ADCET Webinar: Disability discrimination in the tertiary sector - the DDA, the DSE, and current disability discrimination controversies

The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) (DDA) has now been in operation for more than 30 years. It prohibits direct and indirect discrimination and obliges the making of reasonable adjustment for people with disability. The Disability Standards for Education 2005 (Cth) (DSE) were implemented in 2005 in order to clarify the scope of reasonable adjustment in the context of the education of the education of people with disability.

ADCET was proud to host this webinar by Elizabeth Dickson (Senior Lecturer, Law School, Queensland University of Technology) who provided a refresher on how the DDA and DSE work to promote the inclusion of people with disability, and also addressed the limitations of the legislation, particularly in respect to how the obligation to make reasonable adjustment has been narrowly interpreted by the courts.

Controversies which have arisen in the tertiary sector were also covered: the educational institution’s obligations in respect of students with disability relating to challenging behaviour; the ramifications of failure to disclose disability; inherent requirements statements; and course completion disrupted by disability.

Presenter

Elizabeth Dickson, Senior Lecturer, Law School, Queensland University of Technology

Elizabeth's PhD considered the utility of anti-discrimination legislation as a mechanism to promote equality of opportunity in education. Elizabeth teaches, researches, and consults in the area of Australian anti-discrimination law. She has published widely on the topic of disability discrimination and Australian education institutions.

ADCET is hosted by the University of Tasmania