Associate Degree in Disability and Community Practice - Exit Award only

The Associate Degree in Disability and Community Practice requires two years of full-time study or the equivalent part-time. The course is offered by the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. The Associate Degree in Disability and Community Practice is offered only as an exit award for students currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Disability and Developmental Education or the Bachelor of Disability and Community Inclusion who choose not to complete that program.

• Course aims
• Learning outcomes
• Program of study

Course aims

The Associate Degree in Disability and Community Practice is focused on promoting the rights of people with disability to inclusive lives and to building an effective and respectful support workforce allied with this aim.  

The program provides students with work-relevant skills and knowledge they can apply in a wide range of contexts in disability, health and human services fields.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this course you will be able to:

• understand and activate human rights in the lives of people with disability
• work in alliance with people with disability, their families and advocates to promote inclusion and quality in life
• promote the physical and emotional well-being of people with disability
• recommend and teach functional skills such as social, self-care, recreation, communication and language, and employment skills
• develop and implement positive learning and lifestyle support plans
• support people with disability to access and maintain meaningful employment
• use advocacy, negotiation and person-centred planning skills to facilitate community inclusion with and for people with disability

Program of study

To qualify for the Associate Degree in Disability and Community Practice, a student must complete 72 units with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic, according to the program of study set out below.

Core - Year 1 topics

31.5 units comprising:

 DSRS1201  Perspectives on Disability  (4.5 units)
 DSRS1202  Disability Across the Life Course  (4.5 units)
 DSRS1211  Introduction to Disability and Neurodiversity  (4.5 units)
 DSRS1215  Introduction to Communication Diversity and Support Needs  (4.5 units)
 DSRS1217  The Disability Landscape  (4.5 units)
 DSRS1218  Critical Issues in Disability Practice  (4.5 units)
 HLTH1010  Research and Study Skills 1  (4.5 units)

Option - Year 1 topics

Plus 4.5 units of option topics selected from the following list:

 EDUC1224 Foundations of Special Education (4.5 units)
 GOVT1001 Fundamentals of Public Policy (4.5 units)
 INNO1001 Innovative and Creative Thinking: Recognising Opportunities (4.5 units)
 INNO1004 Creative Thinking & Problem Solving: Finding & Framing Problems Worth Solving (4.5 units)
 SOAD1010 Mental Health and Public Participation (4.5 units)
 SOCI1010 Sociology of Everyday Life (4.5 units)

Core - Year 2 topics

36 units comprising:

 DSRS1206  Disability: Health and Well-being  (4.5 units)
 DSRS1216  Introduction to Principles of Learning and Instruction  (4.5 units)
 DSRS2220  Family and Professional Partnerships  (4.5 units)
 DSRS2232  Practicum 1  (4.5 units)
 DSRS2234  Instructional Strategies  (4.5 units)
 DSRS2235  Professional Ethics  (4.5 units)
 DSRS2237  Employment & Disability  (4.5 units)
 HLTH2107  Research and Study Skills 2  (4.5 units)