Between birth and death, people experience common biological growth and ageing processes. Cognitive capacity changes, psycho-social understandings and culturally significant behavioural milestones can also be observed over the lifespan. When most people experience processes in much the same way as others, or change most of the time "on time" it can be called "typically developing" or "normative". People with disability may have growth, ageing, cognitive, psychosocial or behavioural patterns that are different to "the norm" or are considered "atypical". This unit explores dimensions of "atypical" development, recognizing the value in being able to describe and understand disability difference from an informed perspective, at the same time critiquing the social risk and individual damage that can be caused by characterizing difference as "not normal". Variation in lifespan development is part of the human condition, it can be described and explained, but is not a reason to stigmatize or classify others as "not one of us". The case for person-centred, not impairment-focused approach when working with people who have disability across the lifespan is introduced.

People describe and explain disability using various ideological, theoretical and empirical approaches. These conceptual models can open up or shut down opportunities for people with disability to live with dignity and purpose and participate as full citizens in their communities. This unit explores psycho-socio-cultural assumptions that have influenced understandings of disability over time. Scientific and evidence based approaches to the description and classification of individual health and public health as related to disability will be examined. The continued influence of ideological approaches to disability that are at odds with empirical or evidence based approaches are explored. This unit will explore in depth the World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health, and will consider the positive and negative impacts of a codified approach to the human experience of disability. We will explore how this global approach to health is influencing: individual and community perceptions of disability; state and enterprise service initiatives; regulation and policy frameworks; individual opportunities for meaningful participation of people with disability as citizens.

The impact of assistive products on participation and inclusion for people with a disability is expanding rapidly. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates more than 1 billion people currently benefit from assistive products, predicting sizable growth in this figure going forward. This unit focusses on generally available assistive products that may be encountered in a wide range of settings.
Assistive products are designed to promote dignity, health and wellbeing by removing or reducing barriers to participation, inclusion and independence. Access to assistive products is an important aspect of an individuals environment, facilitating participation in everyday life situations such as education, work or leisure.
This unit will explore generally available assistive products, and how they can support people with disability to lead productive and meaningful lives, enhancing economic and social contribution.
This unit will adopt an interdisciplinary (e.g. allied health, engineering, design, education) approach using examples from people with disability in a wide range of economic and geographic contexts. Students will critically appraise generally available products to profile issues relating to: public product access and affordability, product quality and safety, inclusive design, fitness for purpose, user training, and maintenance issues.

The United Nations promotes human rights as foundational in consideration of the human condition. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disability (UNCRPD) was developed as an instrument to set out a code for implementation of strategies to support the rights of people with disability. Practically, the local nature and extent of human rights varies, however there is universal expectation that people with disability are afforded equal rights.
This unit will explore internationally agreed frameworks that support the rights of people with disability. Australian experiences will illustrate the way national, state and local level regulation applies such principles in government and private enterprise policy frameworks. The gap between policy and the reality of implementation in practice will be explored through literature, documents and the lived experience of people with disability.
Students will critically appraise notions of participation, inclusion, access and opportunity from the perspective of citizenship to reveal able-bodied privilege and models of patronage and beneficence inherent in current approaches that aim to put into action the principles of human rights for people with disability. The strengths and weaknesses, benefits and costs, wins and losses of current approaches and the where to from here will be considered.

This unit of study is driven by Australian societal demands to privilege the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the voices of people with a disability. Decolonisation is at the core of this unit of study and can be defined as a process which “…centres on privileging the voices of Indigenous people and analysing, as well as dismantling the power balances that exist between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples:” (Gilroy et al 2018 pp 1346). In this unit of study we expand the notion of decolonisation further to one which also centres on privileging the voices of people with a disability and dismantling power imbalances between people with a disability and others. The unit of study draws together contemporary concepts of disability practices, along with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s knowledge, leadership and practice. The overall aim of this unit of study is to introduce students to the concept of decolonisation and the implemention of this concept to deliver culturally responsive disability services. Students will learn how to advocate with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, as well as integrate decolonising principles in professional contexts relating to health and disability.

The Australian "disability sector" is expanding and evolving as a significant part of the service economy creating and drawing down wealth in public and private domains. The sector is built upon complex and often conflicting assumptions that results in an inherently political sector where priorities, programs, outcomes and resources are Updated 22 October 2020 Page 5 Prerequisite* Provide alpha with digit codes only, no names or commas. Use brackets to make ORs and ANDs unambiguous. Students will be required to have completed 18 credit points of 2000 level units of study to enrol in this unit. Corequisite* As for prerequisite units of study. Nil Enrolment restrictions? If YES, provide a reason. DP (Departmental Permission) EXMR (Exclude from Module Registration) Quota (Enrolment cap) specify number in reason below Reason: Learning Activities/Classes To be entered in Sydney Curriculum by coordinator Two hours of lectures per week and a one hour tutorial per week. Mark/Grade Scheme Mark and Grade Grade Only Available for study abroad and exchange? (STABEX) Centrally organised exam? Centrally organised timetable? contested. The "disability workforce" is changing in scope and scale as these contested perspectives are aired and implications are incorporated into practice. The National Disability Insurance Scheme(NDIS), a recent major Australian social policy reform, seeks to implement the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disability. This reform has led to the development of innovative organizational and entrepreneurial approaches to providing supports for people with disability that are collaborative and person-centered, placing people with disability and their nominees as equal partners in the services they receive. Others perceive the market driven approach fostered by the NDIS has reinforced the position of people with disability as 'service recipients' with little control and high provider profit margins. This unit will explore provider models, workforce characteristics, including interdisciplinary and interprofessional teams, consumer driven and coordinated care and the variety of enterprises involved in disability support.

People with and without disability can take collective action to help build liveable, sustainable and equitable communities. In these healthy communities, people with disability feel comfortable being who they are, they and no lists participate in decisions that affect their lives, they have the same sense of life opportunity as other people, and they know they will be treated fairly and with respect. Disability inclusive community development challenges discrimination and exclusion whilst promoting recognition of people with disability as fully contributing and responsible citizens. The unit will employ a project-based learning approach focusing on real-world problems as the vehicle for significant multidisciplinary learning about disability-inclusive and sustainable community development. We will identify common narratives that perpetuate inequity for people with disability and appraise how these narratives inform contemporary policies, programs and services. We will consider why these dialogues endure even when evidence shows they have adverse effects. We will explore how modes of working with communities, such as community capacity development, policy, and advocacy, are used (re)shape opportunities for inclusive and sustainable communities

This interdisciplinary unit provides students with the opportunity to address complex problems identified by industry, community, and government organisations, and gain valuable experience in working across disciplinary boundaries. In collaboration with a major industry partner and an academic lead, students integrate their academic skills and knowledge by working in teams with students from a range of disciplinary backgrounds. This experience allows students to research, analyse and present solutions to a real world problem, and to build on their interpersonal and transferable skills by engaging with and learning from industry experts and presenting their ideas and solutions to the industry partner.