Learning and Teaching Centre
Macquarie Accessibility Services
Guidelines in Developing Accessible Curricula
The following guidelines are based on the 2006 AVCC Guidelines for Students with a Disability.
A. Course Design and Review
Curricula should be inclusive and student centered, taking account of the diversity of student needs.
- Program design allows the flexibility to accommodate the needs of individual students with a disability without compromising academic standards.
- Essential course requirements, assessment criteria and learning outcomes are explicitly stated and explained.
- Course reviews and evaluations consider the need for equitable access and ensure that students are able to contribute to these processes.
- Timelines are mandated for the preparation of reading lists to ensure that course materials can be made available in accessible formats in time to allow equitable participation by students with a disability.
B. Course Delivery and Assessment
The delivery and assessment of courses should be inclusive and enable students with a disability to demonstrate equitably the achievement of learning outcomes.
- Learning programs utilise inclusive teaching and assessment strategies and are as flexible and accessible as is reasonably possible.
- Reasonable adjustments are made to delivery and assessment methods to accommodate the needs of individual students without compromising the standards or essential components of programs.
- Students with a disability are encouraged to discuss their learning and support needs directly with teaching staff who are resourced to respond appropriately to these requests.
- The information access and assistive technology needs of students with a disability are accommodated in learning and assessment tasks.
- Learning support services are accessible and address any particular need of students with a disability
C. Specific Learning Environments
All undergraduate and postgraduate learning environments should provide opportunities for equitable participation by students with a disability.
- Field-work based and practical learning environments are made as accessible as possible and accommodate the specific needs of students with a disability without compromising academic standards.
- Laboratory, practical and field-work policies and procedures minimize any disability related occupational health and safety risk to staff or students, where possible, without restricting the learning opportunities of students with a disability.
- Students with a disability in higher degree research programs are able to negotiate alternative research methods if these are required.
- The needs of students with a disability studying away from campus are accommodated, recognising the multiple disadvantages often experienced by rural and isolated students.
- Transnational partnership arrangements explicitly address the needs of students with a disability.
AVCC Guidelines Relating to Students with a Disability Section 4 Pages 6 - 7 May 2006
