Needed Now In Learning and Teaching - Carrots and sticks: Levers for positive change in universities
With the Australian Government's recent quadrupling of the Disability Support Fund to over $53 million annually, good intentions are no longer enough. This article explores how universities can move beyond tick-box compliance to create genuine inclusion for students with disability.
Drawing on insights from the early learnings from the ACSES Equity Fellowship research 'Empowering Disability Services in Australian Higher Education', Darlene McLennan and Ebe Gannon examine the balance between positive incentives (performance-linked funding, ranking systems) and accountability measures (regulatory oversight, financial penalties) needed to drive systematic change.
The piece argues that sustainable transformation requires coordinated action at institutional, sectoral, and policy levels, with students' lived experiences as the ultimate measure of success.
Read the full article to discover why this moment represents a genuine opportunity for systemic change in disability support across Australian higher education.
Authors
Darlene McLennan is a 2025 ACSES Fellow at the University of Tasmania conducting a research project about improving the quality of disability support provision on university campuses.
Ebe Ganon is a Research Associate at the University of Tasmania, the Board Chair of Children and Young People with Disability Australia, and a trainer and facilitator at Ebe Ganon Community Engagement.
Read the full article as published in Needed Now in Learning and Teaching - 7 July 2025