AccessAbility Services ensure equal access to all aspects of university life. If your studies are affected by a disability, learning disorder, mental health issue, injury or illness, or you are a primary carer for someone with a disability, AccessAbility Services can provide assistance, advocacy and reasonable academic adjustments.
Individual support
You are strongly encouraged to make an appointment with AccessAbility Services as early as possible. AccessAbility Services can provide practical advice about the support and facilities available to you throughout the University and ensure access to appropriate adjustments and services.
Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, the University of the Sunshine Coast recognises that a disability may be permanent or temporary and may take the following forms:
- physical
- psychiatric (mental health)
- sensory
- learning
- intellectual
- neurological
- a chronic medical condition (eg heart disease, chronic fatigue syndrome), or
- the presence in the body of disease-causing organisms
AccessAbility Services can also assist with support for students who are a primary carer for anyone meeting the above criteria or whom care for someone considered frail aged.
Please note: A carer is defined by the Carer Recognition Act 2010 as “an individual who provides personal care, support and assistance to another individual who needs it because that other individual (a) has a disability; or (b) has a medical condition (including a terminal or chronic illness); or (c) has a mental illness; or (d) is frail and aged… An individual is not a carer merely because he or she (a) is the spouse, de facto partner, parent, child or other relative of an individual, or is the guardian of an individual; or (b) lives with an individual who requires care.
You and your Ability Adviser will:
- discuss the impact of your condition or carer responsibilities on academic work and functioning
- develop a Learning Access Plan (a document that lists your reasonable academic adjustments) for you to provide to academic staff
Prior to your appointment:
- Have documentation concerning the nature of your disability or medical condition or role as a carer available from a medical or specialist practitioner. You can provide us with:
- your Health Practitioner Report (PDF 120KB)* or
- Students who are carers documentation (PDF 135KB)* or
- other documentation that contains the same information. For carers, a letter of confirmation from the Department of Human Services regarding your official carer status is also eligible.
- Keep AccessAbility Services up to date in relation to your disability related circumstances, needs and contact details.
* For PDF documents you must have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded from the Adobe Download page.
Current USC students: Book online via the Student Hub
| Campus | In person | Tel: |
|---|---|---|
| USC Sunshine Coast | Student Central, Building C | +61 7 5430 2890 |
| USC Fraser Coast | Building A | +61 7 4128 5200 |
| USC Gympie | 71 Cartwright Road | +61 7 5456 5800 |
|
USC SouthBank |
Building A4 (SW1) | +61 7 5409 8600 |
|
USC Caboolture |
Level 1, J Block | +61 7 5430 2890 |
Office hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 8.30am-4.30pm
Wednesday: 10am-4.30pm
Email: AccessAbility@usc.edu.au
Skype and phone consults available upon request. Please contact AccessAbility Services for further information.
Thinking about studying at USC?
You’re welcome to meet with our Ability Advisers about studying at USC and finding out more about how we can support you.
Make an appointment by calling a campus close to you.
USC encourages disclosure by registering with AccessAbility Services for the purposes of seeking reasonable academic adjustments and appropriate study support. You can register if you have a disability, a learning disorder, an injury or illness, or if you are a primary carer for someone with a disability. The disability or health condition is kept confidential and the focus is on addressing the impact on your learning.
Ability Advisers recommend reasonable academic adjustments by creating a ‘Learning Access Plan’ to be shared (with your consent) with relevant USC staff members who can provide and/or permit these adjustments. Reasonable adjustments, can also be recommended for Work Integrated Learning (WIL) and these can be negotiated in advance with your Placement Coordinator. Further information on disclosure can be obtained on the Disclosure as a student page on the Western Sydney University's website, developed by NDCO, the National Disability Coordination Office Program. Students are encouraged to use this resource to develop skills and confidence in talking about their needs.
Disclosure of information is voluntary. The information you provide is treated as private and confidential. No information is released without your written consent, except where required or authorised by law. You have the right to access any information that AccessAbility Services holds about you. Your Academic Record at USC does not contain any disability or health information, nor any indication of registration with AccessAbility Services. The University's Information Privacy Policy is on the USC website.
Disclosure of information is a personal decision however non-disclosure or disclosing only limited information may result in an inability to negotiate reasonable academic adjustments. Students will be encouraged to discuss (or allow the AccessAbility Services staff to discuss) the effect of their disability on their learning, with staff who are asked to make reasonable adjustments. AccessAbility Services have developed a Disclosure Script Worksheet (PDF 190KB) to help you decide what, when and how to disclose information.
Disability Action Plan
The purpose of the Disability Action Plan is to assist the University in providing equal access to quality education for the whole community, improve the teaching and learning environment for students and staff, and to raise awareness of disability issues and responsibilities as a foundation for good practice in equitable service provision.
Services and facilities
There are a range of disability support services and facilities available across USC's campuses. For more information and to access these services, contact AccessAbility Services at your campus.
Have you graduated within the last 12 months or are you expected to graduate within the next 12 months? On campus employment support is available for USC students and graduates who identify as having a disability.
Garry is available for one-on-one consults every Thursday. To see his appointments, login to Student Hub. For more information, contact AccessAbility Services or visit USEP website.
Every building and level on each USC campus is wheelchair accessible. There are lifts in all buildings and Braille signage.
For vision impaired students, mobility training and assistance with orientation can be accessed through Guide Dogs Australia.
Ground floor access to lecture theatres and after-hours lift access can be arranged for eligible students with mobility issues. Contact AccessAbility Services to discuss mobility solutions.
Adaptive technology is available in learning spaces across all campuses. Talk to an Ability Adviser about options for better hearing on campus.
USC provides parking for people with a mobility disability at a number of designated disabled parking spaces across all USC campuses at no cost.
If you require accessible parking at USC, you must obtain a permit from Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads.
For more information refer to parking at USC.
Wheelchair accessible toilets are available on all campuses and are indicated on campus maps.
Training and support in the use of specialised software, hardware and peripherals can be arranged for eligible students.
Course materials and exams can be made available in alternative formats for students with vision impairment or print disability.
Reasonable academic adjustments can be put in place for students whose condition may impact their ability to complete assessment tasks.
Students whose condition impacts their performance in an exam setting may be eligible for alternative exam arrangements.
Auslan interpreter support can be arranged - with advance notice, for eligible students who have significant hearing impairment.
Note-taking can be arranged for students who experience significant difficulty with accessing lecture material, for example, due to a hearing impairment or impaired manual dexterity.
Note-taking is provided each semester by peer students who agree to share their notes. It may take a couple of weeks to identify a peer, and there will be some variation in the timeliness and style of notes.
AccessAbility Services follows the Work and Industry Placement Procedures and provides information about how and when to disclose a condition that may impact on your ability to engage in Work Integrated Learning. We are here to assist you with Personal Information Disclosures and access to reasonable adjustments.
More information
- Contact AccessAbility Services at Student Central.
- Additional information and study resources are available through external organisations.
- Accessibility map
* For PDF documents you must have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded from the Adobe Download page.