2020 Review of Disability Standards

The 2020 Review of the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (the Standards) is underway by the Department of Education, Training and Employment.

The Standards were developed under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and came into effect in August 2005 to ensure that students with disability can access and participate in education on the same basis as other students. The law says the Standards need to be reviewed every 5 years.

In 2015 AACS submitted a joint submission to the Review of the Disability Standards for Education along with Christian Schools Australia (CSA) and Adventist Schools Australia (ASA), which can be viewed here. AACS will contribute to the 2020 Review of the Standards through a written submission.

In considering the effectiveness of the Standards, the Review will examine:

1) Are the rights, obligations and measures of compliance set out in the Standards (and its Guidance Notes) clear and appropriate?
2) Do students, families and carers, educators, education providers and policy makers know about, understand, apply and comply with the rights, obligaiton and measure of compliance in the Standards?
3) In the 15 years since the Standadrs were developed, have teh Standards contributed towards students with disability being able to access education and training opportunities on the same basis as students without disabilities?

Public consultations run from 16 July 2020 until 25 September 2020.  Educators, parents, carers and student with disability are also encouraged to make a submission at the Consultation Hub. If you would like to contribute to the AACS submission with experiences from your school please email us at enquiries@aacs.net.au