DISABILITY INCLUSION

Hello, from the Disability Inclusion Team. This is the first in a series of information pieces on Disability Inclusion or DI at Oberon and the common themes we see at our school in this space. 

What is DI?

Oberon is now in its 5th year of the new Education Department model of support for students with a disability. It is called Disability Inclusion, and you can find lots of information online by searching under the terms, 'Disability Inclusion Education Victoria.’ Barwon Region was one of the first to roll out the new system and the rest of the state joined us over the last 5 years. As of 2025 the entire state is now using this model. 

This new model of support is designed to better fund schools to develop programs, undertake training and employ staff to meet the needs of students with diagnoses at Oberon. 

Students are categorized as either Tier 2 or Tier 3. Tier 3 students and their families participate in a process called a Disability Inclusion Plan (DIP) in which staff at Oberon outline in detail the adjustments they are making across the school to support the learning and participation of that student and present their documents in a meeting with an external facilitator from the Disability Inclusion Facilitator service. If successful, the school receives additional funding to continue that support. 

Support at Oberon:

Every year based on our Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD), which all schools Australia wide process, schools are allocated funding to support students with additional needs. This amount varies depending on the data and the amount the state government has allocated to education in that election. This funding is used for a variety of supports that all students benefit from including but not limited to, access to the Inclusion Hub, education support staff in classrooms, intervention and support programs such as ICAN, MAT, Handwriting and social skills. They also benefit from any additional training and coaching teaching staff to better plan and educate our students. 

How can you help?

Notify the school of any changes to diagnosis, additional diagnoses, or concerns you may have for your child’s learning progress. 

If you think your child/ren meets criteria for Tier 3 please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s year level leader and they will get the process started with the Inclusion Team. 

Read our newsletter for updates and more information on different learning needs.

Further information:

https://www.vic.gov.au/disability-inclusion-education-in-practice