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Learning, Teaching and Library
Inclusive education
Lincoln University will support you through your learning journey. There is a wide range of support available to students to help them reach their potential.
Inclusive education supports students with disabilities, injuries and illnesses. Your growth and development are very important to us, and we are committed to giving everyone equity of access to education. In this section you can find the support and assistance you need for your educational journey. Please reach out to us.
The Inclusive Education department supports students who are faced with the challenges of a disability, illness or injury, whether this is short term or long term.
This can include impairments such as:
- SLDs – eg dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia
- Students who are on the autism spectrum
- Students with attention deficit disorder
- Physical or mobility difficulties
- Injuries
- Illnesses
- Mental health conditions, especially chronic anxiety
- Hearing or vision impairment
- Surgery
- Pregnancy
- and more…
The service is guided by the principles described in Kia Ōrite – Achieving Equity
Types of support you may be eligible for:
- Accessibility
- Reader/writer for tests and exams
- Extra time (usually at the rate of 10 minutes extra per hour for timed tests and exams)
- Rest breaks
- Separate room or small group room for tests and exams
- Mentoring
- Note-taker for labs, lectures and field trips
- Equipment (eg use of computer; appropriate furniture for tests and exams; also support for obtaining appropriate software etc.)
- Accessible parking spaces
- Assistive technology
For more information contact the Inclusive Education Department.
You need support. How do you get it?
Make an appointment to come and talk to someone at Inclusive Education.
Email [email protected], or phone (03) 423 0092. Usual office hours are Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday 8.30 to 4.30.
Alternatively, you can call in at the office: Hudson 005. We can often see you straight away, but if we are not available you may have to wait.
Once you are registered with us, we will provide you with the appropriate support, and provide all information relating to support for tests, exams and course work
Where is the Inclusive Education office?
In Hudson, rooms 004, 005 and 007. This is on the ground floor at the end nearest to Mrs O’s café. Wheelchair access is via the ramp to the central entrance to the building, opposite Forbes. There is also a ramp at the far end of the building by the Student Health Centre.
Do I need to bring anything to my first appointment?
Please bring any relevant supporting documents that you have, eg medical certificate, educational psychologist’s assessment, discharge certificate, etc.
Can I bring a support person with me?
Yes, you are welcome to bring a family member, friend or other support person with you.
Who will know that I am getting support from Inclusive Education?
In order for us to deliver support, various people will usually need to know. Examples: the examiners of your courses; members of the Inclusive Education team and university staff who deliver the support; officers of the university who need to know in order for the university to conduct its proper business. Only those who need to know will be told and they will respect your privacy.
There will be nothing on your academic record or on your qualification to show that you have had support.
Other information you give us, for example the reason why you need support, will be treated as confidential. We will discuss what you are willing to disclose when you register with Inclusive Education.
Will my academic record or my qualification show that I have had support from Inclusive Education?
No, this information will not appear on your academic record or your qualification.
Why am I asked whether I have a disability when I enrol at Lincoln University?
The enrolment form asks if you have a disability, and if you tick yes, you are asked if you want support. This information enables Lincoln University to fulfil the requirements of the Ministry of Education and to improve the services offered to students.
The Education Act 1989 and its amendments require Lincoln University to monitor access and participation in tertiary education by people with disabilities. These questions enable the university to do this, and also enable the university to meet the needs of those students. For example, Inclusive Education contacts students who indicate that they would like support.
Lincoln University only sends statistics (such as total number of students receiving support) to the Ministry of Education, not the names or any other identifying details of those who identify as having an impairment or who use the services of Inclusive Education.
The University collects, uses, stores, and discloses personal information relating to students in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act 1993, for the purpose of conducting its proper business.
Find out more about our Legal Information.
Life sometimes has a way of throwing a spanner in the works – broken bones, recovery after surgery, concussion or a short-term illness. These are all examples of short-term impairments that you can get help with.
What do we mean by short-term impairments?
If you have a short-term condition, eg, you fall sick or injure yourself and you will need support for one or more tests or exams:
- Contact Inclusive Education or Student Health
- You will need a medical certificate. Student Health can provide this. If you are registered with a different medical practice, ask them for a medical certificate.
- We do our best to provide support, where possible, right up to the last minute for people who injure themselves or fall sick.
What support can I get for temporary impairments?
- A writer for tests or exams
- A note taker if you are unable to write or attend lectures, field trips, labs etc
- Exam or test support which allows you to be close to a toilet, take a brief walk etc
Aegrotats
If you are unable to sit a test or exam, or are unable to attend any mandatory field trips, and/or labs, you will need to apply for an aegrotat. Forms and instructions are now on Akoraka | Learn. Once submitted the Examinations office will manage your application.
Types of support you may be eligible for:
- Assistance for tests and exams, labs, lectures …
- Accessibility
- Reader/writer
- Extra time (usually at the rate of 10 minutes extra per hour for timed tests and exams)
- Rest breaks
- Separate room or small group room for tests and exams
- Mentoring
- Note-taker for field trips
- Equipment (eg, use of computer; appropriate furniture for tests and exams; also support for obtaining appropriate software etc.)
- Accessible parking spaces
- Assistive technology
- And more . . .
Assistive technology
- There is a computer available to students registered with Inclusive Ed that contains assistive technology such as Dragon, Read and Write Gold.
Apps
- Grammar and spell checkers
- Text-to-speech software (screen readers):
- Natural Reader has a variety of voices, can slow down the reading speed and reads many file formats
- WordTalk highlights the test at the same time as it reads
- FreeMind is a free mind mapping tool which aids in organising information. This will help you study more effectively, and also help when you are writing assignments or working on projects.
- Eduapps suite of apps you might find useful. (Windows computers only)
- Math is fun provides assistance with all levels of mathematics.
This list is provided as a guide to open source software that you might want to install on your own devices. It is not available on computers in the campus computer labs. These applications are free (though sometimes you can pay for more features), and there is no warranty. Inclusive Education and Lincoln University do not accept liability for any loss or damage to your computer or other devices arising from the use of any of the information given.
The following supports are applicable to tests and exams. In order to receive these supports, the student must first be registered with Inclusive Education (IE).
- ‘Reader/writer’: acts on behalf of student, and remains neutral (does not provide explanations, definitions etc.). For those with specific learning disabilities, injuries including head injuries, vision impairment. NB some students have only a reader or only a writer.
- ‘Transcription’: student has a writer for tests and exams, and the writer transcribes what the student has written so that the examiner has a legible copy. Required in certain cases where a student has exceptional problems with handwriting and there is good reason why he or she is not using a computer.
- ‘Computer’: student types test and exam answers with computer (using word processor only) rather than writing by hand. Student’s script is printed out by an Inclusive Education staff member and returned to examiner. Student is not permitted to use dictionary or thesaurus or any other program or website, unless examiner’s instructions explicitly require this. Depending on nature of impairment, where using computer is impractical student may choose to draw graphs etc. or may require assistance of writer.
- ‘20 minutes extra per hour’: the standard amount of extra time granted to students for timed assessments (tests and exams) where they would be eligible to have a reader/writer, but choose to use extra time only, instead.
- ‘10 minutes extra per hour’: the standard amount of extra time granted to students for timed assessments (tests and exams). May also apply to timed online quizzes. In some cases, the amount of extra time recommended may be different. It is appropriate where eg
- the student is using a reader/writer (which is more time-consuming than writing for oneself)
- the student has been diagnosed as having a slow processing speed, ie, it takes them longer to make sense of information
- ‘Rest breaks’: for managing conditions such as those involving pain or fatigue, or certain mental health conditions. Inclusive Education staff will manage the time-keeping. Student may take as many breaks as required, for as long as required; time spent on breaks is ‘time out’ from the assessment.
- ‘Close to a toilet’: student has a medical condition which may require trips to toilet during the assessment. Student does not lose time – all time spent on toilet breaks is ‘time out’ from the assessment. (No additional time is granted for toilet breaks unless this support is explicitly stated.)
- ‘May take a walk’: student may walk outside the room or building, as and when required. Student will always be supervised for such walks, to ensure integrity of assessment. Helpful for students managing conditions involving pain, certain mental health conditions. Time spent on walks is ‘time out’ from the assessment.
The following supports are arranged by Inclusive Education and operate ‘in the background’.
- ‘Note-taker’: for those with physical impairment, absence due to surgery, dyspraxia, etc. Can’t necessarily be arranged at short notice. Can be done by peer (ie, another student in the class) or member of IE casual team. NB if the latter, academic staff should ensure that the note-taker is able to remain as neutral as possible – don’t include in group work etc. Some students will require a note-taker in tutorials and field trips. If the note-taker is an IE casual staff member, the IE Co-ordinator will contact examiners in advance to inform them that a note-taker will be present. Be aware that students may not wish to be identified as having a note-taker, and the note-taker may not know the identity of the student(s) receiving the notes.
- ‘Mentor’: academic support (general ‘scaffolding’ around academic life: self-organisation, keeping on track, understanding requirements, etc.). Not responsible for tutoring in course content. Member of IE casual staff team. The mentor may also be a note-taker. Valuable for students with conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (Asperger’s syndrome), or with some other impairment that results in particular difficulty in this area.
These supports require action by examiners and other academic staff
- ‘Leniency with spelling and grammar’: very commonly recommended for students with a specific learning disability, in recognition of the particular difficulties such students experience. This is an alert to the examiner that poor spelling etc. is not necessarily the result of laziness, and a request that, while having regard to the inherent requirements of the test, examiners make allowances for the student’s impairment when marking. It is important to note that while students are expected to use spellcheckers etc. when submitting assignments, even with assistive technology it can be challenging and very time-consuming to remove all errors. Students with learning disabilities may struggle to express themselves using the written word, resulting in clumsily formed sentences.
- ‘Lecture notes in advance’: ensure that the lecture slides are made available on the course Learn site (or if for some reason this is not possible, via some other means) in sufficient time for the student to be able to download them before the lecture. For students who have particular difficulty keeping up with note-taking, eg those with physical impairment, dyspraxia, dyslexia. Writing may be impossible, or it may hard to listen and write at the same time. Students with slow processing benefit greatly from having the opportunity to read through the lecture in advance.
- ‘Recordings of lectures’. All lectures are recorded and made available in Akoraka | Learn.
- ‘Flexibility with deadlines’. Recommended where student has eg, medical condition or absence due to surgery to manage. Not appropriate for those who are simply disorganised.
Call us 03 423 0089 or email [email protected]
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