Disability support services at TAFE
An Easy Read guide about how the disability support services at TAFE can help you.
In this guide, we explain the disability support services at TAFE NSW.
Who we can support
TAFE NSW’s disability support services can support people who are:
- blind or have low vision
- deaf or hard of hearing.
They can support people who have:
- an illness or medical condition that will last a long time, like cancer
- a physical disability.
A physical disability affects how well you can:
- move
- use your body.
They can support people with intellectual disability.
An intellectual disability affects how you:
- learn new things
- solve problems
- communicate
- do things on your own.
They can support people who struggle with their mental health.
Your mental health is about how you:
- think and feel about yourself
- deal with things in your life
- manage your feelings.
They can also help people who are neurodiverse.
When someone is neurodiverse:
- they think in a different way
- their brain works in a different way.
How we can support you
TAFE NSW can support you:
- before you sign up for a TAFE course
- while you study a TAFE course.
Their Disability Teacher Consultants provide different services to support people with disability.
Disability Teacher Consultants can:
- give you information to help you choose a course
- help you sign up for a course.
They can also connect you with other supports.
For example, an Auslan Interpreter.
People who are deaf or don’t hear well use Auslan to communicate.
An Auslan interpreter is someone who uses Auslan to help you understand what someone says.
TAFE NSW’s Disability Teacher Consultants can help you find and use assistive technology.
Assistive technology can:
- make it easier for you to do things
- keep you safe.
Assistive technology might be:
- an aid or piece of equipment, like a wheelchair
- a system to use, like a screen reader.
You can meet with a Disability Teacher Consultant at any time.
It’s free to have a meeting with them.
They will check to see if you need to pay any money to study a TAFE course.
You might need to give them a letter from your doctor or school.
They won’t share any information you tell them.
TAFE NSW’s Disability Teacher Consultants can also help you:
- find out more about their support services
- get started.
How to meet with our disability teaching consultants
There are 3 ways you can organise a meeting with a Disability Teacher Consultant.
We explain each option below.
1. You can call TAFE NSW.
When you call them, select option 5.
They will connect you to their disability support services team.
This team can book a meeting with one of their Disability Teacher Consultants.
You can have this meeting either:
- in person
- online.
2. You can visit a TAFE in person.
When you visit a TAFE, you need to go to the Customer Service Centre.
Let a staff member know you would like to meet with a Disability Teacher Consultant.
You can find a TAFE NSW near you in the Locations page on the TAFE NSW website.
3. You can give TAFE NSW information about your disability when you sign up for a course online.
When you sign up for a course online, you can tick the box that says ‘disability’.
This will let you tick the boxes that best explain your disability below.
After you sign up for a course online, you should also call TAFE NSW.
They can help you find the support you need for your course.
Support to contact us
You can call the National Relay Service if you:
- are deaf or hard of hearing
- have speech or communication difficulty.
Speak and Listen
You can ask them to connect you to the TAFE NSW phone number.
You can learn more in the National Relay Service page on the Access Hub website.