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Disability and Australian Higher Education: Policy Drivers for Increasing Participation

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Student Equity in Australian Higher Education

Abstract

People with a disability comprise one of the largest growing and most complex groups within higher education. A Fair Chance for All noted that people with disabilities tend to be treated as a homogeneous group, but that assistance needs to be carefully targeted to individuals. Access has risen since the Framework was introduced, and universities have improved the physical accessibility of their campuses, their data collection abilities, and their knowledge of disability types and conditions. Nevertheless, funding remains limited, a focus on compliance dominates, and graduate outcomes are relatively poor for people with a disability. A renewed focus on achievement and employment is required alongside continuing initiatives to raise access.

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Acknowledgements

Data from the Department of Education and Training and its predecessors is copyright, Commonwealth of Australia, reproduced by permission.

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  1. Planning and Governance, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia

    Matthew Brett

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  1. Matthew Brett
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Correspondence to Matthew Brett .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Andrew Harvey

  2. Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Catherine Burnheim

  3. La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Matthew Brett

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Brett, M. (2016). Disability and Australian Higher Education: Policy Drivers for Increasing Participation. In: Harvey, A., Burnheim, C., Brett, M. (eds) Student Equity in Australian Higher Education. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0315-8_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0315-8_6

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  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-0313-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-0315-8

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