Despite supporting more than 98,000 students with disability, there is limited understanding of the experiences and needs of disability practitioners in Australian universities. In this session, Darlene McLennan shares early findings from her ACSES Equity Fellowship, exploring what disability support looks like across the sector, the realities of practitioner roles, and what students say matters most. 

Drawing on national surveys, interviews, and sector consultation, this webinar highlights emerging insights into service structures, workload challenges, professional development needs, and the balance between compliance and meaningful inclusion. It also examines the tensions between individual support and systemic change, centring the voices of both practitioners and students. 

These early findings offer valuable perspectives for practitioners, service managers, university leaders, and students, with important implications for the future of disability support in higher education. 

We hope you find this presentation interesting and engaging and you can find additional information and resources supporting this webinar on the ADCET website.

(March 2026) 

We hope you find this presentation interesting and engaging and you can find additional information and resources supporting this webinar on the ADCET website. 

(November 2025) 

We hope you find this presentation interesting and engaging and you can find additional information and resources supporting this webinar on the ADCET website.

(February 2026) 

We hope you find this presentation interesting and engaging and you can find additional information and resources supporting this webinar on the ADCET website. 

(January 2026) 

We hope you find this presentation interesting and engaging and you can find additional information and resources supporting this webinar on the ADCET website. 

 (August 2025) 

More information including episode notes and links are available on the ADCET website.

More information including episode notes and links are available on the ADCET website.

More information including episode notes and links are available on the ADCET website.

More information including episode notes and links are available on the ADCET website.

More information including episode notes and links are available on the ADCET website.

More information including episode notes and links are available on the ADCET website.

More information including episode notes and links are available on the ADCET website.

More information including episode notes and links are available on the ADCET website.

This ADCET webinar presentation by Emily Jones (PhD candidate at the University of Wollongong), provided an overview of her doctoral research project that explores utilising Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to design work-integrated learning (WIL).

The study seeks to understand how the design of WIL experiences enables or inhibits higher education (HE) students’ perceptions of employability. The presentation included an overview of the research aims, the different stages of the research and the concept of utilising UDL for WIL.

This webinar was aimed at work-integrated learning practitioners, curriculum designers, educators in higher education and UDL practitioners.

View the webinar and associated resources. 

As instructors and support professionals, we should advocate for our colleagues around us to design their interactions with students to be as broadly accessible and inclusive as possible, in order to foster greater student agency, autonomy, and satisfaction. In the process, our collective work to support learners in addressing access barriers can shift to focus more energy on more challenging concerns.

This advocacy starts with grassroots champions who can help colleagues with practical advice, as well as lobby campus leaders for funds, resources, and time toward inclusive-design efforts. This webinar shared concrete strategies for how to approach colleagues in productive ways to talk about universal design for learning (UDL) in their own work. It also explored how to talk with your campus leaders to get them to see the positive impact of UDL on campus operations (and on the budget), especially during times of disruption.

You can view the full presentation recording and slides on the ADCET website. 

Providing access to quality higher education is a priority for all of us, especially when learners are beyond the formal spaces and places of the physical campus - and especially when they are learning with us via asynchronous online courses. In this podcast version of his presentation, you’ll discover the “step zero” that makes all of our teaching efforts possible: access. When we focus our learning interactions on how our students get access to materials, each other, instructors, support services, and the community, we strengthen their sense of belonging and opportunity as learners.

Through the universal design for learning (UDL) framework, you’ll learn concrete steps that you can take tomorrow that help to lower barriers, anxiety, and stress - for your students and for you, whether you are new to the framework or a seasoned practitioner. Come learn how to take some work off your plate as you engage with learners.

You can view the full presentation recording and slides on the ADCET website. 

This podcast is part of a suite of activities ADCET has developed to assist tertiary education providers, educators, disability practitioners and other support staff to assist in creating more inclusive learning strategies for students. Activities and resources include this podcast, a webinar series, eLearning, and a Symposium.

To listen to the ThinkUDL Podcast visit their website.
For more information visit Universal Design for Learning - ADCET

Sandra is now a Consultant who provides a range of services to support Autistic people and their families and friends, with a particular focus on autistic adults and services for workplaces, educational institutions and other organisations that want to create more inclusive and supportive environments for autistic people. 

In conversation with Sandra she provides tips on how everyone can provide more inclusive and support study and work environments to Autistic people drawing on not only her research and professional practice but her personal experiences as an Autistic person, and the mother of two Autistic sons. 

Sandra passionate and personal insights make this an important podcast for everyone to understand some of the little and big changes we can make in the sector to improve the inclusion of Autistic people!

Inclusive and equitable work integrated learning (WIL) requires the collaboration between universities, host organisations and students. Host organisations, however, are not often included in the collaboration process despite being key in the delivery of WIL resulting in them experiencing many challenges to providing a WIL experience. These challenges, while documented in the literature, are possibly not that well understood with host organisations requiring additional supports to help them navigate these challenges.

This webinar presented three components from the ACEN funded Equitable WIL project:

• The findings of the scoping review that sought to understand the challenges and enablers both host organisations and students experienced during the WIL process.
• The exploratory component of the Equitable WIL study where host organisations were invited to complete an online survey and participate in focus groups.
• Arising from the study findings, the industry informed resources were presented and discussed. 

View the webinar and associated resources. 

headspace has received funding from the Department of Health Commonwealth, under the National Suicide Prevention Leadership Grant funding for a new piece of work that they are calling headspace University Support Program. This funding will enable headspace to deliver a support program, including education and training, critical review and capacity building of staff to build mentally healthy universities and implement postvention activities following a death by suicide.

View the webinar and associated resources. 

ADCET was delighted to welcome back Brandon Taylor (Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategy Manager, TAFE Queensland) for another hugely popular and informative presentation. In this webinar, Brandon asks four key questions to determine what has changed for adolescents in Australia over the previous two decades and what this means for tertiary educators and support services.

• Are more students disclosing and displaying mental health problems?  
• How can we support and refer students who are experiencing mental ill health?  
• Why and how we can maintain our boundaries?  
• What are some simple proactive self-care measures that protect and maintain our own well-being?

Educators and support services are not immune to mental health and well-being challenges, both professional and personal.

Brandon reviews the trends and data from Mission Australia Youth Surveys and reflects on key elements of the latest report from The Black Dog Institute: Turning the tide on depression. He then reflects on what this means for educators and practitioners and our personal values and purpose.

Q&A was included in this webinar and can be accessed through the webinar recording.

View the webinar and associated resources. 

We explore whether the experiences of students with disability in tertiary education have improved over time and what advice he would give to embarking students or current students in today's university context. Graeme shares the thing that made the most difference to his completion of tertiary education and offers one or two things tertiary providers can do to ensure success for students with disability.

We delve into the adoption of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in tertiary contexts and discuss whether there is a risk that specific expertise relating to disability in tertiary education beyond UDL will be lost. We also explore whether it is time for a review and reform of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and the Disability Standards for Education (DSE) to give greater protection of the rights of people with disability.

Graeme shares his thoughts on how well matched our domestic legal responses to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities are relating to education, and what we as a sector can do together to advocate for improvements. We discuss the need to help leaders understand how important it is to invest in tertiary education for people with disability and how to ensure that people with disability leaving school have meaningful access to career advice and supports post-school that focus on the value and impact of tertiary education.

Overall, this episode provides valuable insights into the experiences of students with disability in tertiary education and what can be done to better support their needs. The conversation between Darlene and Graeme is engaging and informative, offering practical advice and thought-provoking ideas for educators and leaders in the tertiary education sector.

Jax also provided practical ways you can be supportive and affirming when working with LGBTIQA+ people with disability. They explored pronouns, how to use them and why they are important.

Jax Jacki Brown (OAM)

Jax (they/them) is an esteemed disability and LGBTIQA+ rights activist, writer, educator and consultant. Their tireless commitment to LGBTIQA+ disability human rights and advocacy has been recognised with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).

Jax utilises their experience as a queer non-binary wheelchair user to explore intersectional identities. They view disability as a socio-political question and wants to see solutions with an intersectional lens and equality, access, and human rights at the heart of it.  

Jax has served on the Victorian Disability Advisory Council, Victorian Government’s LGBTI Taskforce Health and Human Services Working Group, and the Victorian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission’s Disability Reference Group.

Jax is interested in how we can build a just and equitable society which fosters resilience, pride and community for LGBTIQA+ people with disabilities.

View the original webinar: https://www.adcet.edu.au/resource/11185/adcet-webinar-affirming-lgbtiqa-people-with-disability

• What has been the most significant change/s you have seen occur in the sector in the last 20 years?
• What change/s would you like to see happen in the next 20 years?

Here's what they had to say...

Using a bioecological theory model approach the review outlines the various interacting factors which influence the transition to higher education for Autistic students. Examining these systems highlights the complex nature of the transition experiences of Autistic students and the varying elements impacting on the first-year experience. The current study seeks to explore these complex systems by investigating the transition experiences of Autistic students in Australia.

The podcast provides information about Phase One of the study examining the barriers and facilitators to transition to university for Autistic students. Phase one of this study involves an online survey for autistic university students, family members of autistic university students, and professional/academic university staff members in Australia.

This research has incorporated input from Autistic community members in the development of research methods and research tools. This podcast discusses the processes involved and highlight the importance of involving Autistic individuals in the research process. Further information is also provided regarding current opportunities for participation in this study for Autistic students, their family members, and professional and academic university staff.

This podcast provides an excellent opportunity for disability practitioners, in particular university and TAFE disability services staff to hear about current research with implications for supporting Autistic students in their transition to university.

Disability practitioners will learn about the current evidence to inform best practice supports and services for helping Autistic students during their transition to university and considerations for potential barriers that may be impacting on disclosure and consequently on support provision. University disability services staff will also have the opportunity to find out more about the current research study and ways in which they, their fellow university staff, and their students can be involved to help us to better understand the barriers and facilitators for Autistic students in their transition to and first year of university in Australia.
 
View the original webinar: https://www.adcet.edu.au/resource/10293/webinar-transition-to-higher-education-for-autistic-students

The tertiary sector presents many challenges for students with ADHD. For those enrolling straight from school, the move requires the transition from a highly structured to a relatively unstructured environment. Whilst this can be liberating at first, the novelty soon wears off as the work builds up. For mature age students, challenges are different, as they are often juggling several commitments, including children and full-time work. Either way, students can become overwhelmed and feel tempted to withdraw. But there is much that can be done to make tertiary study ADHD-friendly. Ideally, changes need to occur on two fronts – the university/TAFE and the student. While the support available at university and TAFE is significant, students with ADHD need to learn the best way to utilise what is on offer and need support in developing self-awareness and self-advocacy. They are often reluctant to seek support for fear of stigma.

Michele Toner OAM has been supporting people with ADHD since 1995, starting her coaching practice in 2009. Her PhD investigated Uni students with ADHD. She is a faculty member of the ADD Coach Academy in New York where she trains coaches. Michele works to promote ADHD Awareness. She held inaugural board positions for ADHD Australia, and The Australian Association of ADHD Professionals (AADPA). She is Chair of the Board at ADHD WA and member of their Professional Advisory Body. In 2017 she co-authored “The ADHD Go-to-Guide” with Professor Desiree Silva. Michele was awarded an OAM in 2021 for her work in ADHD.

Watch the original webinar: https://www.adcet.edu.au/resource/10844/adcet-webinar-supporting-students-with-adhd-in-the-tertiary-sector

Topics included:

• Understanding LGBTIQ+ language and terminology
• Affirming LGBTIQ+ identities for people with disability
• Engaging respectfully with LGBTIQ+ people with disability
• Embedding LGBTIQ+ inclusive practices into everyday behaviours

Dr Jarvis is the CEO of Working it Out: Tasmania’s diverse gender, sex and sexuality support service and education provider. Ana is a LGBTIQ+ person with lived experience of disability.

View the webinar and associated resources. 

12@12 sessions: Are you feeling the effects of compassion fatigue? Is work draining your energy?  Need some self-care strategies to recharge and replenish? 

The 12@12 sessions are bite-size presentations that are around 12 minutes long and were held weekly at 12 pm during September - November 2020.

(November 2020)

Watch the recording and download the presentation slides.

12@12 sessions: Are you feeling the effects of compassion fatigue? Is work draining your energy?  Need some self-care strategies to recharge and replenish? 

The 12@12 sessions are bite-size presentations that are around 12 minutes long and were held weekly at 12 pm during September - November 2020.

(November 2020)

Watch the recording and download the presentation slides

12@12 sessions: Are you feeling the effects of compassion fatigue? Is work draining your energy?  Need some self-care strategies to recharge and replenish? 

The 12@12 sessions are bite-size presentations that are around 12 minutes long and were held weekly at 12 pm during September - November 2020.

(November 2020)

Watch the recording and download the presentation slides. 

12@12 sessions: Are you feeling the effects of compassion fatigue? Is work draining your energy?  Need some self-care strategies to recharge and replenish? 

The 12@12 sessions are bite-size presentations that are around 12 minutes long and were held weekly at 12 pm during September - November 2020.

Watch the recording and view the presentation slides.

Our sixth episode: Permission to be human, teaches you how to become more comfortable with uncomfortable emotions and the messages they have for us.

Join ADCET for our new bite-size podcast sessions.

Watch the recording and download the presentation slides. 

Join ADCET for our new bite-size podcast sessions. 

These short podcast episodes are taken from our 12@12 session recordings with Debbie Hindle. 

Our fifth episode Sharing Good News teaches you how to build trust and rapport with active constructive listening.

Watch the recording and download the presentation here.

Join ADCET for our new bite-size podcast sessions. 

These short podcast episodes are taken from our 12@12 session recordings with Debbie Hindle. 

Our fourth episode Rethinking Stress teaches you how to change the way you view stress.

Watch the recording and download the presentation here.

Need some self-care strategies to recharge and replenish?

Join ADCET for our new bite-size podcast sessions. 

These short podcast episodes are taken from our 12@12 session recordings with Debbie Hindle. 

Our third episode Create an Inner Ally teaches you how to replace your inner critic with a wise and caring friend that’s both kinder and much more effective.

Watch the recording and download the presentation here.

Need some self-care strategies to recharge and replenish?

Join ADCET for our new bite-size podcast sessions. 

These short podcast episodes are taken from our 12@12 session recordings with Debbie Hindle. 

Our second episode Balancing Bias teaches you to balance your built-in negativity bias and focus with perspective, clarity and hope.

Watch the recording and download the presentation here. 

Through exploring the prominence of equity throughout Marcia’s career we are powerfully reminded that advancing equity in higher education is always the right thing to do, and a clear and current priority. In a conversation spanning the troubles in Ireland, sexism in the academy, and efforts to compensate for the impact of COVID on students in Victoria, Marcia generously shares her insight with candour and good humour. ADCET is confident that listeners will be inspired to do the right thing to support the advancement of equity in Australian higher education.

Reports and research discussed in this episode are available at the following links:

Bridging socio-cultural incongruity: Conceptualising the success of students from low socio-economic status backgrounds in Australian higher education

In their own words: A qualitative study of the reasons Australian university students plagiarize

www.marciadevlin.com.au

www.googlescholar.com

Need some self-care strategies to recharge and replenish?

Join ADCET for our new bite-size podcast sessions. 

These short podcast episodes are taken from our 12@12 session recordings with Debbie Hindle. 

Our first episode Jolts of Joy teaches you to short-circuit a downward spiral of negative emotions with a short sharp jolt of joy to broaden your brain’s capacity.

Watch the recording and download the presentation here. 

Jamil has provided policy advice to governments and university leaders across over 100 countries. He consulted with and for the World Bank, the Organisation Economic Cooperation and Development, the European Commission, and closer to home, AusAid. There are few in the world that combine such a nuanced and comprehensive understanding of higher education globally, with a lifelong interest and commitment to student equity. 

In this episode we discuss Jamil’s Moroccan roots, the relationship between education, equity and economic development, where disability is positioned in global higher education policy, and how Australia compares internationally for its equity policies. We are grateful for Jamil’s candor and insight, sharing his tips for what makes him in high demand as a key note speaker the world over. 

Jamil’s generosity extends to providing ADCET listeners with access to forthcoming publications about the missing equity dimensions of international rankings, and an imagining of higher education in the post-COVID 2036 future.

 
Related resources

Jamil Salmi 

Language and Schooling in Morocco

The challenge of establishing world class universities

If ranking is the disease, is benchmarking the cure

University of al-Qarawiyyin 

Measuring the Impact of Equity Promotion Policies: Lessons from National and Institutional Case Studies

TEQSA conference 2019 Jamil Salmi: On Trust

Over the last few years, a number of universities have implemented specialist peer mentoring programs to support students on the Autism Spectrum with their studies.  While many of us appreciate the positive impact these can have for students on the spectrum, what’s the impact for the mentors?  This podcast draws on the experience of a panel of student mentors from across Australia to explore the personal and potential professional benefits of being a mentor.  Mentors will also share their insights on the impact of COVID-19 on their role and for their mentees, and will offer some suggestions for supporting students on the Autism Spectrum during these times. 

The podcast is hosted by Debbie Hindle. Debbie has been coordinating the University of Tasmania's Specialist Peer Mentoring Program (Speerment) since it’s inception in 2017. She was also the Project Officer responsible for compiling the resource: How to Transition to Tertiary Education: Helpful Hints for People with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Debbie is appreciative that a key part of her knowledge in this area has been informed by nearly a decade of experience as a mentor to someone on the Autism Spectrum.

Watch the full webinar:
https://www.adcet.edu.au/resource/10392/adcet-webinar-mentoring-during-the-time-of-covid-19/

Dr Lin Martin recently completed a five-year term as a TEQSA Commissioner, having previously held leadership roles at Flinders University, the University of South Australia, the University of New South Wales, the Higher Education Council, the University of Melbourne, Deakin University, and RMIT University. 

Dr Lin Martin reflects on a career spanning the transition from a research higher degree student in the early 1970s to a brilliant career in higher education leadership, administration and regulation.

Dr Martin’s contributions to student equity are synonymous with the ‘Martin Indicators’ which have defined how the sector has tracked equity group access, participation, success and retention for over three decades. Lin speaks frankly about the motivations behind the Indicator project, and hard fought gains the Martin Indicators represent, and which staff working in the sector may now take for granted. 

Dr Martin is gracious in recognising the mentors who nurtured her career, and was more than generous in sharing her knowledge and experiences of Australian higher education. The conversation concludes with a powerful statement about the transformative power of education.

Links to reports and publications referenced during the conversation include:

A Fair Chance For All Department of Employment, Education and Training 1990

Performance indicators in higher education: report of a trial evaluation study (Linke report) Department of Employment, Education and Training 1990

Equity and General Performance Indicators in Higher Education Lin Martin 1994

Equality, diversity and excellence: advancing the national higher education equity framework Higher Education Council 1996

Framing the framework: the origins of 'A fair chance for all' Lin Martin 2016

Characteristics of Australian higher education providers and their relation to first-year student attrition TEQSA 2017

Lin’s story is also told in a chapter The History of the Modern Australian University.

During this podcast we heard from university students on the autism spectrum, where they answered a number of key questions, including: 

What are some of the challenges students face in their studies?

What helps a student succeed in their studies?

What support or assistance does the student's university provide?

What advice would a student give to others on the autism spectrum who are considering studying at university? 

The podcast is hosted by Debbie Hindle. Debbie has been coordinating the University of Tasmania's Specialist Peer Mentoring Program (Speerment) since it’s inception in 2017. She was also the Project Officer responsible for compiling the resource: How to Transition to Tertiary Education: Helpful Hints for People with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Debbie is appreciative that a key part of her knowledge in this area has been informed by nearly a decade of experience as a mentor to someone on the Autism Spectrum.

Related resources

ADCET Webinar: World Autism Acceptance Day - student panel https://www.adcet.edu.au/resource/10283/webinar-world-autism-acceptance-day-student-panel/ 

How to Transition to Tertiary Education: Helpful Hints for People with Autism Spectrum Disorder https://www.adcet.edu.au/students-with-disability/autism-transition/

Peer-to-Peer, Heart-to-Heart: Mentoring Students on the Autism Spectrum https://www.adcet.edu.au/disability-practitioner/disability-practice-in-the-spotlight/debbie-hindle/

This podcast episode is the audio taken from our webinar, 2018 Vision Australia Report: Online, but off-track. Bruce Maguire outlines and discusses the findings of Vision Australia’s research into the significant barriers to online learning experienced by university students who are blind or have low vision. 

Bruce is blind and has a Master’s degree in Policy and Applied Social Research. Before joining Vision Australia in 2008, Bruce worked in the Disability Rights Unit at the Australian Human Rights Commission. He has also been Chair of the Australian Braille Authority and President of the Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities. He also led Vision Australia’s research project into barriers to online learning experienced by university students who are blind or have low vision.

Related resources

2018 Vision Australia Report: Barriers to Online Learning Experienced by University Students who are Blind or Have Low Vision. https://www.visionaustralia.org/community/news/2019-08-23/online-track

ADCET Webinar: 2018 Vision Australia Report: Online, but off-track -https://www.adcet.edu.au/resource/10319/adcet-webinar-2018-vision-australia-report-online-but-off-track/ 

Head to our website to view the episode transcript: https://www.adcet.edu.au/resource/10339/podcast-2018-vision-australia-report-online-but-off-track/

Related resources

Career Development among Young People in Britain Today: Poverty of Aspiration or Poverty of Opportunity?: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264840241_Career_Development_among_Young_People_in_Britain_Today_Poverty_of_Aspiration_or_Poverty_of_Opportunity

World Access to Higher Education Day is a platform to raise global awareness around inequalities in access and success in higher education (HE), and act as a catalyst for international, regional and local action: https://worldaccesshe.com/

NEON: https://www.educationopportunities.co.uk/about/

Admissions and equity challenges for HE post COVID-19: https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20200403132321996

London Higher: https://www.londonhigher.ac.uk 

Report: Preparing for hyper-diversity: London’s Student Population in 2030: https://www.accesshe.ac.uk/preparing-for-hyper-diversity-londons-student-population-in-2030/

Liverpool link: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52699654

Head to our website to view the episode transcript - www.adcet.edu.au

This podcast will give you some information about what overseas equity practitioners are going through in further & higher education, what some of the work-arounds have been, and a bit of perspective on how Ireland works to support their further & higher education sectors in relation to students with disability.

You can find related links and the episode transcript here: https://www.adcet.edu.au/resource/10315/podcast-adcet-crosses-the-ocean-access-inclusion-in-tertiary-education-post-covid-19-part-2/

In this Podcast, Sally discusses Transition Pedagogy, student and staff wellbeing, the impact of COVID-19 on the sector, the recent review of the Australian Qualifications Framework and much more. It’s incredible what she was able to cover in an hour.  Matt Brett had so much fun last time he kindly agreed to once again sit in the interviewing chair. Matt is the Director of Academic Governance and Standards at Deakin University, an Adjunct Fellow with the NCSEHE, a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne and sits on the Advisory Group for ADCET. 

You can find related links and a copy of the episode transcript here - https://www.adcet.edu.au/resource/10316/podcast-transition-pedagogy-and-the-best-chance-for-all-professor-sally-kift/

Join Darlene McLennan from ADCET and David Swayn from the NDCO Program as they host a discussion with Jamie Axelrod, Director – Disability Resources at Northern Arizona University.  In this podcast Jamie shares some of the issues and approaches facing Tertiary Education facilities in the United States in this context along with some of the responses, approaches and coordination happening to support students with disability during these difficult times.

Follow this link to find the YouTube video that Jamie Axelrod talks about in the podcast from a webinar by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) on online education and website accessibility - https://youtu.be/DCMLk4cES6A 

The presentation highlighted “three essentials” for delivering a practical and engaging on-line learning experience for your students. 

Our presenters Dr Cathy Stone and Dr Nicole Crawford, have a wealth of knowledge in teaching and learning and have willingly shared this with us. Enjoy