Outline

Overview

In the past colonizing practices have been used to limit and erode opportunities for people with disability to participate as full citizens in everyday life. Discrimination, othering, tokenism, and able-bodied privilege have acted to marginalize and exclude the place of people with disability. Parallels can be drawn with other colonisation experience. In this unit, lessons learned from the colonization experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia will be shared. Positive outcomes of progressive decolonization by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of historical, political and social constructs of Australia’s institutions and practices in the disability sector and the experience of disability will be explored. Implications for transforming disability practice will be considered. Leadership and advocacy promoting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health philosophies and cultural practice for healing and inclusion have transformed dialogue and directions. We will identify the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander body of knowledge related to healing and the expression and experience of disability in communities. We consider how this knowledge can be used, not only in working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, but with a diverse range of people with disability.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Health Sciences
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Celine Serrano-Diaz, celine.serranodiaz@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Critical Reflection Report Weekly journal entries leading to critical reflection report in week 8	60%	Week 08 Due date: 03 Oct 2021 at 23:00 Closing date: 03 Oct 2021	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Written report A response to decolonise policy on Aboriginal disability issues.	40%	Week 13 Due date: 28 Nov 2021 at 23:59	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Assessments	Further details on Canvas unit of study site
1. Critical reflection report	Students will be required to submit weekly journal entries from weeks 1 to 7 in response to learning material. Students will select one weekly topic to further research and expand on in a 1500 critical reflection.
2. Written report	Students will critique a policy relating to Aboriginal disability issues using a decolonial framework.

Assessment criteria

Specific marking rubrics will be provided for each assessment via the Canvas unit of study assignments section. Common result grades are as follows:

Result code	Result name	Mark range	Description
HD	High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
DI	Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
CR	Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
PS	Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
FA	Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

As per section 7A of the Assessment Procedures 2011 policy: Late Penalties (1) Subject to any contrary provision in any applicable faculty or course resolution, if penalties are applied for work submitted after the due date they must be consistent with this clause. (2) For any assessment task: (a) late penalties may be applied, consistently with this clause; or (b) late submission may be prohibited, with consequences as specified in the unit of study outline; or (c) late penalties may be excluded from applying; provided that these conditions must be expressly stated in the unit of study outline. (3) Written work submitted electronically after 11.59 pm on the due date will be considered to have been submitted late. (4) For every calendar day up to and including ten calendar days after the due date, a penalty of 5% of the maximum awardable marks will be applied to late work. (a) The penalty will be calculated by first marking the work, and then subtracting 5% of the maximum awardable mark for each calendar day after the due date. (5) For work submitted more than ten calendar days after the due date a mark of zero will be awarded. The marker may elect to, but is not required to, provide feedback on such work. (6) Copies of late work, including work which is not marked, must be retained consistently with the requirements of the Recordkeeping Policy 2017 and the Recordkeeping Manual. Note: See also University of Sydney (Student Appeals Against Academic Decisions) Rule 2016

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	No lecture - self directed time (see Canvas)	Independent study (2 hr)
Week 01	Introduction to the unit	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 02	Module One - History matters: Through the eyes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people	Individual study (1 hr)
Week 02	Critical Self Reflection Workshop	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 03	Module One - History matters: Through the eyes of European invaders	Individual study (1 hr)
Week 03	Colonial history and truth-telling	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 04	Module One - History matters: Through the yes of governments and government officials	Individual study (1 hr)
Week 04	Governance and systemic racism	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 05	Module One - History matters: Through the eyes of media and social media	Individual study (1 hr)
Week 05	Critiquing media discourse	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 06	Module Two - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s leadership and advocacy: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s lived experience of disability	Individual study (1 hr)
Week 06	Intersectionality, disability and colonialism	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 07	Module Two - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s leadership and advocacy: Disability rights movement	Individual study (1 hr)
Week 07	Advocacy and positionality	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 08	Module Two - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s leadership and advocacy: Governance and community controlled organisations	Individual study (1 hr)
Week 08	Self-determination and partnership	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 09	Module Two - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s leadership and advocacy: Communities, healing and cultural practices	Individual study (1 hr)
Week 09	Decolonising healing	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 10	Module Three - Decolonising practices in disability services: Decolonising professional theories, frameworks and philosophies	Individual study (1 hr)
Week 10	Decolonising professional theories, frameworks and philosophies	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 11	Module Three - Decolonising practices in disability services: Decolonising work places and organisations	Individual study (1 hr)
Week 11	Reconciliation	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 12	Module Three - Decolonising practices in disability services: Decolonoising ourselves and our advocacy work	Individual study (1 hr)
Week 12	Critical disability theory and activism	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 13	Module Three - Decolonising practices in disability services: Decolonising policies and UOS summary	Individual study (1 hr)
Week 13	Transformational justice	Tutorial (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

This class includes a flipped learning component with all lectures provided in an online asynchronous format.

Students are expected to attend scheduled tutorials.

All students are required to complete the University of Sydney National Centre for Cultural Competence modules 1-5 and the Kinship module. The details are provided on the CANVAS site.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All prescribed readings and resources will be posted in the Canvas weekly content page.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Analyse historical, social and political contexts, including how these contexts inform values and beliefs of health professionals, professional bodies and disability organisations.
LO2. Compare Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s leadership and advocacy with Australian disability service approaches and media sources.
LO3. Critically reflect on how disability service providers can decolonise practices, including advocacy, to make long-lasting and positive effects on imbalanced social relations and social inequities.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This is the first time this unit has been offered.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

OCCP2089: Disability and Decolonising Practices

Semester 2, 2021 [Normal day] - Remote

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect