Our Disability Transition Support Officer will be a friendly contact point and provide guidance to students throughout their first 90 days of enrolment in Vocational Education (TAFE).
RMIT Vocational Education (TAFE) provides personalised support for students with disability transitioning from secondary school (including specialist schools and alternate education settings) to Vocational Education (TAFE).
Our Disability Transition Support Officer (DTSO), working with our Equitable Learning Services Team (ELS), will coordinate your transition, assist with the enrolment process and provide guidance and wrap-around support for the first 90 days of your enrolment at TAFE.
Coordinating your transition
Working with students, secondary schools, your care teams, and various areas of RMIT to support your transition throughout their first 90 days of enrolment.
Assisting with enrolment process
Providing advice on enrolment processes and support you if you experience any challenges.
Providing guidance
Providing information about how TAFE works, from your rights and responsibilities to advice, resources and Work Integrated Learning (placement) expectations.
Wrap-around support
Collaborating with your school and support network to prepare you for your transition to TAFE and then connecting you with support services and resources at RMIT.
Contact the Disability Transition Support Officer
Prospective and new RMIT Vocational Education (TAFE) students with disability can email our Disability Transition Support Officer for more information about how we can support your transition to TAFE.
If you need help contacting our Disability Transition Support Officer, phone Student Connect on +61 3 9925 5000 (9am-5pm Mon-Thu, 10am-5pm Fri, excluding public holidays) and a staff member can organise them to make contact with you.
Creating lasting change
Our officer will partner with secondary schools to develop an understanding of the TAFE environment and share transition best practice within the Victorian TAFE Network.
Are you supporting a student with disability transition from secondary school to TAFE?
The DTSO can engage with secondary school teams, families and external supports to raise awareness and provide information and advice about what students with disability can expect by studying at TAFE.
We’re committed to inclusivity
Equitable Learning Services values diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds and is affirming of identities that intersect lived experience of disability. We are committed to offering inclusive, respectful, and safe spaces both online and physically and we encourage everyone to bring their whole selves to RMIT. Learn more about RMIT's commitment to diversity and inclusion.
The language of disability
RMIT acknowledges that language concerning identity continues to evolve. In accordance with guidance provided by the Australian Network on Disability, RMIT uses ‘person first’ language to describe people with disability, while acknowledging many people with disability prefer to use identity-first language. Identity-first language puts a person’s disability identity before the person – for example, ‘disabled person’ or ‘Autistic’ – instead of ‘person with autism’; ‘Deaf’ – instead of ‘person who is deaf’. Many prefer to use identity-first language as they regard their disability as a key part of their identity. They use identity-first language to show their connection to the disability community, demonstrate disability pride and emphasise that it is society that is disabling. Of course, when interacting directly with people or describing them, we respect and use their preferred way of describing themselves.
