Master of Disability Practice

The Master of Disability Practice is designed to prepare graduates to work effectively with people who have disabilities.

The emphasis will be upon best-practice in the fields of neurodevelopmental, cognitive, behavioural, physical, sensory and other disabilities.

Students will be expected to develop evidence-based person-centred assessment and intervention skills, deliverable within a range of frameworks and settings.

Functional Behavioural Assessment will be a key feature of this degree.

The Master of Disability Practice is relevant to the training standards and requirements of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS

Course Aims

The Master of Disability Practice degree is designed for support workers and others employed by organisations that are delivering disability services or those seeking employment and students interested in the field of disability practice and management. The aim of this course is to enable students and disability workers to enhance their competencies and progress their careers in areas critical to the delivery of disability services. The course will produce graduates with specialised knowledge of disability practice and management including clinical knowledge, dealing and interacting with people with disabilities and case management and delivery and coordinating disability services.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: demonstrate through their own study and practice knowledge of disability practice and case management including: clinical knowledge, practice and management encompassing the broad context of health, family and community services, in order to be an affective clinical practitioner and case manager; utilise cognitive and communication skills, tools and digital technologies to communicate appropriately and persuasively with a range of stakeholders and working in a multidisciplinary team; demonstrate a well-developed ability to use creativity and judgement in analysing problems relating to disability client behaviour and case management and to work independently and collaboratively with others to generate solutions to problems; demonstrate advanced skills in the utilising and analysis of information, evaluation of evidence based practice/research which is drawn from a range of sources, such as reports, organisations and data sets; demonstrate and apply an advanced ability to critically evaluate and formulate responses to social, cultural and ethical issues that emerge in disability management; and practice preparedness to pursue a specialised knowledge and understanding to enhance professional skills and client outcomes.

Graduate Attributes

Knowledge of a Discipline Graduates will have an advanced knowledge of disability management through the learning and teaching activities associated with each unit and interaction with the unit coordinators, in lectures and tutorials, placement, online activities and discussion board. Students will be assessed using assignments, individual and group projects reports, placement logs and examinations. Communication Skills Graduates will have advanced cognitive and communication skills acquired through written assignments and reports, oral presentations and participation in online activities and discussion boards. Problem Solving Graduates will have well-developed problem solving skills in all aspects of disability management. All units teach and assess problem solving skills. Information Literacy Graduates will be able to analyse and evaluate information from a range of sources, using a range of technologies. Students are required to demonstrate information literacy in assessment tasks for all units. Ethical Conduct and Social Responsibility Graduates will have an in-depth understanding of the social, cultural and ethical issues related to provision of disability services. Social responsibility and professional practice is embedded in the course content. Lifelong Learning Graduates will have the fundamental skills required to supplement their knowledge and to keep abreast of any changes in the provision of disability services. This will be taught and practised in most units. Independence and Collaboration Graduates are able to apply skills and knowledge individually and as part of collaborative teams. They are able to work with intellectual independence, and to collaborate as part of a multidisciplinary team with colleagues and clients. Working in a group environment is an essential component of the course and in provision of disability services. To develop these skills, some units require students to work in groups and provide guidance and assessment on group work.