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Follow the links below to find material targeted to the unit's elements, performance criteria, required skills and knowledge

Elements and Performance Criteria

  1. Apply understanding of the delivery of services for students with disabilities
  2. Support the rights, interests and needs of students with disabilities as part of the education team
  3. Respond to situations of risk or potential risk to students with disabilities

Required Skills

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level required for this unit

Essential knowledge

The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively perform task skills task management skills contingency management skills and jobrole environment skills as outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit

These include knowledge of

Developmental and acquired disabilities

Different student requirements according to different disabilities

Holistic and individualcentred care

Student needs and rights including duty of care

Principles of empowermentdisempowerment in relation to students with disabilities

Principles of access and equity

Principles and practice s of confidentiality

Awareness of discriminatory actions

Common risks to safety

Role of advocacy bodies

Awareness and understanding of consent and strategies used to determine ability to consent

Essential skills

It is critical that the candidate demonstrate the ability to

Apply understanding of the rights of students with disabilities and the responsibilities of the education team

Demonstrate understanding of stereotypes that may exist about people with disabilities

Be aware of the impact of own attitudes on working with students with disabilities

Demonstrate understanding of the different responsibilities of teaching staff and education support workers working with students with disabilities

In addition the candidate must be able to demonstrate relevant task skills task management skills contingency management skills and jobrole environment skills

These include the ability to

Communicate effectively with students teachers parentscarers

Demonstrate empathy and sensitivity to diversity

Read and understand reference material

Interpret information from written andor verbal directions

Evaluate risk situations

Identify problems and choose effective solutions

Use a flexible approach to learning and teaching situations

Adapt the environment to the needs of the students

Manage time

Use technology to support student learning

Evidence Required

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria Required Skills and Knowledge the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate this unit of competency

The individual being assessed must provide evidence of specified essential knowledge as well as skills

This unit could be assessed either on the job or off the job through an appropriate workplace simulation for a range of age groups and a range of conditions over a number of assessment situations

Access and equity considerations

All workers in community services should be aware of access equity and human rights issues in relation to their own area of work

All workers should develop their ability to work in a culturally diverse environment

In recognition of particular issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities workers should be aware of cultural historical and current issues impacting on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Assessors and trainers must take into account relevant access and equity issues in particular relating to factors impacting on Aboriginal andor Torres Strait Islander clients and communities

Context of and specific resources for assessment

This unit can be assessed independently however holistic assessment practice with other community services units of competency is encouraged

Assessment requires access to a range of opportunities defined in the Range Statement including

appropriate workplace where assessment can take place

simulation of realistic workplace environment for assessment

relevant schoolcentre policy protocols and procedures

educational materials

Method of assessment

In cases where the learner does not have the opportunity to cover all relevant aspects in the work environment the remainder should be assessed through realistic simulations projects previous relevant experience or oral questioning on What if scenarios

Assessment of this unit of competence will usually include observation of processes and procedures oral andor written questioning on Essential knowledge and skills and consideration of required attitudes

Where performance is not directly observed andor is required to be demonstrated over a period of time andor in a number of locations any evidence should be authenticated by colleagues supervisors clients or other appropriate persons


Range Statement

The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Add any essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts.

Key issues include:

Access to services for students with impairments and their carers

Meeting individual needs and personal goals of students with impairments

Family and carer issues

Grief and loss

Policy regulatory, and legal requirements may include:

Education legislation

Disability services legislation

Anti-discrimination legislation

Privacy legislation

Equal employment opportunity principles

Guardianship requirements

Individual rights

Disability service standards

Access and equity policies of the organisation

Medication regulations and organisation policies

Workplace health and safety legislation

Different student requirements may be identified from, for example:

Education adjustment program profile

Negotiated education plan

Context includes:

Relevant statutory framework

Historical context of work, e.g. changing attitudes

Changing social context of work, e.g. individual centred approach, changing societal views, approaches to working with students with disabilities

Political context, e.g. government policies and initiatives

Economic context, e.g. the current economic situation as it relates to and affects students with impairments and the subsequent impact on their needs

Facts/myths about impairments

Assess and equity includes:

A student oriented culture

A non-discriminatory approach to all students, their families and friends, the general public and co-workers

Ensuring the work undertaken caters for differences including: cultural, physical, religious, economic, social, developmental, behavioural, emotional and intellectual

Effects of disability on student learning may include:

Progression through stages may be slower

Students may experience plateaux in learning

Student may take longer to learn

Student may experience a lowered ceiling to the complexity of concepts learned

Dependence on specific learning style may become more pronounced

Student may have impaired capacity for sensory intake and perception

Student may experience reduced learning without access to special equipment or methods

Fatigue associated with the disability may impact on learning

Absence from school related to the disability

Gaps in experiences brought about by the disability

Strategies to support students with disabilities may include:

Acting as a point of contact from parents

Building the student's self-esteem and confidence by providing positive responses and encouraging risk-taking in activities that assist with development

Identifying the knowledge, skills, interest and experiences of the student

Demonstrating respect for the student

Providing supportive socialisation activities

Providing minimal and least intrusive cues to assist the student perform tasks and manage their own behaviour

Controlling the input of new information to avoid overwhelming the student

Providing opportunities for students to practice new skills

Using non-verbal signals and gestures to help communicative competence

Assisting with daily classroom based learning activities including listening to students read, assisting with maths and other tasks as guided by the teacher

Assisting with withdrawal activities as directed by the teacher

Assisting with practical activities such as art, music, sewing, cooking and sport

Toileting and positioning students with physical disabilities

Feeding and assisting students with personal hygiene

Rights include:

Privacy

Confidentiality

Common law

To be treated in a dignified, safe and comfortable manner

The right to learn

To express their own feelings

Friendship

Freedom of association

Choice to participate

Assess to complaint mechanisms

Accommodating student requirements may include:

Providing adjustments to curriculum, communication, learning environment and access etc that are necessary for the student to participate meaningfully in curriculum and school activities

Providing age-appropriate activities

Catering for different learning styles

Giving more time to learn

Providing experiences and language development as a base for learning

Providing learning experiences based on the student's existing cognitive framework

Applying alternative strategies

Working with parents and other professionals to provide a supportive environment

Education adjustment program profile refers to:

A process used to demonstrate the types of adjustments to:

curriculum

communication

social participation/emotional well being

health and personal care

safety

learning environment/access

that are being provided for students with impairments to learn, participate and progress towards planned outcomes in relation to his/her same age peers

Rather than focusing on the students' disabilities, this process focuses on the adjustments that need to be made at school to facilitate the student's presence, participation, access and achievement of education outcomes

Respond to situations of risk in the context of the education support role may include:

Identifying risks and appropriate strategies to deal with risks as part of the education team

Providing information on risks or potential risks

Risk minimisation

Implementing strategies for preventing abuse of students with disabilities

Appropriate personnel include:

Teachers

Principals

Head of department

Colleagues

Visiting health workers and /or therapists

administrators

Inappropriate behaviour may include:

Behaviour that places self or others at risk

Behaviour that interferes with learning that the student could reasonably be expected to control

Behaviour that endangers the health or well being of others