Application
This unit of competency specifies the outcomes required to apply knowledge of disability to the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) Premises Standards and state and territory anti-discrimination legislation when assessing access situations. It requires understanding the impact of environment on disability, and the impact of disability on the environment. It involves displaying disability awareness when planning and implementing work that impacts on people with disabilities.
The unit supports the application of disability awareness in the full range of access consulting services. It applies to access consultants working alone or as a member of a team to assess access situations on behalf of clients, who may be architects; builders; building owners and managers; building designers; building certifiers and surveyors; transport providers and operators; representatives of public utilities; educational authorities and educational service providers; community and health service providers; and other providers of services to the public, such as shops.
No licensing, legislative, regulatory, or certification requirements apply to this unit of competency at the time of endorsement.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the range of conditions. | ||
1. | Apply disability awareness when dealing with client. | 1.1. | Access to the situation to be assessed is identified and confirmed with client according to organisational policies and procedures. |
1.2. | Environmental and service barriers that prevent full participation of people with disabilities are identified. | ||
1.3. | Disabilities affected by access situation are determined. | ||
1.4. | Impact of identified disabilities is clarified with client. | ||
2. | Apply disability awareness when assessing environmental and service issues. | 2.1. | Legislative requirements relating to disability access and specific to access situation being assessed are identified. |
2.2. | Limitations that identified environmental and service barriers place on access for people with disabilities are assessed. | ||
2.3 | Advice is sought where required to assist in identifying and analysing unknown elements relating to access situation or disabilities. | ||
3. | Apply disability awareness when determining required actions. | 3.1. | Options are identified for environmental and service modifications that provide access solutions for people with disabilities. |
3.2. | Relationship between modifications and benefit to people with disabilities is analysed to determine most suitable option. | ||
3.3. | Access solutions for people with disabilities are discussed with client, and modifications are suggested based on agreed solutions. | ||
3.4. | Access solutions report is provided to client according to organisational and professional policies and procedures and business standards. | ||
Evidence of Performance
A person demonstrating competency in this unit must satisfy the requirements of the elements, performance criteria, foundation skills and range of conditions of this unit.
The person must also:
assess one environment and one service for:
barriers affecting any of the impairments that people with disabilities might have
the impact that each barrier has on the full range of disabilities
the limitations that each disability places on the individual’s ability to access the situation
develop practical and effective access solutions to the full range of environmental and service barriers identified in the above situations for people with disabilities
recommend to clients, and discuss, access solutions for above situations that:
enhance accessibility for people with disabilities
overcome areas of access non-compliance
suggest modifications that provide agreed access solutions.
In assessing the above access situations, the person must:
apply knowledge of current codes, standards, legislative requirements, regulations, practices and industry updates relating to disability access
communicate with clients and other professionals
apply organisational policies and procedures, including quality assurance requirements.
use research skills to source information that assists in identifying barriers and developing potential solutions to the provision of adequate access.
Evidence of Knowledge
A person demonstrating competency in this unit must demonstrate knowledge of:
definitions of disability and disability discrimination in commonwealth, state and territory anti-discrimination legislation and regulations
access requirements detailed in:
Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) Premises Standards
commonwealth, state and territory anti-discrimination legislation and regulations
Australian standards relating to access
disability awareness to inform assessment of access situation, including:
range of disabilities to be considered when conducting assessment
disability-specific physical barriers to access
disability-specific minimum requirements for enhancing accessibility
key requirements of privacy legislation, and industry codes of practice and ethics relating to assessments of access situations
limitations of work role, responsibility and professional abilities with regard to above access assessments, and sources of advice and assistance specific to the access situation
organisational requirements and procedures relating to assessing access situations, including:
client service standards
client privacy and confidentiality requirements
processes for researching and recording assessment data and administering records
procedures for identifying and suggesting required modifications
quality assurance requirements.
Assessment Conditions
The following must be present and available to learners during assessment activities:
equipment:
computer and software to access and retrieve information relating to access assessment
specifications:
DDA Premises Standards
commonwealth, state and territory anti-discrimination legislation and regulations
Australian standards relating to access
relationships, including consultation with a diverse range of clients, including:
architects
builders
building owners and managers
building designers
building certifiers and surveyors
transport providers and operators
representatives of public utilities
educational authorities and educational service providers
community and health service providers
other providers of services to the public.
Timeframe:
in line with timeframe established with client.
Assessor requirements
As a minimum, assessors must satisfy the assessor requirements in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) current at the time of assessment.
Foundation Skills
This section describes the language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills essential to performance in this unit but not explicit in the performance criteria. | |
Skill | Performance feature |
Learning skills to: | review current codes, standards, legislative requirements, regulations, practices and industry updates and incorporate information relevant to assessment into own practice. |
Oral communication skills to: | facilitate discussion with clients to explore access situations and proposed access solutions, demonstrating: command of language to convey information relating to solutions in a clear and accessible manner communication techniques suited to individual clients and required to clarify and elicit information convey knowledge and ideas on disabilities and disability issues through oral and visual means. |
Reading skills to: | read a range of complex texts and extract information relating to the nature of disabilities, disability discrimination, access requirements, and specific assessments. |
Writing skills to: | produce access solutions that reflect disability awareness and environmental and service imperatives. |
Planning and organising skills to: | prepare and administer assessment documentation implement organisational policies and procedures. |
Problem-solving skills to: | assess environmental and service barriers and use knowledge of range of disabilities and their impact, and situation-specific information, when developing access solutions. |
Range Statement
This section specifies work environments and conditions that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) are included. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. | |
Disabilities to be considered must include: | physical: ambulant and non-ambulant disfigurement sensory: vision hearing neurological intellectual learning presence in the body of disease-causing organisms. |
Legislative requirements must include at least two of the following, as relevant to the access situation: | Australian standards relating to access situations DDA DDA Education Standards DDA Premises Standards DDA Transport Standards National Construction Code state and territory anti-discrimination and building legislation. |
Assessment must include: | applying disability awareness reviewing disability definitions and information from different sources as required, and incorporating them into practice. |
Benefit must include: | overcoming access barriers; can be conceptualised in a framework such as the Enabler Model removing access barriers financial and social contribution of people with disabilities gaining or improving access. |
Sectors
Access consulting