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People with disability supported to return to tertiary campuses

Newsroom

The adoption of new national disability guidelines will ensure the safety of tertiary staff and students with disability during return-to-campus stages at Australian universities.

The guidelines were produced by the Australian Disability Clearinghouse of Education and Training (ADCET), which is hosted by the University of Tasmania.

“The guidelines recognise that people with disability have a right to feel safe and confident when returning to campus after working from home, and one solution does not fit everyone,” ADCET Manager and National Disability Coordination Officer Darlene McLennan said.

“For example, deaf and hard of hearing staff and students may require people to wear transparent face masks so that they can lipread and converse.

“As people start to return to our pre-COVID routines it’s important to take it slowly and steady – not only to keep us safe from the virus – but also to meet the needs of everyone in the process.”

The guidelines, which complement tertiary education providers’ general return to campus approaches, draw on experiences and expertise from across Australian vocational education and training (VET) and higher education providers.

“Implementing the guidelines’ practical recommendations will help ensure that return-to-campus plans are viewed through a ‘disability lens’,” Ms McLennan said.

The guidelines were made possible through a grant from the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment.

The guidelines can be downloaded free of charge at adcet.edu.au/covid-19-faqs/return-to-campus-planning