Application

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to determine, document and address the support needs of learners with disability. It involves implementing individualised support that enables learners with disability and different support needs to access and successfully participate in vocational education and training opportunities, including both learning and assessment.
This unit applies to vocational educational and training (VET) teachers, trainers, assessors, and other personnel who coordinate learning support and reasonable adjustment for learners. Their responsibilities include ensuring that the registered training organisation (RTO) is meeting its legislated obligations 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.

What You'll Learn

Assessment Requirements

Performance Evidence

The individual 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 3 different learners with disability.
• In the course of the above, the candidate must:
• consult with each learner using a person-centred approach on at least 2 occasions to:
• identify learning and assessment support needs based on the individual’s self-expression and preferences
• monitor the effectiveness of implemented supports and strategies
• consult with others responsible for providing support to learners with disability on at least 2 occasions.

Knowledge Evidence

The individual must be able to demonstrate knowledge to complete the tasks outlined in the elements, performance criteria and foundation skills of this unit, including knowledge of:
• legislative and regulatory requirements and current standards for working with learners with disability, including:
• Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015 (or their successor), or other state or territory legislation that applies to RTOs
• Disability Standards for Education
• Disability Discrimination Act
• Disability Services Act
• United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
• Australia’s Disability Strategy
• work health and safety (WHS) requirements
• organisational 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 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 training, learning and assessment strategies, and specific related learning supports
• required resources and reasonable adjustments
• social 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 in this unit must be demonstrated in a real or simulated vocational education and training environment, which must include:
• typical in workplace challenges relevant to supporting learners with disability
• real-time, interpersonal interactions and problem solving with learners with disability and others in implementing individual support plans
• real learners with disability, or paid or volunteer people with disability as simulated learners where assessment with learners with disability is impractical, inappropriate, or not possible, particularly where skills relate to more sensitive, critical or highly resource-dependent instances.
Resources to be provided includes access to:
• adaptive or assistive technologies or equipment
• alternative and augmentative communication techniques or devices
• examples of training and assessment resources customised for learners with disability
• examples of real and de-identified individualised learning plans for learners with disability
• learner and course information
• organisational protocols and procedures for supporting learners with disability and implementing reasonable adjustments
• learning materials and technologies.
Assessors must satisfy the assessor requirements for assessors in applicable vocational education and training legislation, frameworks and/or standards.

Foundation Skills

• {'skill': 'Digital literacy', 'description': 'Uses main features and functions of digital tools and electronic applications required in own role to access and exchange information'}
• {'skill': 'Reading', 'description': 'Sources, analyses and interprets documentation and information relevant to the learning context to identify relevance for individual support plan'}
• {'skill': 'Oral communication', 'description': 'Uses communication techniques to build rapport with learners with disability and explore their learning options, identify support needs and reasonable adjustments, and agree on individual support plans'}
• {'skill': 'Self-management', 'description': 'Selects and uses appropriate protocols when communicating with others to seek or share information'}
• {'skill': 'Self-management', 'description': 'Organises and completes work according to defined requirements, taking responsibility for decisions and sequencing tasks to achieve efficient outcomes'}

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