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The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success acknowledges Indigenous peoples across Australia as the Traditional Owners of the lands on which the nation’s campuses are situated. With a history spanning more than 60,000 years as the original educators, Indigenous peoples hold a unique place in our nation. We recognise the importance of their knowledge and culture, and reflect the principles of participation, equity, and cultural respect in our work. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future, and consider it an honour to learn from our Indigenous colleagues, partners, and friends.

You are reading: Thriving through COVID-19: Reflections from Tertiary Students with Disability at a National Online Forum 

On 9 December 2020, the Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training (ADCET) invited university and TAFE students with disability to participate in a student forum, supported by the NCSEHE, entitled Thriving through COVID-19.

ADCET’s earlier scoping survey on the impact of COVID-19 on the tertiary education sector found that while some students struggled with the COVID-19 disruptions, others coped well. This forum aimed to establish the critical success factors that enabled some students to thrive through the disruptions and online learning environments and look at how these might be taught or shared with other students.

This report reflects the data from the two-hour online forum, attended by 32 students with disability from across Australia, to explore the question: What are the critical success factors, for students with disability, for thriving through the COVID-19 period?

Students shared success stories, identified enabling factors, articulated hopes for the future, and designed prototypes to deliver ways to do more of what works well.

Read the final report, Thriving through COVID-19: Reflections from Tertiary Students with Disability at a National Online Forum 

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