These standards, which complement and inform the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, came into force in Australia on 18 August 2005 and they are applicable to all educational institutions, including Victorian TAFE institutes. It is vital that each TAFE pays particular attention to this new legislation and its implications for the support that their institutes provide to deaf and hard of hearing students. The new standards have wide reaching requirements for provision of service that most institutes have not previously considered (e.g. interpreter provision at student body functions, course entrance interviews, access to counselling services). The main categories of the legislation and its requirements are summarised here, as they relate to students who are deaf and hard of hearing.

This standard relates not only to the formality of the completion of an enrolment form. Rather, its requirements include making accessible the promotion and marketing of courses and programs, including course requirements, curriculum and selection criteria.

For students who are deaf and hard of hearing, this means providing this information in a way that addresses communication needs as well as the well-documented literacy issues of many of the people in this group. Either group or individual information sessions that provide for communication needs would be one way to meet the standard. As well, any written material needs to be presented in plain English and with visual material.

Whilst this may sound daunting, it will mean that a deaf or hard of hearing student who applies to a course has the opportunity to carefully consider whether or not it is the right course for them to undertake.

Participation

This is an area that TAFE has traditionally addressed relatively well for students who are deaf and hard of hearing. That is, it has been well accepted that interpreting, notetaking and/or tutoring support may be required for the student to participate in their course. However, in the past, sufficient resources have not always been allocated to allow students to have access to the amount of support that they require. An example of this is students who were unable to study full-time because there were insufficient funds to pay for the support. It is clear that this will no longer be acceptable practice.

As well, there has been resistance from some teaching staff about allowing their programs to be sufficiently flexible to allow full participation and/or resistance to offering appropriate substitute activities for deaf and hard of hearing students. This standard now sets the tone that flexibility in teaching and assessing is mandatory, not optional.

This standard also makes clear that access to premises and facilities, including enquiries, must be accessible. This means that institutes are responsible for providing Auslan interpreters for such institute activities as information sessions run by particular departments, open days and graduation ceremonies.

The tone is set by this standard for there to be an increase in the knowledge and understanding of staff about the issues faced by students who are deaf and hard of hearing and, in turn, opens up opportunities for increased professional development.

Curriculum Development, Accreditation and Delivery

This standard specifically indicates that VET programs are required to develop flexible and inclusive curricula as well as the fact that materials, activities, assessment and delivery styles must be flexible and inclusive. Institutes will need to be committed to student equity and teaching staff will need to allow for course and assessment adjustments and this may require the development of new teaching materials.

This will challenge institutes and teaching staff, as no two deaf or hard of hearing students are the same. However, it is possible to note broad guidelines such as allowing for alternative assessment, including student-teacher discourse as a measure of the student’s achievement, or otherwise, of learning outcomes. It also means that staff need to be very clear as to the inherent requirements of the course as well as inherent requirements of the job for which the student is studying. For example, if standard English is not required “on the job”, then don’t expect the student to produce it during the assessment process.

Support Services

Traditionally in relation to deaf and hard of hearing students, support services have been seen as those supports (i.e.  interpreters, notetakers) that the student requires to access the classroom. However, it is clear from this standard that what is meant is all of the services that an institute offers to support their student population (e.g.  counselling services, recreational activities). This now means that such services need to be made accessible to deaf and hard of hearing students and that the institute is responsible for providing this accessibility. This is an area that most TAFE institutes have not previously made accessible, particularly in relation to the need to employ interpreters.

Preventing Harassment and Victimisation

This standard requires that deaf and hard of hearing students are not subjected to any actions, behaviours or comments that humiliate, offend, intimidate or distress them. Most, if not all, TAFE institutes have had such policies in place for some time and most staff would be clear how this relates to people who are deaf or hard of hearing. For example, it is unlikely that any staff member would themself, or allow students to, refer to a deaf person by the offensive term “dummy”. However, terms such as “deaf and dumb” and “deaf mute” are still used, wrongly, by many. Equally, it would be offensive to use the term “selective hearing” when talking about anyone who has misunderstood a message that the giver of the message thinks should have been clear. It could also be construed as harassment if one were to suggest that “we can get by communicating without an interpreter” if the student’s primary language is Auslan. Likewise, judging a deaf person’s capabilities by their standard of written English is inappropriate and has the potential to humiliate.