Assistive Technology in Victorian Schools: How the Equipment Boost for Schools Program Works
Your child's occupational therapist has recommended a specific communication app. Your speech pathologist says text-to-speech software would remove the barrier between your child's ideas and their written output. Your child's school agrees these tools would help — but who pays for them, and how does that process actually work?
In Victorian government schools, assistive technology and inclusive equipment are funded through the Equipment Boost for Schools (EBS) initiative. Here's how it works, what qualifies, and how to make sure your child actually gets what they need.
What Is the Equipment Boost for Schools Initiative?
The Equipment Boost for Schools (EBS) program is a Victorian DET initiative that provides funding to schools specifically for inclusive equipment and assistive technology. The program covers a wide range of items designed to remove educational barriers for students with disability.
EBS is not a student-specific entitlement — the funding goes to the school, which then uses it to procure specific equipment. This means you cannot apply for EBS directly as a parent. The school must identify the need, document it in the student's IEP, and apply for the appropriate equipment category.
What Does EBS Cover?
The EBS program covers two main categories:
Inclusive Equipment and Assistive Technology
This category funds physical and digital tools that directly support a student's access to learning, including:
- Communication technology: Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices and apps (e.g., Proloquo2Go, LAMP Words for Life, TouchChat)
- Hearing support: Portable FM amplification systems for students with hearing loss or auditory processing difficulties
- Mobility and seating: Highly adjustable ergonomic furniture, specialist seating, standing desks, or wheelchair-accessible workstations
- Sensory tools: Structured sensory equipment for students with significant sensory processing needs
- Vision support: Screen-reading software, magnification devices, tactile learning materials for students with low vision or blindness
- Text-to-speech and reading support: Software such as Claro Read, Read&Write, and C-Pen scanning readers for students with dyslexia or reading difficulties
- Writing support: Specialist keyboards, voice-to-text software, speech recognition tools for students with motor impairments or significant writing difficulties
Inclusive Software
This sub-category specifically covers software licenses for inclusive educational programs. Schools can use EBS funding for software that supports students with a diagnosed learning difficulty, physical disability, or communication impairment.
The Critical Step: Getting It Into the IEP
Here is what many families miss: assistive technology funding through EBS is not automatic. The equipment must be formally identified as an accommodation within the student's Individual Education Plan (IEP) before the school will apply for it.
If an OT has recommended text-to-speech software but the IEP doesn't mention it, the school has no formal documentation to support a procurement request. The recommendation sits in a clinical report on a shelf somewhere, and nothing changes.
When reviewing or preparing for an IEP meeting, explicitly request that any assistive technology recommendations from allied health professionals are written into the IEP as specific, named adjustments. The IEP goal might read something like:
"Using Read&Write text-to-speech software enabled on the school iPad, [student's name] will complete reading comprehension tasks with 80% accuracy by the end of Term 2, as measured by teacher observation during small group instruction."
This does two things simultaneously: it creates a measurable IEP goal, and it creates the documented basis for the school to apply for EBS funding to acquire the software.
Free Download
Get the Victoria Support Meeting Prep Checklist
Everything in this article as a printable checklist — plus action plans and reference guides you can start using today.
NDIS and Assistive Technology: Who Pays for What?
One of the most confusing areas for Victorian families is the overlap between NDIS-funded assistive technology and school-based EBS funding. The general principle is:
- The school is responsible for equipment and technology needed to access the curriculum in the school environment
- The NDIS is responsible for equipment that supports daily living, functional capacity, and community access more broadly
In practice, there is frequent overlap. A communication device used at school is often also used at home and in the community. An FM hearing system might be needed both in the classroom and at home.
The Department of Education's position is that schools should not rely on NDIS to fund equipment that is primarily needed for educational access. If a student's NDIS plan includes assistive technology for school purposes, that doesn't remove the school's obligation under the Disability Standards for Education 2005 to also make reasonable adjustments, which may include providing equivalent technology.
If there is disagreement between the school and the NDIS about who funds a specific piece of equipment, document the exchange in writing. Raise it at the SSG meeting and request that the school document their position on providing the equipment through EBS or other school-based funding sources.
Practical Steps for Families
- Collect all allied health recommendations that mention assistive technology — OT reports, speech therapy reports, and any educational psychology assessments that reference specific tools
- Before the IEP meeting, prepare a written list of specific AT recommendations from those reports, with the exact tool named (not just "text-to-speech software" but "Read&Write or equivalent")
- At the IEP meeting, request that each recommendation is written as a specific, named accommodation in the IEP — not noted in a separate "allied health recommendations" appendix
- Ask the school directly whether they have applied for EBS funding and what the timeline is for procurement
- Follow up in writing after the meeting, confirming the agreed accommodations and the expected timeline for equipment to be in place
If the school agrees to include a technology accommodation in the IEP but then doesn't procure it within a reasonable timeframe (4-6 weeks is reasonable for software; specialist hardware may take longer), follow up with the principal in writing referencing the IEP. An IEP adjustment that isn't implemented is a failure to provide reasonable adjustments under the DSE 2005 — and that is an escalable issue.
Getting assistive technology formally documented in your child's IEP is the single most important step in ensuring the school actually applies for it through EBS. The Victoria Disability Support Blueprint includes IEP accommodation templates and a step-by-step guide to raising assistive technology requests in Victorian SSG meetings.
Get Your Free Victoria Support Meeting Prep Checklist
Download the Victoria Support Meeting Prep Checklist — a printable guide with checklists, scripts, and action plans you can start using today.