Frequently Asked Questions

Special Consideration is used for exceptional circumstances beyond the student’s control e.g. an unexpected illness or event that impacts a student’s learning/assessments for a specified time.  

Equitable Learning Services provides academic adjustments for students who have ongoing learning/health conditions (or other circumstances e.g. carer responsibilities) that are known to impact their studies over an extended period of time or for the duration of their degree. 

Sometimes it may be necessary for a student to apply for special consideration beyond the support their adjustments provide when they have an exacerbation of their known condition or another circumstance which impacts them over a specified time period.

Students are required to provide Course Convenors with a copy of their Equitable Learning Plan within a week of receiving the plan.*

Continuing students who are registered with ELS and intend to utilise their adjustments are required to provide a copy of their Equitable Learning Plan (ELP) to their convenors within the first week of the teaching period.

For ELP’s updated during the teaching period, they are to be distributed within one week of receiving the plan. 

*For new commencing students, there may be a time lag around provision of plans due to the large number of appointments at the commencement of each year.

Please direct all student enquiries to [email protected]  

If your concerns for the student’s wellbeing are urgent, please contact: https://student.unsw.edu.au/emergency.

Where concerns are less urgent, and you know the student is registered with ELS, please contact our service via [email protected]. 

Alternatively, you will find supports for students’ wellbeing at:
https://student.unsw.edu.au/wellbeing or https://student.unsw.edu.au/findsupport

Any adjustments provided to students within their ELP are specifically designed to ensure the impact of their condition does not unfairly compromise their learning, access to course materials, and/or ability to demonstrate knowledge. The adjustments are in line with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, providing the registered student an equal footing with other students rather than an advantage over other students.  

At the start of the course, be proactive in reaching out to the student to show you are approachable and available to discuss any issues, questions or concerns.  If your course has components such as field trips and / or WIL, check in with the student and with ELS to see if the student has any additional needs to best prepare and support them.    

The Equitable Learning Service is a confidential service. The implementation of a student’s educational adjustments does not require disclosure of their condition.  A student is not required to disclose details of their condition to Academic staff or other areas of the university, outside of the ELS to receive support.  

Staff should refrain from asking students about their condition and if a student does voluntarily disclose their condition to you, please be aware that is unlawful for anyone to share this information without the explicit written permission of the student.

Special Consideration and ELP’s are the required avenue for adjustment provisions. If you have a student requesting adjustments outside of these processes, it may indicate that they need additional support. 

Please refer them to ELS if not already registered or to an alternative support service:

Student Support at UNSW | UNSW Current Students

Where the existing ELP does not adequately address the practicum/placement environment or assessable requirements, an ELS advisor will collaborate with the WIL team and the student to negotiate appropriate adjustments specific to the practicum/placement. Please advise the student to make an appointment with ELS to review this.

Yes. Where a student’s ELP states adjustments for faculty-run exams, this includes quizzes.