Students and staff with disabilities may experience a range of disabilities including medical and mental health conditions; physical; neurological, neuro-diverse and learning (such as dyslexia) and injuries. Impacts of disabilities or health conditions may be permanent or temporary, visible and/or invisible, predictable and/or unpredictable, chronic and/or episodic.
Note: All links on this page open on external sites.
Definitions
The definition of disability is defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 as:
disability, in relation to a person, means:
- total or partial loss of the person’s bodily or mental functions; or
- total or partial loss of a part of the body; or
- the presence in the body of organisms causing disease or illness; or
- the presence in the body of organisms capable of causing disease or illness; or
- the malfunction, malformation or disfigurement of a part of the person’s body; or
- a disorder or malfunction that results in the person learning differently from a person without the disorder or malfunction; or
- a disorder, illness or disease that affects a person’s thought processes, perception of reality, emotions or judgment or that results in disturbed behaviour; and includes a disability that:
- presently exists; or
- previously existed but no longer exists; or
- may exist in the future (including because of a genetic predisposition to that disability); or
- is imputed to a person.
To avoid doubt, a disability that is otherwise covered by this definition includes behaviour that is a symptom or manifestation of the disability.
Information about disabilities
As staff, having an understanding of disabilities / health conditions and their potential impacts in the learning environment is useful. The information below outlines some types of disability or health conditions and is provided as an information guide. Disabilities and health conditions impacts in an individual way for each person.
While diagnosis of disability and health conditions are made under a medical model of understanding disability. We encourage staff and students to incorporate the social model of disability by considering and implementing inclusive practices to provide an accessible environment.
The Australian Disability Clearinghouse for Education and Training (ADCET) provides useful information about how disabilities may impact on people in the learning environment and information about inclusive practices.
The resources below provide additional information about specific disabilities:
Blind and low vision
ADCET – Blind and Low Vision – inclusive teaching
Vision Australia produce a number of useful factsheets such as Communicating effectively, Guiding, and Tips
Guide Dogs NSW/ACT provide a range of free training programs and useful information such as practical tips including guide dog etiquette. Deafblind Australia provide useful information including communication
Senses provides information about Deafblind
Deaf and hard of hearing
ADCET – Deafness and Hearing loss – inclusive teaching
Hearing Forum of Australia offer a range of information, including a Communication Fact Sheet
The Deaf Society provide training programs and can provide Auslan interpreters.
Deafblind Australia provide useful information including communication
Senses provides information about Deafblind
Learning
ADCET – Specific Learning Disabilities – inclusive teaching
ADCET – ADHD – inclusive teaching
SPELD NSW provide information about specific learning disabilities and useful factsheets including information about dyslexia and ADHD.
ADHD Australia provides useful information
Medical/Health conditions
ADCET – Health Conditions – inclusive teaching
Health direct provides information on a wide range of health conditions.
Mental health / psychological
ADCET – Mental Health – inclusive teaching
Mobility / physical
ADCET – Physical Disability – inclusive teaching
Achieve Australia provides information about a range of physical disabilities.
Physical Disability Australia …national peak organisation.
What Stella Young wanted you to know about wheelchair users
Neuro-diverse autism
ADCET – Autism Spectrum – inclusive teaching
Autism Spectrum Australia (ASPECT) provide information including fact sheets about Autism.
Specialisterne Australia assist organisations in recruiting and supporting people on the autism spectrum.and provide interesting information about Turning negative traits into positive characteristics
Inclusive language
The Australian Network on Disability provides information about disability inclusive language.
Stories/videos
Watch ABC journalist Nas Campanella present the Triple J news using JAWS.
Closed captions provided on YouTube.
ABC Australian Story – The Man in Bed 10
Employment and disability
For people with disability, employment means access to the personal, social and financial benefits of work.
For workplaces it means, an increase in diversity, a boost in morale and a fresh perspective they may not have considered. For employers the costs of employing people with disability is as much as 13 per cent lower than for other employees and it also means their organisation better reflects, and can therefore better understand, their customers and clients.
Research also shows that employees with disability are:
- 90 per cent as or more productive
- 98 per cent have average or superior safety records
- 86 per cent have average or superior attendance records
- 19 times more likely to be job satisfied
- 4 times more likely to stay in their role
UTS Careers
Research tells us tertiary students with disability can find it more difficult to secure employment opportunities after graduation. 61.5% of students with disability reported being in full-time employment four months after they’d completed their studies. That’s 11% lower than the average statistic for all graduates (72.4%). (Source: 2016-17 Graduate Outcomes Survey, GradStats, February 2018).
UTS Careers is a great source of information and advice around the world of work. They can support students with career consultations, resume reviews, interview techniques, skill development, mentoring and more.
Support for staff with disabilities
Making your work environment accessible may involve a number of environmental considerations, flexibility of work practices, and specific access requirements addressed in team systems and processes.
Accessibility is not something you can set and forget. Technologies change, new facilities are built, and staff and students with different access requirements join our university. This means accessibility is an on-going agenda and something we constantly need to think about. It is also important to consider that any one of us may not know the specific access requirements of the staff and students we work with, which is why we focus on universal access, safety and respect at UTS.
We can all take a range of simple steps to build accessibility into our business as usual. Small steps go a long way to making UTS accessible for all staff and students in our community.
Workplace adjustment
The UTS Workplace Adjustment Procedure describes the application process for staff seeking workplace adjustments.
Workplace adjustments can be permanent or temporary and may include:
- provision of adaptive or modified equipment
- job redesign
- modification of a work area or common areas
- training or retraining (yourself or your colleagues)
- changes to a staff member’s work hours
JobAccess is a free workplace and employment information service for employers, people with disability and service providers. JobAccess brings together resources including: a website, dedicated phone service, the Employment Assistance Fund, and the employer engagement team. Through JobAccess, eligible employers can access funding to make minor adjustments to provide an accessible and productive workplace for a person with disability.
JobAccess can assist by providing physical adjustment or assistive technology. Physical adjustments include any change made to the structure, surrounds, or furniture and fittings within a workplace to remove barriers and improve access for people with disability. Most physical changes needed to improve access are minor. Things like moving desks, purchasing ergonomic furniture, or installing brighter lighting. Very occasionally a more significant adjustment might be needed, such as installation of a ramp, automatic door opener, or visual fire alarm.
In the workplace, assistive technology makes tasks that were previously challenging and difficult for some people with disability, far easier. Assistive technology can include screen readers, mobility aids, hearing aids, lifts and moving stairs, sensor-based switches and extendable reaching devices. This technology is often inexpensive and may be eligible for reimbursement through the Employment Assistance Fund.
Staff members with disability mostly know about specific assistive technology that will best suit their needs. However, not everyone will be up to date on the range of equipment available for use in the workplace. Every day, new supports and technology becomes available, through computers, tablets and smartphones. There are many companies and organisations that sell and distribute assistive technologies and these can often change. The best place to start looking for information about communication and assistive technology, is the National Equipment Database, on the Independent Living Centre Australia's website.
For more information about workplace and employment information for people with disability, employers and service providers contact JobAccess on ph: 1800 464 800 or www.jobaccess.gov.au
To seek assistance through JobAccess, you should first find out if you are eligible for the Employment Assistance Fund. It is recommended that you contact JobAccess for a workplace assessment as soon as possible. Their phone number is 1800 464 800, or you can fill in their online enquiry form.
Costs of implementing workplace adjustment, depending on the nature of the adjustment, will usually be funded through:
- JobAccess Employment Assistance Fund
- Faculty or unit budgets, within an agreed budget limit
- UTS Workplace Disability Fund
- Facilities Management Unit minor works program.
However, bear in mind that some workplace adjustments may have no cost, and be simple tools and tricks of human interaction to make the work environment more accessible.
Also, it’s important to remember that workplace adjustment is important to think about in terms of all kinds of disability – those that are visible and those that are not! Whether or however someone with a mental health condition chooses to identify or talk about their situation, exploring and identifying access requirements is part of offering support. JobAccess can also provide assistance with access requirements in relation to mental health.
For more information: Tools and Training to support good mental health in the workplace (Mindful Employer Website)
Note: Visit the Workplace Adjustment Procedure for the request for workplace adjustment form that can be used between staff and supervisors to discuss and sign off on workplace adjustments.
The People Unit is also a good source of support for safety and wellbeing in the workplace.
Supporting colleagues in the work environment
All senior managers have equal opportunity key performance indicators in their role responsibilities. This means that if you are managing a staff member with access requirements, it is important to familiarise yourself with all aspects of accessible environments. If you are working in a team or on a project with staff with access requirements, you may also like to familiarise yourself with the tips in this resource guide.
Note: UTS has an organisation membership to the Australian Network on Disability (AND). This network has a wide range of resources and check lists in the membership area that may be of benefit. Staff of UTS can use the organisational log- in details for the membership area – for our login username and password contact the Equity and Diversity Unit.
For more information:
Australian Network on Disability website