Faculty Student Disability Liaison Officers
What is an SDLO?
All Faculties/Schools have a staff member appointed as a Student Disability Liaison Officer (SDLO) to discuss concerns that you may have regarding assistance in your Faculty. SDLOs can be a member of faculty or general staff who have volunteered for the position and been appointed by the Dean of faculty. Being an 'insider', the SDLO can provide quick advice and support specific to your faculty.
Find my SDLO
| Faculty |
Student Disability Liaison Officer |
Email/Telephone/Fax/Building |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture |
Ms Fortunee Cantrell Administrative Assistant |
Telephone 8627 1001 Fax 8627 1099 Bldg C18 (Biomedical Bldg) |
| Architecture |
Dr Lee Stickells Acting Director, Urban Design Program
|
Telephone 9351 2328 Fax 9351 3031 Bldg G04 (Wilkinson Bldg), Rm 309 |
| Arts and Social Sciences |
Dr Laura Beth Bugg Lecturer, Department of Sociology and Social Policy
|
Telephone 9114 1281 Fax 9036 9380 Bldg A26 (R.C. Mills), Rm 106 |
| Arts and Social Sciences |
Dr Graham White Senior Lecturer, School of Economics
|
Telephone 9351 6611 Fax 9351 4341 Bldg H04 (Merewether), Rm M359 |
| Arts and Social Sciences |
Dr Kate Lilley Senior Lecturer, Department of English
|
Telephone 9351 2426 Fax 9351 2434 Bldg A20 (John Woolley), Rm N356 |
| Business School |
Ms Pearl Rozenberg Academic, Business Law Director, Academic Appeals |
Telephone 9351 6630 Fax 9351 7473 Bldg H69 - Economics and Business, Rm 535 |
| Conservatorium of Music |
Mr Timothy Crowe Postgraduate Coordinator |
Telephone 9351 1206 Bldg C41 (Syd Con of Mus) |
| Dentistry |
Dr Evelyn Howe Associate Dean of Students |
Telephone 9351 8347 Fax 9351 8333 Bldg C12, Level 6 |
| Education and Social Work |
Associate Professor David Evans Associate Professor of Special Education |
Telephone 9351 8463 Fax 9351 2606 Bldg A35 (Education), Rm A36 207 |
| Engineering and IT |
Ms Josephine Gillott Coursework Admin Coordinator, Graduate School of Engineering |
Telephone 9351 8705 Fax 9351 7082 Bldg J02 (Peter Nicol Russell), Level 3, Rm 321 |
| Engineering and IT |
Ms Annamaria Brancato Manager, Student Administration - Undergraduate |
Telephone 9351 2534 Fax 9351 4654 Bldg J13 (Engineering Link), Rm 226 |
| Health Sciences |
Dr Nikki Wedgwood Lecturer and BHS Honours Coordinator |
Telephone 9351 9808 Fax 9351 9468 Room A151, A Block (Cumberland Campus) |
| Law |
Associate Professor Simon Butt Research Academic |
Telephone 9351 0442 Fax 9351 0200 Bldg F10 (Law School) |
| Medicine |
Professor Susan Hayes Professor of Behavioural Sciences |
Telephone 9351 2776 Fax 9351 5319 Bldg D06 (Blackburn), Rm 667 |
| Nursing and Midwifery |
Dr Jacqueline Bloomfield Director, Preregistration Programs |
Telephone 9351 0936 Bldg M02 (Mallett St) |
| Pharmacy |
Ms Narelle Da Costa Student Services Officer - Undergraduate |
Telephone 9036 9293 Fax 9351 4391 Bldg A15 (Pharmacy and Bank), Administration Office N311 |
| Pharmacy |
Ms Alma Torlakovic Student Services Officer - Postgraduate |
Telephone 9036 9552 Fax 9351 4391 Bldg A15 (Pharmacy and Bank), Administration Office N311 |
| Science |
Dr Tom Hubble Senior Lecturer, Pro-Dean |
Telephone 9351 2920 Fax 9351 3644 Bldg F09 (Madsen), Rm 356 |
| Science |
Dr David Easdown Associate Professor |
Telephone 9351 4217 Fax 9351 4534 Bldg F07 (Carslaw), Rm 619 |
| Sydney College of the Arts (Rozelle Campus) |
Ms Gulnara Shayakhmetova Operations Manager (Postgraduate and Policy) |
Telephone 9351 1012 Fax 9351 1144 Bldg 24 (N01 Rozelle Campus) |
| Veterinary Science |
Mrs Irene Van Ekris Coordinator, Faculty Education Services |
Telephone 9351 2249 - Sydney Campus (Mon-Wed) Telephone 9351 1658 - Camden Campus (Thur, Fri) Fax 9351 6880 Publications Unit, Room 305 and JD Stewart Building Camden Campus in the Shute Building - N125 |
Information for SDLOs
The Role of the SDLO
The following information is taken from the SDLO Role Overview. A copy of the Role Overview can be made available upon request.
Role Overview: The Student Disability Liaison Officer (SDLO) provides a link between the Disability Services Office and the Faculty. The SDLO is a voluntary role, which is appointed by the Faculty Dean.
Scope of the SDLO Role: The scope of the SDLO role is broad. The following points may help to guide you in your role as SDLO within your Faculty:
- To be the Faculty’s link with Disability Services
- To be a contact person in your Faculty for students with a disability
- To provide advice to students about Faculty contacts and procedures
- To assist Disability Services in advising other staff on inclusive teaching practices
- To refer students to Disability Services, where appropriate
- To assist Disability Services to generate and develop Disability Awareness in your Faculty
- To assist Disability Services in relaying important information at critical times to your Faculty
- To advise Disability Services of any relevant changes to processes or policies within your Faculty
- To advise Disability Services of any concerns being raised in your Faculty about how students with disabilities are, or are expected to be, supported
- Provide timely and accurate advice to students, staff, and Disability Services
- To be responsible for sending the Disability Services Newsletter on to all teaching staff in your Faculty
- To continue your disability awareness training through attendance at the SDLO Forums (twice yearly)
Successful SDLO Characteristics:
- Being approachable and accessible
- Having good disability awareness, or a willingness to learn
- Being a problem solver and forward thinker
- Being a ‘faculty expert’ – know as much as you can regarding your Faculty, processes and procedures, who the ‘go to’ people are etc
- Knowing how to do things like making room bookings or how to access equipment, so that you can provide timely advice/assistance
It is important to know that it is not your responsibility to undertake any of the following, however, you and your faculty may decide to incorporate some of these into the scope of your role. This is at your discretion and your own workload must be taken into consideration:
- Handle complaints or resolve conflict between a student and the Faculty
- Manage examination adjustments
- Negotiate on behalf of a student with disability
- Determine/approve academic adjustments
What contact will be made with me?
Disability Services may send you a ‘referral’ by email when the student registers with he service. The referral email is brief and does not contain details of the student’s disability or include copies of medical documentation. The referral email advises that the student may contact you if they require assistance, and you can choose to send the student a brief email of introduction or welcome yourself. Please note that the student is not required to meet with you after a referral is made.
Sometimes a student may request that a referral is not made, so you may not be aware of a student’s registration until they contact you directly, or until you are copied on correspondence to an academic. In some instances, you may never have contact with or about a particular student at all.
It is important to note that Disability Services undertake direct communication and negotiation with academic staff in regards to a student’s needs. The SDLO may not necessarily be involved in this communication.
What information will I receive about a student?
This depends on the student. When you are sent a referral you are not provided with a diagnosis or copies of medical documentation. However, in the event that the student has high needs, you may be sent a Disability Notification Letter, which will detail the impacts of the student’s disability (but not the diagnosis) along with recommendations for adjustments, considerations, and inclusive teaching practices. Unless otherwise indicated, this information is for your awareness only and you are not required to do anything with this information. The teaching staff will be contacted directly by Disability Services.
It is important to understand that the student is not required to disclose their disability to you or the Faculty.
What should I do with the information I receive?
This is up to you. However, if you maintain lists of your referrals, they should not be shared with the Faculty. If an academic contacts you asking if a particular student is registered with Disability Services, you are permitted to advise whether you are aware or not of a registration and Disability Services can be contacted for formal confirmation.
Will I get a list of all the registered students in my faculty?
No. As some students may request that a referral is not made, we cannot provide you with a complete list.
What is the scope of my role?
Outside of the specific points noted on the first page, you can expand your role as much as you like to meet the needs of your Faculty. We encourage you to identify areas within your Faculty that need further support or a different approach and bring these to us for review. However, it is important to remember not to stretch yourself too thin – taking on specific tasks outside of the scope of the role may conflict with your own responsibilities. It is also important to acknowledge that there are specific processes within Disability Services that should not be changed by any Faculty. Any ideas for procedural change should be raised with the Manager, Disability Services.
Support and Training for SDLOs
If you have concerns about your role or need advice with a student case, the Disability Services Team are always available to provide assistance.
An SDLO Forum is also held each semester (during UA Common Week) where case studies covering a variety of disabilities in complex situations will be presented and recent developments are discussed. This is an opportunity to meet the Disability Services team and other SDLOs and to discuss issues that concern you.
How do I become an SDLO?
If you are interested in supporting your faculty and students with disabilities, you should approach your Dean of Faculty to discuss this further. We could always use more support!