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Disability Access Plan
A Disability Access Plan is a document prepared by the Learning and Teaching Unit Disability Service for students with disabilities or
medical conditions. The process used to develop a Disability
Access Plan is administered by the Learning and Teaching Unit Disability
Service. Information about how the Access Plan is developed and what it is used for is provided below. To arrange an Access Plan you should
contact the Learning and Teaching Unit Disability Service.
Your Access Plan is used to:
- Document information about the impact of your disability or medical condition on your studies
- Document the services you are being provided by Learning and Teaching Unit
- Document any variation to exam arrangements which have been agreed
- Assist you in negotiating "reasonable
adjustments" with University staff the disability related requirements you may have so that you can study successfully.
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Your Access Plan is based on:
- Information you provide the Disability Service
- Documentation you provide from an appropriately qualified practitioner
- Information provided by relevant services (ie Royal Society for the Blind)
- Information provided by relevant University staff.
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Who gets to see your Access Plan?
- Your Access Plan is a tool for you to use in negotiating
arrangements with academic staff in your courses so you decide who
sees it
- You are provided with hard copies of your Access Plan so that you
can use it to inform University staff about your requirements
- A copy is generally sent to your Program Director for information.
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What if I don't want people to know about my disability?
Your disability or medical information remains your private information. Only information you choose to release within the University goes into your Access Plan.
Providing information to staff about the impact of your disability at
university can help staff in assisting you with your studies.
No information about your disability or medical condition is passed outside the University without your explicit consent.
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Updating an Access Plan
You can arrange to update your Access Plan at any time. You may need
to do this if the impact of your disability or medical condition changes. Your Access Plan can stay in place for the duration of your studies if it is permanent and stable, or until a review is required of changes to a fluctuating or temporary medical condition or disability.
Reasonable Adjustments
Reasonable adjustments are changes to course content, delivery and assessment
which are required by law to accommodate the needs of students with
disabilities.
- Reasonable adjustments should be aimed at accommodating the impact of a
student's disability or medical condition on their study and based on
information about the impact of the student's disability provided in a
Disability Access Plan.
- Reasonable adjustments should be negotiated in a timely manner.
Students can be expected to meet the terms of the agreed adjustments once
they have been established. Additional extensions for an assignment
would not be considered a 'reasonable adjustment' unless the student's
circumstances changes significantly, in which case additional supporting
documentation would be required. (ie hospitalisation or other unforeseen
health problems)
- Reasonable adjustments should not lessen the genuine academic
standards of the course being taught and assessed. Genuine academic
standards relate to the inherent skills and knowledge required as opposed to
non-academic or non-essential skills such as an ability to read or write at
a prescribed speed. Genuine academic standards should be described in
course handbooks.
- Reasonable adjustments should not give a student with a disability an
unfair advantage over other students.
- Adjustments such as extra time in tests and extensions to deadlines
would not be considered an unfair advantage where they are designed to
accommodate the impact of a student's disability.
- Reasonable adjustments should seek to maximise a student's participation.
Adjustments should be sought which do not preclude a student from
interaction with the mainstream course material, other students and the
learning environment.
- Reasonable adjustments which impact on the structure or content of exams
are negotiated with the Course Coordinator. A Disability Adviser may
assist in this negotiation or the student may communicate independently with
their Course Coordinator.
- Where agreements are reached between a student and their Course
Coordinator to modify exam arrangements or curriculum for a course, the
Course Coordinator should notify the Disability Adviser indicated on the
student's DAP so that the agreement can be incorporated into the student's
DAP.
- Learning and Teaching Unit Disability Advisers can provide advice on reasonable
adjustments.
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