Students

EDUC8210 – Disability Equity Education

2025 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

Download as PDF
Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Poulomee Datta
poulomee.datta@mq.edu.au
Contact via Contact via email
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MSpecEd or GradDipSpecEd or MInc&SpecEd or GradDipInc&SpecEd or GradCertInc&SpecEd or GradCertLearnDiffSuppTeach or GradCertPosBehSuppTeach
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit focuses on learning about Disability Equity Education and applying theoretical learning to practice. A key focus will be on identifying barriers to education for many students, including a range of social, cultural, political, economic, and environmental barriers. There will be opportunities to critically examine and develop a range of strategies for addressing these barriers in order to ensure meaningful engagement with the curriculum for all students. Ableism and the social and affirmation models of disability will be explored. Topics will include consideration of neurodiversity, intersectionality, wellbeing, and the perspectives of people with lived experience of the oppression that constitutes disability. Principles of social justice and equity, which underpin inclusive practices, will be examined in relation to international agreements, national legislation, policy and procedures, as well as contemporary research and practice. The unit will also address effective collaboration with paraprofessionals to facilitate genuine participation and learning. The socio-cultural and historical context will also be considered in order to meaningfully engage with effective instruction.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Articulate understanding of ethical, legislative and policy responsibilities of teachers as related to educational provision for diverse learners.
  • ULO2: Identify and critically evaluate complex and conflicting theoretical perspectives and demonstrate understanding of social constructions of disability including the implications for education practice of the pervasive nature of ableism.
  • ULO3: Apply advanced understandings and critical analysis of key issues related to inclusive and special education in contemporary education contexts
  • ULO4: Identify and critically reflect on barriers to equity in education for students with disability
  • ULO5: Apply research-informed knowledge to addressing common misunderstandings regarding students and their learning abilities and opportunities
  • ULO6: Interpret research-informed knowledge of the effective approaches to collaboration in educational practice

General Assessment Information

General Submission Information 

Please format assessments using 12-point font and 1.5 spacing. 

All assessments must be submitted electronically. Turnitin plagiarism detection software is used to check all written assessments. It is the responsibility of all students to ensure that their submitted work is in a format compatible with Turnitin software for plagiarism checking. Submissions must meet the required file type and formatting specifications outlined in the assessment guidelines. Failure to submit work in an acceptable format may result in delays in processing your submission and potential penalties for non-compliance with assessment requirements. If you are unsure about the file format or have technical difficulties, it is your responsibility to seek assistance before the submission deadline. Students should be careful to check that they submit the correct file for an assessment as no re-submissions will be accepted after the due date and time, including instances where students upload an incorrect file. It is not the responsibility of unit staff to contact students who have failed to submit assessments. If you have any missing items of assessment, it is your responsibility to contact the unit convenor. Students can use Turnitin’s Originality Report as a learning tool to improve their academic writing if this option is made available in the unit. Word limits are strictly applied. Work above the word limit will not be marked.  

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) 

Students should be aware of and apply the University policy on academic integrity (see: https://policies.mq.edu.au/document/view.php?id=3). Any student suspected of using unauthorised AI in an assignment will be referred to the Faculty of Arts Discipline Committee. Penalties can include reduced marks for an assessment, being awarded '0' for a task, failing an entire unit, being excluded from a course of study. Please see each assessment task description/rubric for expectations about AI. 

Special Consideration / Late Penalties 

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day an assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends) (see: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/special-consideration). Applications for extensions must be made via Service Connect. After the 7th day, a mark of 0 (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11:55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue. This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessments (incl. essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc).  

Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special Consideration application. A Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic.  

Marking 

All assessments are marked using a rubric. 

Marking of all assessments is moderated by the Unit Convenor. 

University Policy on Grading 

Assignments will be awarded grades ranging from HD to F according to guidelines set out in the University's Grading System and University Assessment Policy.  

To attain a pass or higher grade in Professional Experience a student must obtain a satisfactory in both the Professional Experience component and a pass or higher grade in the academic component. For Professional Experience units the Professional Experience Evaluation Report is marked as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. The Macquarie Teaching Performance Assessment (MQTPA - in final WIL/PEx units) is marked as Not met, Met or Exceeds. 

Results 

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed because they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit Service Connect. 

Withdrawing from this unit 

If you are considering withdrawing from this unit, please seek academic advice via Service Connect before doing so as this unit may be a co-requisite or prerequisite for units in the following sessions and may impact your course progression. 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Assignment 30% No 23:55, Sunday, weeks 2-6. Submission on 23:55 13/04/2025
Assignment 30% No 23:55 04/05/2025
Assignment 40% No 23:55 01/06/2025

Assignment

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 23:55, Sunday, weeks 2-6. Submission on 23:55 13/04/2025
Weighting: 30%

 

Weekly critical reflection task.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Articulate understanding of ethical, legislative and policy responsibilities of teachers as related to educational provision for diverse learners.
  • Identify and critically reflect on barriers to equity in education for students with disability
  • Apply research-informed knowledge to addressing common misunderstandings regarding students and their learning abilities and opportunities
  • Interpret research-informed knowledge of the effective approaches to collaboration in educational practice

Assignment

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 23:55 04/05/2025
Weighting: 30%

 

This task requires students to undertake a case study involving critical analysis of relevant materials through the application of a Disability Equity Education lens

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and critically evaluate complex and conflicting theoretical perspectives and demonstrate understanding of social constructions of disability including the implications for education practice of the pervasive nature of ableism.
  • Identify and critically reflect on barriers to equity in education for students with disability
  • Apply research-informed knowledge to addressing common misunderstandings regarding students and their learning abilities and opportunities

Assignment

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 23:55 01/06/2025
Weighting: 40%

 

Analyse, synthesise and apply research in developing strategies to address an issue of significance in bringing about Disability Equity Education within diverse classrooms.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply advanced understandings and critical analysis of key issues related to inclusive and special education in contemporary education contexts
  • Identify and critically reflect on barriers to equity in education for students with disability
  • Apply research-informed knowledge to addressing common misunderstandings regarding students and their learning abilities and opportunities
  • Interpret research-informed knowledge of the effective approaches to collaboration in educational practice

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Required and recommended texts 

The required text for this unit is Lalvani, P., & Baglieri, S. (2020). Undoing Ableism: Teaching Disability in the K-12 Classroom. Milton: Taylor & Francis Group. There will be additional required and recommended readings as outlined weekly in the iLearn site. 

Information about the unit iLearn site   

This unit has a full web presence through iLearn.   

Students will need regular access to a computer and the Internet to complete this unit. Information for students about access to the online component of this unit is available at https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/index.php. You will need to enter your student username and password.

Weekly access to iLearn is compulsory for all students. Important assessment information will be posted here, as will other relevant unit notices and materials. 

Various activities and materials for discussion and critical reflection are included. Electronic links and suggested references will be included in the Resources section. Please check the iLearn unit regularly.  

Weekly lectures are available on the iLearn site. You must listen to all lectures. 

PowerPoint slides are available in iLearn in advance of the weekly lecture and/or are available in the Active Learning Tool.  

Please do NOT contact the Unit Convenor regarding iLearn technical help. Assistance is available from IT Helpdesk: via email onehelp@mq.edu.au or Ph: 9850 4357 or 1800 67 4357. On Campus: Ground floor at 18 Wally’s Walk. 

Structure 

The unit is organised in external mode only, and in a flexible delivery format. Delivery is designed such that students may seek as much or as little assistance as required in completing the unit. In flexible delivery units, it is critical that students are organised and disciplined. If you get significantly behind in your topic coverage, it may be impossible to catch up. Please start your study as soon as possible.

The unit comprises lectures and online tasks. Students will discuss issues and questions arising from the lectures and prescribed readings. Students are expected to base their arguments/discussions on evidence from published research and other relevant material. Students are required to participate in all aspects of the unit activities, including the readings, lectures and online tasks.

 

Unit Schedule

Please see the iLearn site for the Unit Schedule.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

School of Education Procedures 

In addition, the following policies and procedures for the Macquarie School of Education apply to this unit. 

Communication 

It is the student’s responsibility to check all electronic communication on a weekly basis.  Communication may occur via: 

  • Official MQ Student Email Address 

  • The Dialogue function on iLearn 

  • Other iLearn communication functions 

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2025.01R of the Handbook