The Inclusive education – disability statewide staffroom is a place for all staff across our department who are passionate about inclusive education for students with disability, to connect, collaborate, share their expertise and get the latest information and resources related to inclusive education for students with disability.

Members are encouraged to engage in professional dialogue, ask questions, and share ideas and resources.

Subject matter experts and advisors from various policy areas relating to inclusive education for students with disability support and moderate the Staffroom through a tagging system.

Together we are building a supportive, collaborative community of educational practitioners.

The Inclusive Practice in Education Scholarship is supporting teachers to undertake further education that will assist them in embedding inclusive practice in their classrooms and schools in line with the Department's Disability Strategy. Eligible permanent, temporary and casual teachers and school leaders working in any NSW public school setting are encouraged to apply. Click here for more information and to receive updates.

Under the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (DSE2005) all principals and teachers have legal obligations to ensure that every student is able to participate in the curriculum on the same basis as their peers through rigorous, meaningful and dignified learning. The Disability Standards are Australian law under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1992.

A package of e-learning lessons provides professional learning for school staff.

The Disability Standards for Education Leaders course is mandatory for educational leaders (principals, DELs and school executive staff) and is designed to help them to uphold their legal obligations.

The course is highly recommended for all teaching staff in NSW public schools, and a valuable resource for corporate employees.

There following courses are available to department staff:

1. Disability Standards for Education leaders
2. Disability Standards for senior secondary
3. Disability Standards for Education for junior secondary
4. Disability Standards for primary schools
5. Disability Standards for early childhood (prior to school)
6. Disability Standards for early childhood (school)
7. Disability Standards for education assistants

This training is highly relevant to the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data - School Students with Disability (NCCD). The Disability Standards for Education underpin this important work for schools. All schools are required to participate in the national data collection annually from 2015. These e-learning lessons support schools' ability to understand their obligations as they prepare their data for the national collection. Decisions for the collection of data are based on evidence of adjustments for the student whose learning is impacted by disability, after consultation with the student, their parents and carers.

This online, self-paced learning supports school staff to:

1. Identify the diversity of learners, their strengths and learning needs and how to cater for these when planning, programming, teaching and assessing.
2. Identify the diversity of Aboriginal learners, their learning needs and how to cater for these learners using evidence-based strategies to plan, program, teach and assess.
3. Identify the diversity of English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D) learners, their strengths and learning needs and how to cater for these learners using evidence-based strategies to plan, program, teach and assess.
4. Identify the diversity of high potential and gifted (HPG) learners, their strengths and learning needs and how to cater for these learners using evidence-based strategies to plan, program, teach and assess.
5. Understand responsibilities to support learners with disability, identify their strengths and learning needs and how to cater for these learners using evidence-based strategies to plan, program, teach and assess.

Access the course here (staff only)