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Experts are calling for changes to Australia's tertiary education system, to support students studying with disability or chronic illness.
Accessibility standards within the tertiary education sector are in need of an overhaul. New research has found students with disability have a lower success rate in tertiary education compared to students without disability.
Data from the Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training shows students with disability are under-performing or unsatisfied in their tertiary education.
Deakin University lecturer and disability advocate Dr Genee Marks told NRN the path to inclusiveness is far more than a list of rules.
We're seeing more and more students coming forward talking about their disabilities…[We need] people to be educated and to understand why it's essential to be inclusive.
Dr Marks explains that the degree of inclusive adjustments for students varies depending on their condition.
“For students who are deaf or have hearing impairments, the availability of interpreters limits access to online classes,” she says.
“For students with neurodiversity, participation can be very challenging, especially if it involves group activities and breakout classrooms.”
She says several challenges need further action.
“It’s difficult to enforce standards, but it's got to work at all levels. We need to encourage universities. We need to have professional development, rather than to just have procedures and practices.”
Want more on this topic? Try this episode of Literacy Legends - available in both audio and written (transcript) formats.