ACSES Insights Report on Disability in Higher Education—Stage 1: Stocktake of public information on disability in Australian universities

Introduction

The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES) received funding through the Higher Education Disability Support Program Capacity Building Fund to develop Insights Reports on Disability in Higher Education. This Stage 1 report on the stocktake of public information on disability is the first of multiple planned Insights Reports. Subsequent components will identify: service provision not readily identifiable in public information; data collection practices on disability; public information on provider categories of University College and Institutes of Higher Education; and longitudinal analysis of progress against stocktake indicators. The ACSES Insights Reports on Disability in Higher Education aim to identify and report sector-level issues, gaps, and opportunities.

Performance monitoring of disability has traditionally been grounded in the Martin equity and general performance indicators for higher education (Martin 1994). Disability data is based upon self-declared disability through enrolment processes. Enrolment declarations include self-reported categories for disability. Routine reporting for disability groups component categories together under the umbrella of disability, with some reports including analysis of performance of disability sub-groups (for example, Kilpatrick et al., 2016; ACSES, 2025). This focus on student categories of disability is grounded in individual characteristics rather than the environmental factors that are central to social and ecological models of disability.

This stocktake aims to go beyond counting students by individual category of disability by documenting facets of the learning environments with which students interact. This is achieved by review of publicly accessible websites of 43 higher education providers operating under the provider category of “Australian University” in 2025 (Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency [TEQSA], 2026). The stocktake reviews the accessibility information that is published, and the extent to which disability is referenced in webpages relating to admissions, student support, disability services, enabling policies, teaching policies, strategy, and planning. Stocktake criteria are aligned to regulatory requirements relevant to the participation of students with disability. Whilst focused on disability, the stocktake also reviewed references to autism and neurodivergence given the recent rise in related disclosures.

The full report is available for download in PDF [655 KB] or Word [444 KB] format.