Massey University Disability and Inclusion Action Plan

In 2021, 617 students were registered with Disability Services with 226 (36.6%) of students identifying with multiple types of impairments which include:

• Specific Learning Differences (SLD)* (37.3%)
• Mental health/psychological disorders (26.3%)
• Chronic medical health conditions (24.1%)
• Physical impairments including mobility and fine motor (11.7%)
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), including Asperger Syndrome (10%)
• Blind and visual impairments (5.5%)
• Deaf and hearing impairments (3.7%)
• Other (8.9%).

Students at Massey enrol with support services through our standard enrolment processes, as part of which they are asked if they 'live with the effects of a significant injury, long term illness or disability’. Those who answer ‘yes’ are provided with information about Disability Services and exam support. It is worth noting that many students register after their study has commenced by either self-directing or being referred to the Service by academic staff and other support services. We also note that many students with impairments do not disclose them at all, for a range of complex reasons, which means that our official numbers represent only a portion of the overall population of students living with disabilities. Under-reporting in this area is a well-recognised phenomenon that is evident through the history of disability in Aotearoa New Zealand.

It has long been recognised that a gap persists between how students respond to this question and those who choose to register for support. In 2021, only 27.5% of those who answered ‘yes’ registered for support, while 23.7% of students who were registered with Disability Services had not responded ‘yes’ to the annual question. Those who answer yes but do not register are followed up by email to ensure they are aware of the service and how to engage should they wish to.

Students can engage with support services at any time before or during their studies, ranging from early engagement with prospective students and their whānau, teachers, or support workers, through to learners seeking support with their final months of study. Support is available to students regardless of level or mode and operates in tandem with other support services, including those that provide cultural, health or wellbeing support.

Many learners also access support through Disability Services without completing registration. This includes students without official diagnoses (especially with SLD, ADHD, ASD); those with difficulty providing support documentation due to pressure on medical, mental health and specialist services, difficulty in locating older assessment documentation especially from childhood diagnoses, or financial barriers; those who believe they are registered for support but have not completed the process; and those who prefer not to officially register due to fear of identification or discrimination, especially with selected entry and competitive programmes or fields of practice. Disability Services also indirectly supports students through its engagement with teaching staff by providing advice about supporting specific learners or groups of learners, and by promoting inclusive practices built on the principles of Universal Design.

While students are positive about the individualised support they receive and the positive effect this has on their studies and wellbeing, the University can do much more to address accessibility and implement embedded Universal Design and inclusive approaches for the systematic improvement of disability (and inclusion) regardless of direct engagement with the Service.

This Disability and Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) thus reflects the University’s commitment to ensuring equity and inclusion for all students, whether they have visible or invisible impairments and whether (or not) they choose to disclose these.

* It is worth noting here that Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is combined with SLD in TEC reporting templates which, in turn, has informed the division and grouping of impairment fields in the University’s record systems. However, recent internal changes to categorisation will improve the quality of this cohort-specific data in recognition of the growth in support requests for learners either diagnosed or seeking diagnosis for ADHD observed by both Disabilities Services and Student Health and Counselling services.

The University Equal Employment Opportunities Policy includes commitments to providing ‘equal opportunities for recruitment, retention, development and promotion of all of its current and prospective employees, regardless of sex, marital status, religious/ethical belief, colour, race, ethnic or national origins, disability, age, political opinion, employment status, family status, or sexual orientation’ and the identification and elimination of ‘all aspects of policies and procedures or other institutional barriers that cause or perpetuate inequity in respect of the employment of any person or group of persons’.

The Equity of Access to Educational Opportunities Policy states the university’s commitment to attracting and supporting students from diverse backgrounds by endeavouring to provide assistance for all current and prospective students (irrespective of; age, belief, colour, disability, employment status, ethnic or national origin, family status, marital status, race, religious, sex or sexual orientation) who meet the University’s entrance requirements, to attend and succeed at University.

The drafting of this plan highlighted the absence of a formal and systematic ways to gather disabled student voices when developing, evaluation and implementing actions aimed at improving their experience and academic outcomes.

Actions to address this and to ensure sustained and meaningful partnership between the university and disabled students is a priority for 2022/23.

This Disability and Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) is a multi-pronged plan which will require the engagement of staff from across the University, as well as the engagement of students, whānau, community and disability sector advocacy groups.

It requires SLT-led governance and oversight, in the form of a steering group, with an operations group and specific subject-matter working groups drawn from experts across the University to be convened as required. As with the Pūrehuroatanga cross-university strategic initiative focussed on student success, the disability and inclusion support work seeks to take a whole of university approach.

Given the objectives of this work and the Pūrehuroatanga strategic initiative are strongly aligned around the values of inclusion, access, and equity, the workstreams emerging from the DAP will be incorporated into the overall Pūrehuroatanga governance, reporting and resourcing frameworks. This will ensure a highly coordinated university-wide effort, while still respecting specific learner needs.

This plan outlines the actions and steps which will be undertaken in the period from 2022-2027.

The scale and scope of this work requires that it takes place in stages. The initial plan suggests that the following stages are appropriate, but details will become clearer as stage 2 progresses and following further student engagement.

Stage 1 (2022-2023)

Self-review of the current state and initial identification of actions. Short-term actions are implemented, including activation of the student partnership priority work.

Stage 2 (2023)

Scoping of specific medium-long-term projects including development of detailed timelines, resourcing requirements and budgets. Monitoring and evaluation of initial actions begins.

Stage 3: (2023-2027)

Rollout of projects to fulfil medium to long-term actions. Monitoring and evaluation of individual projects continues with further actions being identified. Increasing partnership and understanding of disabled and neurodiverse student experiences clearly understood and used to inform ongoing refinements to DAP.

Stage 4: (2027 onwards)

Long-term project work identified in Stage 1 continues. A detailed self-review to evaluate outcomes and determine future focus areas is undertaken in partnership with students and other key stakeholders.

Student involvement in the prioritisation of actions is seen as critical and will help in the development of detailed timelines.

The plan below includes details of the best practice standards as described in the Kia Ōrite Toolkit, and details of resulting draft action items which are intended to help progress current practices towards best practice.

Further work is currently underway to refine and prioritise these action items, a new version of the plan will be produced in July 2023.

There are two sections, one focused on management actions and the other focused on learner support responsibilities.

Part One: Management Actions

Leadership policy and planning

Vision: All strategic planning, policies and procedures ensure disabled learners have equal opportunities for participation and achievement.

Best Practice Standard: University-wide commitment to institutional policies, strategies and practices to support diversity and inclusion of students and staff with impairments, ongoing medical or mental health condition.

Draft Actions:

• University student mental health and wellbeing plan is developed and endorsed.
• An Accessibility and Inclusion Policy to articulate our commitment to a fully inclusive educational environment for disabled learners, is developed in partnership with disabled learners and disability support staff.

Best Practice Standard: A university wide commitment to practice supporting equity, inclusion and accessibility informed by research, data, and developed in partnership with disabled staff and students.

Draft Actions:

• Development of appropriate question sets for relevant student surveys.
• Determine processes for collection of information and storage in appropriate university data warehouse.
• Inclusion of disability filters in Rapid reports.
• Appointment of Senior Leader of accessibility services to drive and promote the implementation of DIAP.
• A disability and inclusion reference group is established and resourced (e.g., student representative time compensated) involving staff from various parts of the organisation, disabled learners with different impairments and relevant community networks.
• Include consideration of disabled learners in all policies as they are developed and/or reviewed.

Best Practice Standard: All policies, procedures and planning processes take into consideration the participation and achievement of disabled learners in academic and other areas of the learning environment life.

Draft Actions:

• Include consideration of disabled learners in all policies as they are developed and/or reviewed.

Recruitment, selection, admission, and enrolment

Vision: Disabled learners can access recruitment initiatives and marketing information describes opportunities for them to participate.

Vision: Selection and admission policies and procedures assess a disabled learner competencies and not their impairments.

Vision: Enrolment, registration and induction processes accommodate the needs of all disabled learners.

Best Practice Standard: General and specific learner recruitment initiatives are developed that make explicit reference to opportunities and learning support for disabled learners.

Draft Actions:

• Review all general recruitment materials and initiatives.
• Work with recruitment and marketing to create standards for recruitment initiatives.

Best Practice Standard: Disabled learners feature in promotional material, including those with less obvious learning supports.

Draft Actions:

• Marketing and web content team to identify appropriate strategies and examples.

Best Practice Standard: General and specific learner recruitment initiatives assist prospective disabled learners to make appropriate educational decisions by providing information about educational pathways, support systems, entry and professional or vocational course requirements.

Draft Actions:

• Information about pathways, support systems, entry and professional requirements is added to website programme information pages.
• Provision of relevant information is added to university programme and course amendment processes.

Best Practice Standard: Promotional material is disseminated in alternative formats to a wide range of relevant community networks that disabled learners can access.

Draft Actions:

• Promotional materials will be provided in alternative formats to specific community networks such as Blind Low Vision NZ.

Best Practice Standard: Prospective disabled learners are encouraged and assisted to identify their specific support requirements, ideally prior to application for admission.

Draft Actions:

• Prospective disabled learners and whānau are invited to engage early with accessibility services with information that is clear, accessible, and easily found through the Massey website and in promotional and recruitment materials.
• Prospective learners disclosing health or disability issues during application for selected entry programmes or student accommodation are connected to appropriate support services using university case management systems prior to commencement.
• Resources and training provided to staff in student information and advising roles and recruitment to encourage early referrals to accessibility devices.

Best Practice Standard: Selection and admission policies and procedures are relevant to course and professional requirements and do not unjustifiably disadvantage or exclude disabled applicants.

Draft Actions:

• Review of processes in selected entry programmes where health and disability disclosure are sought.

Best Practice Standard: Staff involved with selection and admission provide appropriate support to disabled applicants in selection activities, use expertise to assess an applicant’s support needs, receive effective guidance and training to prevent disability discrimination, and can clearly justify refusing entry to a course on the grounds of impairment.

Draft Actions:

• Evaluation criteria developed to ensure fair and consistent outcomes for prospective disabled learners.

Best Practice Standard: Appeal processes for learners rejected on the grounds of impairment are available and widely publicised.

Draft Actions:

• No action required at this stage.

Best Practice Standard: Enrolment, registration, and induction processes take into account the physical, communication and information access requirements of disabled learners.

Draft Actions:

• Enrolment, registration, and induction processes are reviewed with input from disabled learners to ensure they are as accessible and inclusive as is reasonable.

Best Practice Standard: Information about impairments is collected for relevant purposes only, the purpose of collection is clearly stated, measures to ensure confidentiality are followed, and the information collected does not appear on academic records or graduation documentation.

Draft Actions:

• Determine processes for collection of information and storage in appropriate university data warehouse.

Best Practice Standard: Disabled learners are advised of the services available to assist them.

Draft Actions:

• Accessibility services work in close collaboration with internal and external support services. Further work to ensure disabled learners are routinely informed about and connected to both specialist and general support services within and outside the University.

Funding and fee appeal policy and procedure

Vision: Funds are adequate to provide effective support to disabled learners and flexible withdrawal policies exist that allow withdrawal without academic or financial penalty if learners withdraw because of an impairment.

Best Practice Standard: Clear withdrawal policies and procedures exist, allowing withdrawal without academic or financial penalty if learners withdraw from subjects or courses after scheduled closing dates because of an impairment.

Draft Actions:

• No action required at this stage.

Best Practice Standard: Withdrawal policy and procedures are known to all learners and implemented consistently.

Draft Actions:

• No action required at this stage.

Best Practice Standard: Adequate funds are generated in the fee structure and/or through other nonoperating grant sources to provide effective services to support disabled learners, and disabled learners receive the same services as their nondisabled peers.

Draft Actions:

• A review of funding allocation and usage.
• A review of disabled learners’ experiences of services and support.

Best Practice Standard: Funding for disabled learners is used as set out by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC).

Draft Actions:

• Re-alignment of budget to reside with accessibility services reporting line.

Complaint and fee appeal policies and procedures

Vision: Policies and procedures exist to deal with complaints arising directly or indirectly from disabled learners. These are accessible and communicated effectively to the disabled learners.

Vision: Policies and procedures exist to deal with complaints arising directly or indirectly from disabled learners. These are accessible and communicated effectively to the disabled learners.

Best Practice Standard: Policies and procedures established in relation to learner complaints, appeals, harassment, and disciplinary procedures cover impairment issues.

Draft Actions:

• Review student policies and procedures, including University Complaints Policy, to ensure appropriate coverage of impairment issues.

Best Practice Standard: Disabled learners receive these policies and procedures in an appropriate manner and format and are aware of their right to have an independent advocate.

Draft Actions:

• Provide all student policies and procedures in alternative formats.

Access to buildings, facilities, and infrastructure

Vision: Disabled learners have equitable access to the physical environment within the tertiary institution in which they will study, learn, live and take part.

Vision: Learning environment, both physical and digital facilities, equipment and events are fully accessible to all disabled learners and allow equitable access to these services.

Vision: When using digital technologies in teaching, learning and assessment consider the possible impacts on disabled learners so that pedagogical outcomes are inclusive and equitable to these learners.

Best Practice Standard: All buildings that required comply with or exceed the standards identified in NZS 4121:2001 Design for Access and Mobility: Buildings and Associated Facilities.

A physical access plan to improve physical access to the above minimum standard for learners with different impairments is developed, resources allocated, and an ongoing monitoring and review schedule established and implemented.

The annual review of the physical access plan involves learners with different impairments, disability support staff and where necessary those responsible for the audit.

Draft Actions:

• Funds are allocated for an independent accessibility audit and recommendations report of Massey Campuses.
• All Massy University buildings, including student accommodation, are audited for accessibility and a plan to address accessibility issues developed. The plan will include an ongoing monitoring and review schedule which involves learners with different impairments, disability support staff and staff with disabilities.

Best Practice Standard: Policies and procedures exist to ensure that the needs of disabled learners are taken into account when any new building work or refurbishment takes place, including consulting the above-mentioned parties.

Draft Actions:

• Develop or review and update appropriate Massey Policy and Standards for new build projects to reflect Massey’s goals and ensure that by design, appropriate levels of accessibility and inclusion are achieved.

Best Practice Standard: Key access features such as location of lifts, accessible telephones, toilets, routes, entrances, and parking are clearly signed and identified on location maps.

Draft Actions:

• Following the accessibility audit, all location maps are updated to reflect relevant information.

Best Practice Standard: Accessible parking and public transport drop-off and pick-up points (e.g. wheelchair taxis, buses), and locational signage comply with or exceed NZS 4121:2001 and consider the increasing numbers of disabled learners in the learning environment.

Draft Actions:

• Following the accessibility audit signage including transport and locational signage will comply or exceed NZS4121:2001.

Best Practice Standard: Disabled learners are aware of recent changes affecting physical access during work on buildings and grounds, and know where to go if they find an access issue and want to report it.

Draft Actions:

• Development of s.o.p. to ensure that the facilities team and the accessibility services team meet regularly, and scheduled building and grounds work plans are evaluated for impact on disabled students.

Best Practice Standard: Facilities and equipment planning incorporates the requirements of disabled learners and occurs in consultation with these learners and disability support staff.

Draft Actions:

• Develop or review and strengthen standards and policy relevant to learning environment facilities to elevate inclusivity in the Massey context.

Best Practice Standard: Fire evacuation, health, safety and security procedures consider all disabled learners.

Draft Actions:

• A review of health and safety procedures for students across campuses.

Best Practice Standard: Information technology systems, computer arrangements and assistive technology maximise access to learning and consider the learning support needs of disabled learners.

The adoption of online tools, technological platforms and device-based software licences for teaching, learning and assessment is undertaken with consultation of disabled learners and is accessible for their assistive technology.

Draft Actions:

• The development of a set of procedures guiding the adoption of new technologies which explicitly outlines the role of disabled learners throughout the process.

Best Practice Standard: The use of online tools, technological platforms and device-based software for learning by disabled learners is supported by academic, teaching, demonstrator and learning support staff.

Teaching, IT and other support staff receive training and other resources so they are familiar with assistive technologies that disabled learners may find useful.

Draft Actions:

• A suite of Educator Resource Hub resources will be developed to support staff supporting disabled students.
• A process will be established for ensuring that staff associated with courses being taken by disabled students are informed and upskilled in the requisite technologies.

Monitoring and evaluation

Vision: Effective monitoring and evaluation systems report on the participation, retention and achievement of disabled learners and identify any barriers to these areas.

Vision: A safe environment exists for disabled learners to provide personal impairment information and there are effective systems for communicating relevant timely and appropriate learning support information for both staff and disabled learners.

Best Practice Standard:Institutional barriers and the impact of these on disabled learners are identified and reported by senior management through the Disability and Inclusion Action Plan monitoring.

Draft Actions:

• Development of a bi-annual report for consideration by the university senior leadership team.

Best Practice Standard: There are a range of monitoring and evaluation systems to measure progress with goals and targets to remove these barriers to participation, retention, and achievement of disabled learners.

Draft Actions:

• Development of appropriate question sets for relevant student surveys.
• Determine processes for collection of information and storage in appropriate university data warehouse.
• Inclusion of disability filters in Rapid reports.
• Appointment of Senior Leader of accessibility services to drive and promote the implementation of DAP.

Best Practice Standard: Effective systems are in place to provide a forum to raise, discuss and advocate on issues affecting disabled learners.

Draft Actions:

• Appointment of Senior Leader of accessibility services to drive and promote the implementation of DAP.

Best Practice Standard: Impairment information is only sought to arrange support and disseminated only to staff on a ‘need to know’ basis, with the learner’s permission.

Draft Actions:

• Following consultation, specific reference to the use of student impairment information will be included in the University Guidelines for Ethical Data Use.

Best Practice Standard: Staff receive information about the individual needs of disabled learners in a clear, appropriate, effective, and timely way.

Draft Actions:

• Further development of CRM Case Management will be undertaken to ensure staff receive information about student needs in an effective manner.

Best Practice Standard: A safe environment is created for learners to disclose impairment information in line with the disclosure provisions in the Health and Disability Commissioner Act and Privacy Act.

Draft Actions:

• Staff will receive specific training on disclosures and Disability Commissioner Act in addition to the already received training on the Privacy Act.

Part Two – Learning Support Responsibilities

Learning support and teaching

Vision: All academic, trades and training programmes are accessible in all respects to disabled learners. Staff design and implement appropriate teaching and learning strategies using universal design principles and alternative formats.

Best Practice Standard: Teaching staff plan and employ teaching and learning strategies and reasonable accommodations to make course delivery as inclusive as possible for disabled learners, without compromising essential programme standards or components.

Effective learning support strategies and reasonable accommodations for disabled learners exist for online learning, distance education or other flexible delivery modes such as e-learning.

Draft Actions:

• Ongoing academic development programmes in UDL and accessible learning design will be developed further.
• Investigation of platforms for the integrated provision of alternative formats.

Best Practice Standard: Where possible disabled learners have the same access to academic and vocational placements, including field trips, work placements and study abroad, as other learners.

Draft Actions:

• Provision of relevant information is added to university programme and course amendment processes.

Learning support for Māori disabled learners

Vision: Opportunities are promoted for Māori disabled learners and their whānau to access, participate and achieve in tertiary education with demonstrable improvements to overcoming barriers to participation and achievement rates.

Best Practice Standard: Māori disabled learners and their whānau are involved in the ongoing development and implementation of strategies to overcome barriers to participation and achievement, and academic outcomes for Māori disabled learners improve.

Draft Actions:

• Provision for Whānau Hauā is embedded within key plans and frameworks.

Best Practice Standard: Ongoing consultation occurs with Māori advocates in relation to this support.

Draft Actions:

• Recruitment of staff into Te Rau Tauawhi/DVC Māori will include staff with Te Whānau Hauā support expertise.

Best Practice Standard: Specific strategies are developed to encourage and increase the number of Māori disabled learners studying at tertiary level.

Draft Actions:

• Develop strategies to increase numbers of Māori disabled learners.

Examinations and assessment

Vision: Assessment and examination policies, procedures and practices provide disabled learners with the same opportunity as their peers to achieve learning outcomes.

Best Practice Standard: Provide reasonable accommodations for examinations and assessment that allow disabled learners the same opportunity as their peers to achieve learning outcomes.

Draft Actions:

• Provide blanket access to adaptive technologies in tests and examinations.
• Improve processes to support students and staff in the provision of alternative arrangements in non- centralised mid-semester tests.
• Develop guidance and training in alternative assessment options for non-test or examination conditions.

Best Practice Standard: Develop a clear procedure for granting alternative arrangements following the national standard for Guidelines and Procedures for the Provision of Alternative Arrangements in Tests and Examinations to Students with Disability/Impairment (Achieve, 2016). Ensure that access to alternative arrangements is widely publicised, operates with minimum delay, is applied consistently and are monitored regularly for fairness, understanding and consistency.

Monitor the provision of alternative arrangements regularly so that:

a) equity and fairness are upheld

b) teaching staff understand possible provisions and procedures and how to advise disabled learners

c) provision is consistent across the tertiary provider.

Consider providing alternative for internal assessment and tests of under 30mins for disabled learners with reading, writing or spelling difficulty on an individual needs basis.

Draft Actions:

• Alternative arrangements policy and procedures are further developed.

Services for other diverse groups of disabled learners

Vision: Opportunities are promoted for disabled learners who may also experience additional barriers arising from membership of other equity groups to access, participate and achieve in tertiary education with demonstrable improvements to overcoming barriers to participation and achievement rates.

Best Practice Standard:

There is ongoing development and implementation of strategies to achieve and improve academic outcomes for disabled learners who may also experience additional barriers arising from membership of other equity groups such as other cultural groups, women, international learners, LGBTQIA communities, migrants, at-risk youth, older people etc.

Draft Actions:

• General and specialist supports for these diverse groups of disabled learners are developed in partnership with them.
• Ongoing consultation occurs with them in relation to this support.
• Specific strategies are developed to encourage and increase the number of disabled learners from these diverse groups studying at tertiary level.

Learning supports for students with different impairments

Vision: Teaching and other support staff report that they have the knowledge, skills, information and support to work effectively with disabled learners with different impairments and feedback processes for disabled learners concurs with this.

Best Practice Standard: Key staff receive regular and ongoing training about effective support for disabled learners with different impairments.

Strategies are developed and implemented to measure if staff development and training leads to staff having the knowledge and skills to work effectively with disabled learners.

Draft Actions:

• Develop resources and training materials.
• Embed resources and training within existing platforms and programmes to reduce ‘voluntary’ engagement.
• Develop guidelines for working in partnership.

Access to general and specialist support services

Vision: Disabled learners have equitable access to appropriate support services.

Best Practice Standard: Disabled learners have access to the full range of support services available to their non-disabled peers.

Draft Actions:

• Service access and information is reviewed in partnership with disabled learners.

Best Practice Standard: Where existing services are not accessible, alternative services and/or arrangements are made.

Draft Actions:

• Clear guidance is developed for students and staff about the provision of accommodations including how they are coordinated and funded.

Best Practice Standard: Services to all learners are regularly reviewed, ensuring that they meet the emerging requirements of learners with different impairments.

Draft Actions:

• Development of appropriate question sets for relevant student surveys.

Best Practice Standard: All support services are culturally appropriate to tauira Māori disabled learners, and to other diverse groups of disabled learners.

Draft Actions:

• Formalise a network of staff whose roles provide support and advocacy for learner inclusion to create space for shared case management and development of good practices.
• Develop training for staff that moves beyond single-lens inclusion to acknowledge the diversity of our learners with a whole person approach.

Best Practice Standard: General and specialist support staff have the skills, experience, support and networks to provide effective advice and support to people with different impairments, their whānau/families and other staff.

Draft Actions:

• Student Support and Advising Capabilities Framework’s diverse learners module development to be prioritised.
• Recognise and Refer training provided to staff to include content on disabled learner needs and internal support structures.

Best Practice Standard: General, specialist and other support staff receive guidance and training on the use of non-discriminatory practices, so staff are aware of their legal obligations under the Human Rights and Privacy Acts, HDC Code of Rights and other relevant legislation.

Draft Actions:

• Student Support and Advising Capabilities Framework’s diverse learners module development to be prioritised.

Best Practice Standard: General, specialist and other support staff meet their obligations related to the Health and Disability Commissioner Act, 1994 and other relevant legislation such as the Human Rights and Privacy Acts.

Draft Actions:

• Training on the Health and Disability Commissioner Act included in Student Support and Advising Capability Framework.

Best Practice Standard: Disabled learners have access to, are aware of and are offered independent advocacy services from either the student association, HDC advocacy services or Human Rights Commission when they have concerns about the learning supports or reasonable accommodations being offered to them by the tertiary provider.

Draft Actions:

• Alternative arrangements policy and procedures are further developed.

Transition into employment

Vision: All academic programmes provide support and training for disabled learners that leads to them gaining employment.

Best Practice Standard: In the first instance, organisational or other career service staff provide support and training for all disabled learners about successful transition into employment, work experience, internships, vocational placements and job opportunities.

There is support for all disabled learners with the development of job applications, CVs, interview and other employment skills and strategies to successfully provide personal information about impairment related support to employers.

Draft Actions:

• Career services in place - specific actions to come.

Best Practice Standard: Disability support and other staff talk with disabled learners about how their learning support in a tertiary environment can be translated into workplace support, and the skills and assistive technology that they will require in employment.

There are feedback processes for disabled learners that indicated this support and training is leading to the successful transition of disabled learners to employment, supported by monitoring and evaluation.

Draft Actions:

• Service access and information is reviewed in partnership with disabled learners.

Staff Development

Vision: Staff development ensures that staff have the knowledge and skills to work effectively with disabled learners and create a fully inclusive environment.

Best Practice Standard: Regular disability responsiveness and inclusion training for staff is arranged as part of induction and development programmes for all staff and those involved with teaching and assessment.

Draft Actions:

• Embedded throughout previous actions.

Best Practice Standard: This training covers disability equity issues, the principles and benefits of principles of universal design in education and universal instructional design, inclusive teaching and assessment practices, learning supports for those with different impairments, common barriers, engaging disabled learners with different communication and information requirements, staff obligations under the HDC Code of Rights, Human Rights and Privacy Acts and other relevant policy and legislation, strategies to plan, implement and evaluate effective learning support for disabled learners.

Draft Actions:

• Ensure incorporation of these elements in Teaching Academy offerings.

Best Practice Standard: Specialist expertise, including the expertise of disabled learners and whānau, are actively involved in staff disability training and appropriately reimbursed.

Draft Actions:

• Develop guidelines for the remuneration of students participating in university service work.

Best Practice Standard: Staff have access on an ongoing basis to resource information about creating an inclusive educational environment, barriers to participation and achievement, and sources of internal and external support.

Draft Actions:

• Embedded throughout previous actions.

Best Practice Standard: Demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion by welcoming and actively encouraging the employment of disabled staff.

Draft Actions:

• Develop guidelines for the active recruitment of disabled staff.