There are major concerns regarding the provision of both mainstream and Access courses at NSW TAFE campuses across the state.
Access courses refers to the programs that have been designed specifically for people with disabilities and include reasonable adjustments to meet the diverse needs of the students. Often Access programs are the only choice for many people with disabilities. The decline in availability will continue to have a detrimental impact on both the educational and vocational outcomes for some of the most disadvantaged members of our society.
Due to the commercialisation of both TAFE and the Vocational Education Training industry, many changes are occurring that directly impact on the availability and allocation of funding for courses. Some of the direct impacts for students with intellectual disability include:
- Less courses available at a suitable entry level – “TAFE institutes most commonly nominated the group of people with low literacy and numeracy skills as facing barriers to accessing and completing training” (Impact of TAFE Inclusiveness Strategies, NCVER 2008). Without such courses as the Access program and Certificate 1 & 2 Level courses, people with intellectual disability will be unable to access education that is suitable for their needs.
- No funding increases to provide direct support for learners such as assistance with completing assessments, time management and review sessions. Documentation provided from one of the largest TAFE NSW Institutes has indicated that since 2002 there has been a 150 per cent increase in the cost of disability assistance but no increase in budget allocation. In terms of hourly support it has meant that it can now only offer 6117 hours of support as opposed to the 15244 hours of support it offered in 2009.
- Staffing qualifications are downgraded to save on salaries and not all teachers are specialised in teaching people with learning difficulties. For example a teacher may only possess a certificate IV in training and assessment as opposed to a degree in special education.
- Some courses such as vocational certificates, are offered only for fee paying students through TAFE Plus, not TAFE NSW. This clearly presents a barrier for people on low incomes and further prolongs people’s transition to open employment positions.
- Reasonable adjustments are becoming seen as too costly and therefore courses are not tailored to meet individual learning needs.
It is critical that measures are developed that promote positive educational opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities – without TAFE people are left with very limited choices in private colleges and providers. Often these are simply not an option for people with intellectual disabilities due to the cost, entry level of the course, and the nonexistent disability support.
We call on the NSW Government to ensure that essential access to education remains available for people with intellectual disabilities. Educational pathways for people with intellectual disabilities must continue to be accessible, adequately funded, flexible, and have realistic allowances for support.
Without the support of TAFE NSW Teacher Consultants, people with intellectual disabilities would not have been able to pursue their studies successfully. TAFE NSW has long been a lead educator for people with intellectual disabilities, and it has provided people with intellectual disabilities being able to gain the skills and knowledge to gain employment, an adequate wage, and the entitlements that they require to have a decent quality of life.