Enrolments for 2019 have closed.
The Contemporary Disability Landscape
Postgraduate | LTU-DIS502 | 2019
Course information for 2019 intake
View information for 2020 course intakeBetter understand the aims of disability policies and services by considering the position of people with disability in society. Explore the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the National Disability Strategy (NDS).
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Entry requirements
- Part of a degree
- Duration
- 13 weeks
FEE-HELP available
The Contemporary Disability Landscape
About this subject
Note: This subject is a part of La Trobe University's Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma in Disability Practice, which will become available for application in Semester 2. Students who complete this subject in Semester 1 will be able to apply for credit towards these programs.
Upon successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- Analyse the interaction between the concepts of impairment and disability;
- Critically appraise perspectives on the citizenship of people with disability in society with an earlier historic period.
- Interpret and transmit knowledge about the theoretical models of disability embedded in current disability policies;
- Evaluate the changes that the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the National Disability Strategy (NDS) brings to mainstream service systems;
- Critically reflect on different models of disability from different perspectives and their influence on individual practice, policy and programs.
- Critique the extent to which services are responsive to people with disabilities and reflect the principles that underpin them.
- What does an ordinary life look like?
- Thinking about disability; framework and models
- Understanding impairment and disability
- Stigma and disability
- Historical perspectives; life stories and policy contexts
- Deinstitutionalisation
- Kew Cottages case study
- The road to reform in disability funding and support
- The NDIS
- The roll out and implementation of NDIS
- Accessing mainstream services
- People with disabilities living their lives
This subject provides the theoretical underpinnings of the current disability landscape. It gives students a strong conceptual foundation for thinking about the contemporary position of people with disability in society and its comparison with an earlier historic period, understanding the aims of current disability policies and the nature of specialist disability and mainstream service systems available to people with a disability. Students will consider different models for understanding disability and the way these frame the 'problem' of disability, policy aspirations and services. The key features of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the National Disability Strategy (NDS) as major reforms and their implications for professionals working in mainstream or specialist services will be explored. Students will examine the conceptual differences between impairment and disability, the interplay between these, and the rationale for impairment specific knowledge in adjusting social settings such as schools, places of employment or community groups to be inclusive of people with disabilities.
Concept discussion forum - Students to use online forum to discuss disability-related concepts. Marking rubric to specify the structure of the forum discussion.
Historical perspectives forum - Students to use online forum to discuss historical perspectives. Marking rubric to specify the structure of the forum discussion.
Disability Policy Report - Interpretation and evaluation of disability policies and how they apply to practice.
Services Proposal - Proposal to Board of Management about suggested changes to mainstream services.- Concept discussion forum (500- word equivalent) (10%)
- Historical perspectives forum (500-word equivalent) (10%)
- Disability Policy Report (2,000- word equivalent) (40%)
- Services Proposal (2,000-word equivalent) (40%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
To enrol in this subject, you must be admitted into a degree.
Others
In order to enrol in this subject, students are required to apply to OUA's Postgraduate Single Subjects program (OUA-PSU-GCE).
https://www.open.edu.au/degrees/postgraduate-single-subjects-oua-oua-psu-gce?year=2019
Note: Students wishing to apply for either the Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma in Disability Practice based on the completion of postgraduate single subjects should familiarise themselves with La Trobe's advanced standing policy. A maximum of two (2) or four (4) subjects may be credited to the Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma programs, respectively.
https://www.latrobe.edu.au/students/getting-started/new-students/advanced-standing
Additional requirements
- Other requirements -
1 x 15 hoursunscheduled online class per week on any day including weekend during the day from week 10-22 and delivered via online
1 x 10 hours unscheduled online class per week from week 31 to week 43
3 x 1 hour scheduled online class every three weeks, from week 31 to week 43
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.