Education support and inclusion researchers work with educators, people with disabilities, parents and carers, policy-makers and other professionals to achieve more equitable communities which value and support diversity.

We are concerned with the large questions that concern the conditions required to accommodate the diversity of students and clients with additional needs, and the policy issues surrounding the legislative framework of the Disability Standards for Education Act (2005).

We use a diversity of research approaches, from single case studies to large national initiatives, to inform our responses. Our research operates within the Faculty's  Education Institute.

Directions

Our research takes a lifespan approach with particular interest in the schooling years from early childhood to young adulthood. We research optimal learning environments for the diverse range of of students at the individual and system levels. Our current interests include:

• Implications of the Disability Standards for Education Act (2005) to schools, tertiary education and other educational settings
• Investigating inclusive teaching and learning support practices for people with additional needs 
• Modes of assistance for students with special needs, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder
• How information and communication technology can increase capacity of institutions to respond to the additional needs of people with disabilities

Key researchers

Dr Chris Kilham, Rosemary Butt, Iain Hay, David Zilber.    See researcher publications

Current projects

• Improving the Learning Outcomes of Students with Disabilities in Mainstream Classes
• Effective Teaching and Learning Practices for Students with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities in the Australian Capital Territory
• Teachers' Responses to Aggressive and Disruptive Behaviour of Students with Special Needs
• Ways of Communicating with Individuals Who Have Severe Cognitive Deficits and/or Communication Impairment
• Research on students on the Autism Spectrum including the AAETC Project.