Ensuring quality training and assessment services for students with disabilities

“There is no greater disability in society then the inability to see a person as more”        Robert M. Hensel

Under the equal opportunity Act 2010 and Disability Discrimination Act, all the students have equal right to education. There are Australia-wide standards to help education providers understand their obligations to prevent discrimination. Human Rights Commission is also very active where students can lodge a complaint against an education provider if they feel discrimination on the basis of their disabilities.

 

“Disability only becomes a tragedy when society fails to provide the things needed to lead one’s daily life”                                                                                             Judith Heurmann

Therefore, Education providers are required to make changes, known as reasonable adjustments, to allow students with disability to participate in education on the same basis as other students. By making some adjustments, education providers can allow students with disability to participate more easily. Making reasonable adjustments requires an education provider to balance the need for change with the cost or effort required to make this change. If the cost or disruption is disproportionately high, the change is not likely to be reasonable.

The Disability Standards for Education set the obligations for an RTO in relation to enrolment, participation, curriculum development, accreditation and delivery, as well as student support services. It is the responsibility of the provider to inform students about the provisions and support services they can provide to the students to complete their courses. The RTOs can invite disclosure from the students about their disabilities at the time of enrolment so that the adjustments can be negotiated with the students.

However, RTOs must ensure that the quality of the training, knowledge and skills required to complete the tasks are not compromised under any circumstances. No student can be made incompetent based on the disability but they must be able to demonstrate the skills to be able to competent in the unit or complete a course.

The Standards for RTOs 2015, the Disability Discrimination Act, 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education, 2005 are formulated to ensure that the students with disabilities can actively participate in society, have equal access to education and employment and lead independent and quality life.