TAEDEL502
Provide advanced facilitation practice
Supporting learners
Where you are regularly involved with people with learning difficulties, either within your classroom or training environment or because your organisation specialises in training people with learning disabilities, you can find assistance and resources by contacting professional groups such as the Australian Psychological Society or Learning Difficulties Australia (refer to Other resources at the end of this chapter). While some of the many organisations and support groups do specialise in school-aged children with learning disabilities, many of their resources translate seamlessly to adult learners who have similar difficulties.
Customising your TAS and resources
It may be necessary to adjust your existing TAS, or even develop a completely new TAS, to adequately describe your facilitation and assessment approach for learners with disabilities. Along with the resources, the TAS provides the structure on which your training or course is built, and therefore must reflect the types of conditions that are likely to be encountered and the identified needs of your learners.
Modifying resources and reasonable adjustment There may be a requirement to modify resources to meet the needs of your learner, where existing materials are not appropriate for the environment or disability encountered. Whenever materials are modified, it is important that you remember the principles of reasonable adjustment to ensure that the changes do not unduly benefit or advantage the learner.
This step is not a ‘nice to have’; it is a legal requirement that is legislated in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992(Cwlth) and the Disability Discrimination Amendment (Education Standards) Act 2005(Cwlth). The Acts require reasonable adjustments be made to allow the learner equal opportunity to participate in education and learning. ‘Reasonable’ is a rather loose term that can be applied on a case-by-case basis, but requires that you make adjustments that provide the learner with the opportunity to achieve the learning outcomes and develop independence, without affecting other participants (or facilitation staff) and with consideration to the cost and time required to introduce the adjustment.