Reasonable Adjustments at ACT Schools: What You're Entitled to and How to Get Them

"We already do our best for all students" is one of the most common responses ACT parents receive when they ask for specific disability adjustments. It sounds reasonable. It is also not a legal answer.

The Disability Standards for Education 2005 (DSE 2005) requires every ACT school to make reasonable adjustments so that students with disability can participate in education on the same basis as their peers. "We do our best" is not a defence against that obligation. Here's what the law actually requires — and how to get it.

What Counts as a Reasonable Adjustment?

Under the DSE 2005, a reasonable adjustment is any support, modification to delivery, or change to an environment that allows your child to access and participate in their education on the same basis as students without disability.

The word "reasonable" has a specific legal meaning. An adjustment is reasonable unless it would impose "unjustifiable hardship" on the school. The threshold for unjustifiable hardship is high — courts and tribunals assess the school's overall financial position, not just a particular budget line. Well-funded school systems (which ACT government schools receiving NCCD loading are) rarely meet this threshold.

Common reasonable adjustments in ACT schools include:

Physical and environmental adjustments

• Accessible seating and desk arrangements
• Access to sensory regulation spaces (quiet rooms, breakout areas)
• Noise-cancelling headphones for assessments
• Flexible movement breaks

Learning and assessment adjustments

• Extended time for tests and assignments
• Modified format of assessments (oral instead of written, separate room)
• Chunked instructions and visual schedules
• Text-to-speech or speech-to-text software

Support adjustments

• Learning Support Assistant (LSA) time for specific curriculum tasks
• Modified homework requirements
• Pre-teaching of new concepts before classroom instruction

Communication and planning adjustments

• Regular parent communication about student progress
• Updated ILP goals with measurable benchmarks
• Structured transition planning between grades or schools

The Difference Between Adjustments and Modifications

This distinction matters and schools sometimes blur it deliberately.

A reasonable adjustment levels the playing field — it lets your child access the same curriculum content and achieve the same outcomes as their peers, with support. It does not lower the bar.

A curriculum modification changes what the student is expected to learn — it lowers the academic standard, typically leading to an alternative, modified achievement pathway.

The ACT Inclusive Education Strategy strongly favours adjustments over modifications, in line with Universal Design for Learning principles. A school that pushes toward modifications when your child has not yet had the benefit of adequate adjustments may be taking the easier administrative path rather than meeting their legal obligation.

If your child is being placed on a significantly modified curriculum without your explicit, informed consent, that warrants close scrutiny under the DSE 2005.

How to Request Adjustments in Writing

Verbal requests at school meetings have a short institutional lifespan. They depend on staff memory, goodwill, and continuity. When a teacher leaves mid-year or a new principal arrives, verbal commitments disappear. Written requests create a paper trail that persists regardless of staff turnover.

An effective written adjustment request should:

1. Name the specific adjustment clearly Not "extra help with reading" — but "provision of text-to-speech software (e.g., Read&Write) for all written assessment tasks, implemented within 15 school days."

2. Link it to a documented need Reference your child's diagnostic report, the AHS assessment, or the existing ILP. Specify the section of the report that indicates this adjustment is clinically recommended.

3. Cite the legal framework "Under the Disability Standards for Education 2005, [school name] is required to make reasonable adjustments to ensure [child's name] can participate in education on the same basis as their peers. I am formally requesting the following adjustment..."

4. Set a reasonable timeline Request a written response within 10 school days confirming whether the adjustment will be provided, and if so, when implementation will begin.

5. Request documentation in the ILP Any agreed adjustments should be formally recorded in your child's Individual Learning Plan (ILP), which is the operative document for their support.

What Happens When a School Says No?

A school can decline to provide an adjustment if it constitutes an unjustifiable hardship. But that refusal must be:

• In writing
• Based on actual evidence of the hardship (not a general statement)
• Assessed against the school's overall resources, not just the classroom budget

If you receive a verbal refusal, ask for it in writing. A school that can articulate unjustifiable hardship in writing is providing you with something you can formally challenge. A school that won't put a refusal in writing is signalling it knows the refusal won't survive scrutiny.

If adjustments are refused without adequate justification, the escalation pathway is:

1. Formal written complaint to the school principal
2. Complaint to the ACT Education Directorate (for public schools) or the relevant non-government authority
3. Disability discrimination complaint to the ACT Human Rights Commission under the Discrimination Act 1991
4. Escalation to the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT) if conciliation fails

Reasonable Adjustments Checklist for ACT School Meetings

Before any SSG or ILP review meeting, work through this checklist:

• [ ] Is each requested adjustment specific and measurable?
• [ ] Is each adjustment linked to a documented clinical or educational need?
• [ ] Have you specified who is responsible for delivering each adjustment (classroom teacher, LSA, DECO)?
• [ ] Have you asked for adjustments to be documented in the ILP?
• [ ] Have you asked how adjustments will be monitored and reviewed?
• [ ] Do you have a follow-up process if adjustments aren't implemented?

For adjustments that the school has promised previously but not delivered, bring a written record of when they were agreed and what was observed in the classroom. The gap between the ILP and classroom reality is one of the most common and most actionable advocacy issues in ACT schools.

The complete ACT advocacy toolkit — including a formal Reasonable Adjustment Request letter template and an ILP checklist — is at specialedstartguide.com/au/australian-capital-territory/advocacy/. The templates are written in the administrative language ACT school systems respond to, citing the correct legislative framework throughout.

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