2025 is here: what options are available to help you reach your goals this year?

Key points:

• While many young people with disability will receive offers to study at university in January and February 2025, getting university support for students with disability to manage work and study could increase your likelihood of success
• However, if you aren’t offered a place at university or TAFE, other options are available to help you continue your studies or develop life skills
• Volunteering or completing short courses is another way to develop life skills and become more independent

With more university places being offered to students for 2025 this week, it might seem overwhelming for some people with disability who haven’t received an offer or are not sure what to do this year.

However, going to university or other education organisations such as TAFE is not your only option to continue your learning or development of lifelong skills.

If you get a place in university or TAFE and are concerned about how you’ll manage your disability and study, you could apply to have study adjustments.

University and TAFE adjustments 

After accepting an offer to study at a university, you can organise a meeting with a university disability advisor if you think your disability may impact your ability to study and achieve academically. 

While the process could be different at each university or organisation, the general process is as follows:

• contact a disability advisor at your university’s disability services; 
• book an appointment with an advisor;
• attend the session to discuss the course requirements and how the university can accommodate your specific needs; and
• access the accommodations as required and within reason.

One thing you’ll need before attending your appointment is a support letter from a healthcare professional to verify your disability and that may include referrals or recommendations based on the professional’s expertise. A doctor may provide a letter in support of a student with physical disability if they believe that this will impair their ability to engage in study.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme does not provide direct support for participants in higher education and vocational education and training as this is expected to be provided by the university.

However, some NDIS-funded supports may include assistive technology such as communication devices, transport support if your disability prevents you from using public transport to and from your university and specific therapy supports to assist with your day-to-day living. 

In a literature review, it was suggested that ‘not every disabled student needs every accommodation available to them,’ which highlights the importance of knowing yourself and what can best help you to achieve academically. 

Researchers also found that of all students accessing academic accommodations, most ‘identified as having a “hidden” disability,’ such as learning disability or mental health concerns. 

Different study adjustments, which may be referred to as Access Plans, may include:

• extensions for assignments;
• alternative exam formats;
• reduced course load e.g. completing a course part-time;
• attendance flexibility.

Additionally, joining a professional mentoring program at university could also be beneficial because, in these programs, you can interact with people in your desired field and get related guidance. 

Making initial industry connections and contacts can be difficult if you’re not sure where to start, but becoming a mentee can help ease that concern. Contact your university to see if professional mentoring programs are offered.

Competitive versus non-competitive TAFE courses

TAFE is a government-run educational system and stands for Tertiary and Further Education. TAFE can be a good option for many people who are interested in learning more about the trades such as plumbing or being an electrician. Shorter courses are also available, where students can enrol in certificates related to topics such as disability care or childcare education.

TAFE courses are generally considered to be competitive if they have limited places or an expected high demand. In comparison, non-competitive TAFE courses may not have a specific number of places for students which means most, if not all, applicants will be offered a place. This may vary between campuses as well as states and territories so you should contact your preferred campus for more information:

• TAFE SA;
• TAFE Queensland;
• TasTAFE;
• Northern Territory;
• Canberra Institute of Technology;
• TAFE Western Australia; and
• TAFE Victoria.

However, suppose you don’t receive an offer for university or competitive TAFE courses. In that case, other opportunities are available to extend your studies and improve your chances of getting employed and developing your life skills.

Workplace adjustments

Perhaps further study is not something you’re interested in, and that’s okay too. Another option for school leavers is gaining employment with workplace adjustments or contacting Disability Employment Services for supported employment options.

Researchers suggest that up to 65 percent of employees living with disability have work adjustments in place. Additionally, workplaces with adjustments in place for people with disability often had:

• higher company morale;
• increased productivity;
• retention of quality employees;
• better interactions between staff members.

When an employee seeks to gain workplace adjustments, certain methods need to be followed for this to be successful. For example, employers may ask for a letter from a health professional, identifying certain reasons for the adjustments.

A letter of recommendation for workplace adjustments may include:

• why you need a workplace adjustment;
• what the recommendation is;
• how this will help with productivity; and
• contact details for any further information.      

Under the Disability Discrimination Act, written by the Australian Human Rights Commission, employers are required by law to make reasonable adjustments to the workplace.

If an employer does not make an effort to make these adjustments, it may be considered discrimination against someone living with disability.

However, in some cases, they may not be required to make an adjustment — if the employer can prove that the adjustment is unreasonable, it would be too expensive, difficult or time-consuming or cause them ‘unjustifiable hardship.’ 

These are specific to the individual and even if two people have the same condition, they may require separate adjustments. More information about workplace adjustments and how processes may differ can be found in our article: Reasonable adjustments in the workplace.

While more Australian workplaces are becoming more inclusive for people with disability, services are available to help people with disability find jobs they enjoy with added support.

Disability Employment Services can help people with disability find and maintain work in a mainstream environment, known as open employment, through two separate programs, namely:

• Employment Support Services — for job seekers with permanent disability and an assessed need for regular, ongoing workplace support;
• Disability Management Services — for job seekers with disability, injury or health conditions who are not expected to need long-term workplace support but may need irregular, flexible support to keep a job.

Read more about Disability Employment services and getting a job in this article: Australia’s most inclusive employers: who made the list?

Other options

Perhaps you’ve decided not to go to university or you weren’t offered a place in your preferred course — plenty of other options are available to help you get on track to reach your personal goals.

Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, learn new skills and become involved with your community in a fun and supportive way. Volunteering is freely giving your time to help another person, organisation, group or cause and can also help build your confidence before transitioning into employment if that’s something you are interested in.

There are many places you could volunteer, including:

• animal welfare organisations like the RSPCA;
• local thrift shops;
• environmental conservation organisations;
• Meals on Wheels; and
• Australian Red Cross.

To find volunteering opportunities in your community, head to the Volunteering Australia website.

Volunteering is also ideal to put on your resume as it shows businesses and organisations that you are interested in certain causes and can help you work your way into different workplaces.

Alternatively, short courses vary in terms of length and educational expectations, depending on the institution that provides the service. 

Adult education centres are used to build confidence and understanding in the topic of choice but are less likely to give students grades or tests to determine the level of their learning. For some people with disability, this may cause less stress than more formal courses.

In some cases, a short course may only consist of one day of learning, but some courses may extend to weeks or even months if desired.

Short courses at Australian adult learning centres cater to students from beginners to expert level and can include:

• languages;
• history;
• dance and fitness;
• painting and cooking.

What are your plans for this year?

Let the team at Disability Support Guide know on social media.

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