Education & Training
Education Standards summary for students
The Disability Standards for Education were formulated under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and came into effect in August 2005.
The following is information adapted from 'Choosing Your Path. Disclosure: It's a Personal Decision' (2004) by Anna Mungovan and Fran Quigley. These points offer a brief summary of the details generally relevant to students with disability. Individual students should seek expert legal advice if pursuing a specific action of disability discrimination complaint.
- The Disability Discrimination Act is applicable to all students with a disability, including international students, part-time students and-full time.
- The Act requires educational institutions to put in place actions to help ensure equal opportunity for people with a disability, commonly referred to as 'reasonable adjustments' or 'education related adjustments'.
- The legislation does not specify the types of adjustments required to remove discrimination. Each case needs to be considered in its own circumstances and previous case law.
- Some examples of education-related adjustments in the educational environment include:
- changes to the physical environment, such as modified physical spaces or provision of equipment
- modifying communication systems or information provision
- providing course materials in alternative formats
- provision of interpreters, readers etc.
- alternative assessments and/or examinations
- provision of a private room for undertaking exams
- The legislation allows for an education or training provider to decline making adjustments to accommodate a student's disability if the change or support required is unreasonably costly, impractical and/or intrusive to others working or studying in the context. This is called 'unjustifiable hardship'.
