Reasonable Adjustments: Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)

Reasonable adjustments are an important strategy to support students with disability while studying or training. Adjustments are negotiated to meet the needs of the individual student; this is predominantly done through a Disability Practitioner within the institution the student attends. They can include a wide range of adjustments outlined below. 

Students with Acquired Brain Injury may benefit from a range of inclusive teaching and assessment strategies. Some adjustments that are frequently used for students with ABI include:

• access to copy of peer lecture notes
• professional note-taker for lectures, practicals or tutorials
• access to Student Access Study Centre if available on campus
• provision of a Practical Assistant within laboratories or workshops
• access to Assistive Technology, for example speech recognition, or screen reader and word prediction
• access to information in electronic formats
• arrangement of case management to assist studies and assess regular process
• arranging the specific scheduling of tutorial allocations with smaller class sizes or tutors with specific ABI expertise
• allowing students to be be accompanied by support persons where required
• arrangement for student to meet with faculty prior to starting to identify strategies for accommodating the implications of the disability in relation to the inherent requirements of any required practicums
• access to Assistive Technology or scribe in examinations
• examination timetable adjustments to allow for adequate time between exams and scheduling for times that capitalise on the student’s maximum energy levels, such as morning or afternoon exams
• provision for moving around in class and examinations, for example stretching, lying on floor
• provision for additional toilet breaks during examinations
• provision of explicit, step-by-step instructions for tasks and assignments that assist in compensating for deficits in short term memory or ability to organise information
• provision of a peer mentor.