Students with a Disability Meeting their Educational Needs Policy

1. What is this policy about?
   1. This policy confirms the Education Directorate’s commitment to supporting students with disability in ACT public schools.
2. Policy Statement
   1. The Education Directorate (the Directorate) supports and complies with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1991 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005.
   2. ACT public schools provide educational programs and make reasonable adjustments for students with disability at the time of enrolment and during the course of their education, ensuring they are able to access and participate in education on the same basis as other students. “On the same basis” means students with disability must have choices and opportunities comparable to those offered to students without disability.
   3. This applies to:
      1. Admission or enrolment in a school
      2. Participation in courses or programs
      3. Use of facilities and services.
   4. The Directorate supports the enrolment of students with disability in local schools. All students with disability may attend their local public school regardless of their eligibility for other settings.
   5. The Directorate’s commitment to making sure schools have the support they need to meet the needs of all learners is outlined in the 10-year plan: Inclusive Education: A Disability Inclusion Strategy for ACT Public Schools 2024-2034.
   6. The Directorate supports the rights of parents to choose an appropriate setting for their child and to be fully informed and active participants in key decisions relating to their child’s education.
3. Who does this policy apply to?
   1. All ACT public schools.
4. Context
   1. Students with disability can access a range of educational settings including attending their local school in classes with their same-aged peers through the Inclusion Support Program; accessing disability education programs (which typically offer a smaller class size and a dedicated space for regulation) in their local school; or attending a specialist school.
   2. Hearing and vision support is also available at all schools.
   3. Hydrotherapy pools are located at Black Mountain School, Turner School, Cranleigh School and Malkara School for use by ACT public school students with disability.
   4. Education Directorate hydrotherapy pools are heated pools used by students with disability for therapeutic purposes. They are intended to improve both the physical health and wellbeing of students.
   5. Pools must be used in accordance with the Students with Disability: meeting their educational needs procedure and hydrotherapy pools procedure.
5. Responsibilities
   1. Directorate Staff: School principals and Directorate staff are responsible for implementing this policy.
   2. Policy Owner: The Executive Branch Manager, Learning and Teaching is responsible for this policy.
   3. School Principals: School principals and Directorate staff are responsible for implementing this policy.
6. Monitoring and Review
   1. The Policy Owner monitors the policy. This includes an annual scan of operation and review. A full review of the policy will be conducted within a three-year period.
7. Contact
   1. For support contact Inclusive Education on (02) 62056925 or email disabilityeducation@act.gov.au.
8. Complaints
   1. Any feedback about this policy, should be raised with the policy owner. Refer to Contact information above.
9. References
   1. Definitions
      • Disability: A loss or reduction in ability to function on a day to day basis, caused by one or a combination of impairments including intellectual and physical disability, vision and hearing impairment, language disorder, mental health and chronic medical conditions.
      • Inclusivity: Including every student in the educational programs offered by the school. It involves personalising the learning program for each student by valuing their uniqueness - their interests, experiences, abilities, prior learning, insights, needs, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and learning styles.
      • Local school: The student’s priority enrolment area school. These have previously been referred to as “mainstream” schools.
      • Parent: A person with parental responsibility for a child.
      • Reasonable adjustment: A measure or action taken by an education provider that has the effect of assisting a student with a disability:
        • in relation to an admission or enrolment
        • in relation to a course or programs
        • in relation to facilities or services
   2. Legislation
      • The Education Act 2004 provides for the operation and governance of ACT public schools.
      • The Discrimination Act 1991 (Cwlth) aims to eliminate discrimination in areas including education.
      • The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cwlth) aims to eliminate as far as possible, discrimination in areas including education.
      • The Disability Standards for Education 2005 (Cwlth) clarify the obligations of education and training providers and seek to ensure that students with disability can access and participate in education on the same basis as other students.
      • The ACT Human Rights Act 2004 sets out a number of rights including the right to recognition and equality before the law.
      • The Information Privacy Act 2014 promotes the protection of individual privacy by regulating the handling and management of personal information.
   3. Implementation Documents
      • Students with a Disability: Meeting their Educational Needs Procedure and Hydrotherapy Pools Procedure (758kb)
      • ACT Student Disability Criteria (319kb)
      • Student Centred Appraisal of Need (385kb)
   4. Related Policies and Information
      • Management of Eating and Drinking Support in ACT Public Schools policy and procedures
      • Inclusive Education: A Disability Inclusion Strategy for ACT Public Schools 2024-2034

Students with a Disability: Meeting their Educational Needs Policy: SWD200810 is the unique identifier of this document. It is the responsibility of the user to verify that this is the current and complete version of the document, available on the Directorate’s website at http://www.education.act.gov.au/publications_and_policies/school_and_corporate_policies/A-Z.