The changing nature of educational support for students with disabilities

This paper looks at the past experiences of students with disability at a regional university and examines the changing ways of providing support which better prepare students for entry to the workforce. Previously, the provision of support consisted of advocacy services and other forms of support such as note-taking assistance. Staff in the Disability Resources section identified additional areas that students need assistance with, in order to begin their transition to workforce while they are at university. This developmental approach extends the support available to include assistance with the development of self-advocacy and resilience skills as well as the multi-disciplinary care of self. This chapter examines the specifically designed support delivered via a coaching process outside the expected advocacy roles traditionally undertaken by Disability Resources