Student Support Services
Support while you train — from understanding what’s available, to disability access, to help while you complete an online course. Full detail is set out in the Participant Handbook below.
Student Support Services Guide
An overview of every support category and service available to you as a participant, set out so you can find what you need quickly.
Download the guide (PDF) →Disability Information & Support
Guidance for answering the disability question on your Student Enrolment Form, and how to let us know what support you need.
Read the supplement →Online Training Support
Stuck on an online course? Send us a support request and we’ll help you through it.
Get in touch →Disability — Information Supplement
This supplement provides guidance for completing the disability question on our Student Enrolment Form.
Disability in this context does not include short-term disabling health conditions such as a fractured leg or influenza, or corrected physical conditions such as impaired vision managed by wearing glasses or lenses.
Hearing/deaf
Hearing impairment refers to a person who has an acquired mild, moderate, severe or profound hearing loss after learning to speak, communicates orally and maximises residual hearing with the assistance of amplification. A person who is deaf has a severe or profound hearing loss from, at, or near birth and mainly relies upon vision to communicate, whether through lip reading, gestures, cued speech, finger spelling and/or sign language.
Physical
A physical disability affects the mobility or dexterity of a person and may include a total or partial loss of a part of the body. It may have existed since birth or may be the result of an accident, illness, or injury suffered later in life — for example, amputation, arthritis, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, paraplegia, quadriplegia or post-polio syndrome.
Intellectual
In general, the term ‘intellectual disability’ is used to refer to low general intellectual functioning and difficulties in adaptive behaviour, both of which conditions were manifested before the person reached the age of 18. It may result from infection before or after birth, trauma during birth, or illness.
Learning
A general term that refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical abilities. These disorders are intrinsic to the individual and presumed to be due to central nervous system dysfunction, and may occur across the life span.
Mental illness
Mental illness refers to a cluster of psychological and physiological symptoms that cause a person suffering or distress and which represent a departure from a person’s usual pattern and level of functioning.
Acquired brain impairment
Injury to the brain that results in deterioration in cognitive, physical, emotional or independent functioning. It can occur as a result of trauma, hypoxia, infection, tumour, accidents, violence, substance abuse, degenerative neurological diseases or stroke, and may be temporary or permanent.
Vision
This covers a partial loss of sight causing difficulties in seeing, up to and including blindness. This may be present from birth or acquired as a result of disease, illness or injury.
Medical condition
A temporary or permanent condition that may be hereditary, genetically acquired or of unknown origin. It may not be obvious or readily identifiable, yet may be mildly or severely debilitating — for example, HIV/AIDS, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis, asthma or diabetes.
Other
A disability, impairment or long-term condition which is not suitably described by one or several disability types in combination. Autism spectrum disorders are reported under this category.
Let us know if you would like to discuss any support you may need. Call 1300 711 116 or 0426 979 070, or email info@progressivediagnostics.com.au.