
- Building ramps where stairs are typically used to access a building.
|
Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with
Disability
The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School
Students with Disability (NCCD) collects data about school students with disability in Australia who are
receiving adjustments in a consistent, reliable and systematic way. To aid in the consultation process and
implementing reasonable
adjustments, the NCCD Portal provides best practice support for schools to help ensure students’
disability related needs are met and that they are supported in their schools.
The NCCD process prompts schools to identify students with disability who are receiving adjustments and to review
the school’s processes and practices for supporting students with disability. The NCCD is a record of the
category of disability
as well as the level of adjustments already undertaken to support students with disability to access and
participate in education on the same basis as their peers.
It is important to note that as the NCCD is used to inform funding, the data reported by schools in the annual
Non-Government Schools Census is subject to a post-enumeration exercise that validates whether a school’s
Census information is accurate,
complete and reliable. For more information, including the legislation, policies and lawful requirements on
reporting students with disability in the NCCD, please refer to the NCCD Guidelines.
A school is required to:
- Consult with the student with disability, their guardian/s and associates, and/or service providers (when
appropriate) to determine their needs and how this may impact learning, participation, and access to all
areas of the school (e.g., the classroom,
playtime offerings, camps, excursions)
- Understand, where possible, any past adjustments that worked well for the student
- Identify if the adjustments are reasonable given factors such as the positive impacts on the students’
learning, how the adjustment may impact other students and the teacher in the classroom, and the proportion
of school resources required
- Consider any other resources or supports available
- Plan for and implement the range of reasonable adjustments.
The needs and requirements of students with disability can change and adapt over time. School leaders
demonstrating best practice should ensure that consultations regarding a student’s reasonable adjustments
occur frequently with a school leader
or teacher who is trained to understand and provide reasonable adjustments, and fully understands their DSE
obligations. The whole process of undertaking consultation, consideration and adaptions to the reasonable
adjustments (as described above)
needs to be regularly repeated to ensure any implemented adjustments are meeting changing student needs.
The DSE require that before the school makes an adjustment for a student, consultation must take place with the
student or guardian/associate of the student. Depending on the circumstances, including the student’s home
situation, maturity, and
cognitive ability, it may be suitable to only consult with the student or only with their guardian/s and
associates. The school leader or teacher can determine what is best for consultation and will need to provide a
reason for not consulting
with the guardian/s and associates, as required by the NCCD Guidelines.
Under the DSE, there may be instances where a school must demonstrate an exception is required where the
adjustment is believed to cause unjustifiable hardship. Unjustified hardship is when complying with the DSE
imposes an excessive burden on the
education provider, staff or other students. It is the responsibility of each school to demonstrate if an
exception occurs.
Harassment, victimisation and discrimination
In addition to making reasonable adjustments for students with disability, schools have an obligation to prevent
harassment, victimisation and discrimination of all students, including those with disability, or those who have
a guardian or associate
with disability. For the purposes of the DSE harassment, in relation to disability can be defined as
any action that results in a student with disability (or with an associate with disability) being humiliated,
offended, intimidated or
distressed because of their disability.
School leaders need to ensure that the school has strategies and programs in place to prevent
harassment and victimisation and to keep staff and students informed about:
- their obligations not to harass or victimise anyone in the school, especially those vulnerable to
discrimination and victimisation due to disability
- the actions that will be taken if harassment or victimisation occurs
- the complaint mechanisms available to a student who is harassed or victimised in relation to a disability.
All changes to improve the implementation of the DSE – big or small – require a consistent commitment to
reflection and adaption from school leadership.
To implement effective practices that can improve the student experience, learning outcomes and strengthen
equity, there is typically a cycle of key stages; many jurisdictions provide a small set of stages within a
similar cycle to as follows (see
Figure 2).
- Assess: evaluate areas where inclusivity and opportunity are inadequate, where harassment or discrimination
is present within the school, where the legislative requirements need to be embedded, and determine areas of
improvement.
- Prioritise: determine changes required throughout the school, prioritise actions that will create the most
impact on learning and wellbeing, and set goals for what needs to be achieved.
- Plan: develop plans, initiatives and strategies in a way that will allow for measurement, accountability,
buy-in and successful implementation. Consider all available resources, such as teaching or support staff,
school facilities and students’
guardian/s and associates.
- Implement: after making changes, monitor progress and the impact on students, so prompt responses can be
made, and strategies can be adapted.
The best timeframes and method to analyse, reflect, plan, implement and monitor any changes to continually
implement the DSE is best decided by the school leadership team. Each school operates within different contexts,
systems, policies, school types
and student populations that influence school planning.
This guide provides core guiding values to assist school leaders in implementing the DSE and support the provision of
high-quality education that all students are entitled to receive. The Guiding Values were developed to reflect the
student-centric vision
and mission as demonstrated in the Principal Standard and can be broadly applied to all facets of school leadership
and the profession of teaching. These Guiding Values provide a strong framework for leaders to understand, reflect
and take action
to incorporate the DSE in their roles and responsibilities, through reflective questions, key initiatives and
practical examples.
Leaders who implement the DSE throughout all aspects of their school can foster a positive, inclusive culture that
advocates acceptance and equity. If students with disability are provided with equal opportunities with students
without disability, the
greater the prospects are for all students to grow and thrive from receiving a quality education.