Students with Disability

Resources

Supporting Students with Additional Learning Needs

The department's resource Supporting Students with Additional Learning Needs provides comprehensive information for schools, including further guidance, teaching materials and programs available to support students with additional learning needs. It also contains specific information on the Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD) and the roll out of Disability Inclusion.

Inclusive Education for Students with Disabilities Program

For further information about the program, refer to Inclusive education for students with disabilities.

For an Easy English version of the Inclusive Education Policy, refer to:

• Inclusive Education Policy – Easy English (PDF)
• Inclusive Education Policy – Easy English (accessible PDF).

Supporting students with complex communication needs (CCN)

• Training for department staff by Cerebral Palsy Education Centre (CPEC) – professional learning opportunities for schools.
• Communication Hub – Communication aids and supports – a site developed by Speech Pathology Australia and the Australian Group Supporting Communication Inclusion (AGOSCI) for people with communication difficulties, their communication partners, and the wider community.
• AGOSCI – supporting people with complex communication needs, their families, and their professional and community networks.
• Complex communication needs booklet (PDF) – CCN resource developed by the Queensland Government.
• Complex communication needs and an introduction to AAC – Source Kids – site developed by members of New South Wales AGOSCI.
• Augmentative and alternative communication – resources from Speech Pathology Australia.
• NDIS: Supporting your child's communication with assistive technology – an NDIS guide for families and carers of children with developmental delay or physical or intellectual disability.

Program for Students with Disability (PSD) resources

Program for Students with Disabilities – operational guidelines for schools 2024 (DOCX):

• timelines for the application process (refer to section 3)
• summary of the application process (refer to section 4)
• information on how to make an application for the PSD, including online registration and required documents (refer to section 4)
• links to support materials and templates (refer to Appendices)
• Student Learning and Support Statement (DOC) (refer to Appendix C)
• Application summary form (DOC) (refer to Appendix D)
• key contact numbers and websites (refer to Appendix H).

Assessment service for students with disability

• For information about referrals, visit Assessments Australia
• For information about the roles and responsibilities of Assessments Australia, schools and student support services, refer to Students with Disability - Roles and responsibilities in the assessment process (DOCX).

Students turning 19 or 20 with individualised disability funding completing an accredited senior or foundation secondary course

• For continuation of individualised disability funding, use the Form for students with individualised disability funding turning 19 or 20 completing an accredited senior or foundation secondary course in 2024 (DOCX).

Professional development and resources

• Inclusive Classrooms professional learning program offers a suite of blended learning courses for school staff focused on practical teaching strategies, adjustments and supports at the school, classroom and individual levels. Courses include supporting students with autism, behaviour, hearing loss, learning difficulties, oral language needs and vision impairment.
• Statewide Vision Resource Centre provides professional learning opportunities for school staff and allied health professionals in addition to specialised and professional assistance and resources, including the provision of learning materials in alternative formats to support students who are blind or have low vision.
• Victorian Deaf Education Institute provides professional learning opportunities for school staff to improve learning and wellbeing outcomes for deaf or hard of hearing students
• Diverse Learners Hub provides evidence-based advice, information, resources and professional learning opportunities for school staff on how to identify and support ‘diverse learners’, including students with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning difficulties such as dyslexia and dyscalculia.

Career guidance

• A job well done provides access to a set of resources to help students with disability prepare for work experience and understand their occupational health and safety responsibilities.
• Career education and workplace learning for students with disability includes a range of tools and resources to support students with disability, their career practitioners and teachers, and their parents, with career and pathways planning. This includes advice about preparing for workplace learning experiences and strengthened career education guides.

Other support for schools

• Abilities Based Learning and Education Support (ABLES) is an assessment and reporting suite for identifying and monitoring the learning readiness and progress of students with disability and diverse learners. The ABLES professional learning modules build the knowledge and skills of teachers and other school professionals by supporting them to understand, implement and use ABLES.
• Equipment Boost for Schools includes comprehensive professional practice guides to support schools to identify, purchase and implement inclusive equipment and assistive technology that will best meet the needs of their students.
• Inclusive Schools Fund supports small innovative building projects to meet the educational and social needs of all children and young people, including those with disabilities and additional needs.

Supported Inclusion Schools Operational Manual

Supported Inclusion Schools Operational Manual (DOCX) – A Supported Inclusion School is a mainstream school with additional professional capabilities and facilities designed to cater to a higher proportion of students with significant disability.

Students with disability are provided enhanced support to receive high quality, evidence-based educational provision alongside mainstream students in a safe, accessible and supportive environment. The manual supports school principals and the department’s regional and central staff to implement the Supported Inclusion Schools model.