Unit of competency

Modification History

Application

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to determine, document and address the educational options and support needs of a learner with disability. It involves implementing individualised support that enables learners with different types of disability to access education and training opportunities.

This unit applies to vocational trainers, assessors, and other personnel within the vocational education and training (VET) sector who coordinate support and reasonable adjustment for learners. Their role and responsibilities would include ensuring the Registered Training Organisation (RTO) is meeting its legislated obligations to learners with disability under the Disability Standards for Education and other Federal or State/Territory legislation.

A person completing this unit is not qualified to be a disability support specialist.

No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

Unit Sector

Cross Sector Skill

Elements and Performance Criteria

Foundation Skills

This section describes those language, literacy and numeracy and employment skills that are essential to performance but not explicit in the performance criteria.

Unit Mapping Information

No equivalent unit. New unit.

Links

Companion Volume Implementation Guide is available from VETNet - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=35337905-785d-4f93-8777-e9991ad4c6c3

Assessment requirements

Modification History

Performance Evidence

The candidate must demonstrate the ability to complete the tasks outlined in the elements, performance criteria and foundation skills of this unit, including evidence of the ability to:

• plan, document and implement an individual support plan for at least three different learners, each with differing disabilities through:

• consultation with each learner, using a person-centred approach to identify learning needs based on the individual’s own self-expression of their learning styles, needs and preferences
• consultation with relevant individuals and organisations responsible for providing support to learner

• consult with above learners to review effectiveness of implemented supports and strategies, and revise plans to reflect agreed required changes.

Knowledge Evidence

The candidate must be able to demonstrate knowledge to effectively complete the tasks outlined in the elements, performance criteria and foundation skills of this unit. This includes knowledge of:

• current legislation and standards for working with learners with disability, including:

• Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), or other State/Territory legislation relevant to RTOs where applicable
• Disability Standards for Education
• Disability Discrimination Act
• Disability Services Act
• United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability
• The National Disability Strategy

• organisation protocols, policies and procedures for:

• discussing learner support needs, including anonymous options
• providing individual support to learners with disability
• implementing reasonable adjustments for learners with disability
• responding to disclosure and/or sharing of information about disability
• maintaining confidentiality, privacy and dignity of learners with disability
• referring to specialist services required for individual support plans

• persons covered by the Disability Discrimination Act
• key components of individual learning support plans for learners with disability, including:

• agreed learning opportunities
• required teaching, learning and/or assessment strategies, and specific related learning supports
• required resources and reasonable adjustments

• social model and medical models of disability
• potential and actual barriers to learning for learners with different types of disability, including those that may be present in the structure of learning and learning environment
• course demands and requirements, work placement demands and any inherent requirements for undertaking learning
• definition of ‘reasonable adjustment’ within the organisational context, taking note of the organisation’s size, capabilities and resource base
• different training and assessment methods, strategies and reasonable adjustments that can be implemented to provide additional support to learners
• assistive technologies, equipment, devices, aids and other resources required for the support plans developed in the performance evidence
• principles of a person-centred approach to providing support to learners with a disability
• communication strategies and tools required when communicating with learners with a disability, including:

• augmentative and alternative communication methods and aids
• inclusive language and person-first expressions

• common student services, resources, support providers and specialists, both internal and external to the organisation, required for support plans in the performance evidence.

Assessment Conditions

Skills must be demonstrated in a real or simulated vocational education and training workplace. Where assessment with learners with disability would be impractical, inappropriate, or not possible, particularly where skills relate to more sensitive, critical or highly resource-dependent instances, for the purposes of assessment: simulation that involves the use of paid or volunteer people with disability as simulated learners is acceptable.         

Access to equipment, resources and technologies is required for planning implementing the learning support plans described in the performance evidence, including:

• adaptive and/or assistive technologies or equipment
• alternative and augmentative communication techniques or devices
• adapted training and/or assessment resources and materials
• learner information
• relevant legislation and workplace documents
• course and learning offerings of the organisation
• organisational protocols and procedures for supporting learners with disability and implementing reasonable adjustments
• learning materials, technologies and/or adjustments
• real de-identified individualised learning plans or example case studies, and any workplace resources or equipment outlined in the learning plan
• real interactions with at least three learners with disability
• interactions with other staff involved in support process.

Industry or simulated operating conditions, including:

• challenges typical in work to support learners with disability
• scenarios or opportunities that require real-time, interpersonal interactions and problem solving with other people; learners, support providers, and/or others involved in implementing support plans
• more than one opportunity for interaction for each individual support plan, so that at a minimum, additional support is determined and implemented, and then reviewed and updated if required.

Assessors of this unit must satisfy the assessor requirements for assessors in applicable vocational education and training legislation, frameworks and/or standards.

Links

Companion Volume Implementation Guide is available from VETNet - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=35337905-785d-4f93-8777-e9991ad4c6c3