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Massey University Disability and Inclusion Action Plan

This Disability and Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) reflects the University’s commitment to ensuring equity and inclusion for all students. Whether they have visible or invisible impairments and whether (or not) they choose to disclose these.

On this page

The Massey context

Introduction

In recent years, Massey has seen an increase in the diversity of our learners. Underserved learners, including those with diverse minds or accessibility challenges, part-time learners, first-in-family, mature-age and professionals, in addition to learners who have historically been excluded by virtue of their culture or economic background, currently make up a substantial and increasing component of Massey’s total learner cohort.

This trend reflects patterns seen in other parts of the world where a widening participation agenda has resulted in universities shifting from being institutions primarily catering for the educational elite, to a much more universal, broad and open-access model. Massey has embraced equity paired with excellence in everything that we do, and in doing so we are challenging the traditional ‘monocultural’ model of a New Zealand university and finding our distinctive place in the tertiary system in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The establishment of distance education at Massey, now known as ‘online, blended and digitally enabled’ education, has characterised our flexible education delivery for over six decades and made our university accessible to a broad range of learners. Our commitment to serve students wherever they are located ensures our university makes a distinctive and unique contribution to higher education in Aotearoa New Zealand; we view this as growing stronger in the future.

Massey has more mature students (61.4% of our domestic students are 25 and over, compared to 35.8% for the university sector average), female students (67.6% of our domestic students are female, compared to 60.7% for the university sector average), part-time students (54.4% of our domestic students are part-time, compared to 31.6% for the university sector average), and distance students (64.2% of our domestic students are distance/online, compared to 18.5% for the university sector average).

In addition to the diversity of learners who study with us, we acknowledge the different places they start from, the knowledge and practices they already have, the range of outcomes they are hoping to achieve, and how well they are prepared for university study.

In 2023, the retention rate for learners who have disclosed a disability or registered for disability support has been recorded as 88.4%. This can be broken down into full-time disabled learners at 91.4%, and part-time disabled learners at 85.3%. As a group, and in comparison to the general retention rates of the university, these learners are performing very well. The successful course completion rate for learners who have disclosed a disability or registered for disability support has been recorded as 81.6%. This can be broken down into internal disabled learners at 86.1% and distance disabled learners at 78.3%. In comparison to the general successful course completion rates of the university this group is performing very well.

We acknowledge our past and the structural inequities and injustices that have their origins in past decisions, practices, and ways of treating others. The Vice-Chancellor and Senior Leadership Team of the University are committed to resourcing, monitoring and reporting on the actions and outcomes identified in this plan with a view to continuous quality improvement and challenging our own normative expectations and practices, both inside and outside the curriculum.

Massey is committed to not only making education accessible but ensuring it is inclusive. At Massey we want to celebrate diversity and the strength it brings our community. Our goal is that disabled learners and their whānau are fully included in all aspects of university life and that they have appropriate, equitable and empowering experiences. Moreover, we seek to position Massey as a place where diverse minds and disabled students feel they are seen and understood, where they can share their rich talents and realise their full potential.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

While Te Tiriti o Waitangi makes no explicit mention of disability, the Waitangi Tribunal report Hauora: Report on Stage One of the Health Services and Outcomes Kaupapa Inquiry (Hauora Report) 25 (Wai 2575), outlines five Treaty principles for the future health system. We wish to uphold these principles in the creation, implementation and application of the Massey Disability and Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP).

These principles are:

  1. Recognition and respect for tino rangatiratanga;
  2. Commitment to equitable outcomes;
  3. Active protection to ensure equity, tino rangatiratanga;
  4. Partnership; and
  5. Options including kaupapa Māori services and mainstream services.

Current context

Massey University’s commitment to equity and inclusion for all our people is enshrined in our new University Strategy 2022-2027, which commits the University to providing “a supportive study and work environment that is reflective of our Te Tiriti o Waitangi commitment, in which all students and staff can feel safe, respected, dignified and able to flourish in work, learning and research.”

In addition, the strategy also commits to working to develop an inclusive, respectful and safe environment where positive engagement is encouraged, and our shared productive efforts are celebrated. Our university will foreground the importance of health, safety and wellbeing for all who engage with us.

Key priorities for the next five years identified in the strategy include:

  • Providing equity of access to university study, services and platforms, ensuring university systems of advising and support are seamless, well-aligned and comprehensive; and
  • part-time learners, first-in-family, mature-age and professionals, in addition to learners who have historically been excluded by virtue of their culture or economic background, currently make up a substantial and increasing component of Massey’s total learner cohort.

University policy

The University Equal Employment Opportunities Policy includes commitments to providing ‘equal opportunities for recruitment, retention, development and promotion of all of its current and prospective employees, regardless of sex, marital status, religious/ethical belief, colour, race, ethnic or national origins, disability, age, political opinion, employment status, family status, or sexual orientation’ and the identification and elimination of ‘all aspects of policies and procedures or other institutional barriers that cause or perpetuate inequity in respect of the employment of any person or group of persons’.

The Equity of Access to Educational Opportunities Policy states the university’s commitment to attracting and supporting students from diverse backgrounds by endeavouring to provide assistance for all current and prospective students (irrespective of age, belief, colour, disability, employment status, ethnic or national origin, family status, marital status, race, religious, sex or sexual orientation) who meet the University’s entrance requirements, to attend and succeed at University.

About our students

In 2023, 692 students were registered with Disability Services, with 227 (33%) of students identifying with multiple types of impairments which include:

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (32.2%)
  • Mental health/psychological disorders (31.8%)
  • Chronic medical health conditions (23.6%)
  • Specific Learning Differences (SLD) (17.6%)
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), including Asperger’s Syndrome (11.6%)
  • Physical impairments including mobility and fine motor (9.5%)
  • Blind and low vision (3.8%)
  • Deaf and Hard of Hearing (3.3%)
  • Head injuries (3.2%)
  • Neurological conditions (3%)
  • Other (4%).

Students at Massey enrol with support services through our standard enrolment processes, as part of which they are asked if they “live with the effects of a significant injury, long term illness or disability”. Those who answer “yes” are provided with information about Disability Services and exam support. It is worth noting that many students register after their study has commenced by either self-directing or being referred to the Service by academic staff and other support services. We also note that many students with impairments do not disclose them at all, for a range of complex reasons, which means that our official numbers represent only a portion of the overall population of students living with disabilities. Under-reporting in this area is a well-recognised phenomenon that is evident through the history of disability in Aotearoa New Zealand.

It has long been recognised that a gap persists between how students respond to this question and those who choose to register for support. In recent years, only 27.4% of those who answered “yes” registered for support, while 22.5% of students who were registered with Disability Services had not responded “yes” to the annual question. Those who answer yes but do not register are followed up by email to ensure they are aware of the service and how to engage should they wish to. Students can engage with support services at any time before or during their studies, ranging from early engagement with prospective students and their whānau, teachers, or support workers, through to learners seeking support with their final months of study. Support is available to students regardless of level or mode and operates in tandem with other support services, including those that provide cultural, health or wellbeing support.

Many learners also access support through Disability Services without completing registration. This includes students without official diagnoses (especially with SLD, ADHD, ASD); those with difficulty providing support documentation due to pressure on medical, mental health and specialist services, difficulty in locating older assessment documentation especially from childhood diagnoses, or financial barriers; those who believe they are registered for support but have not completed the process; and those who prefer not to officially register due to fear of identification or discrimination, especially with selected entry and competitive programmes or fields of practice. Disability Services also indirectly supports students through its engagement with teaching staff by providing advice about supporting specific learners or groups of learners, and by promoting inclusive practices built on the principles of Universal Design.

While students are positive about the individualised support they receive and the positive effect this has on their studies and wellbeing, the University can do much more to address accessibility and implement embedded Universal Design and inclusive approaches for the systematic improvement of disability (and inclusion) regardless of direct engagement with the Service.

This Disability and Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) thus reflects the University’s commitment to ensuring equity and inclusion for all students, whether they have visible or invisible impairments and whether (or not) they choose to disclose these.

Our goals

To support further the commitments made in the University Strategy 2022-2027, six key outcomes or themes have been identified in the development of this plan. These outcomes or themes are focused on the areas identified by our students and staff as providing an opportunity for improvement and they have provided the framework for this, and future, plans and actions.

Through the implementation of this plan our aims include:

  1. Staff are supported to be disability confident and to address barriers by designing for accessibility as part of their regular mahi.
  2. Disabled students are informed and have a sense of belonging as a valued as members of the Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University community.
  3. The university takes an accessibility-first approach, supporting digital inclusion and successful outcomes for all students.
  4. The policies and data management practices of the University demonstrates our commitment to a safe, accessible and inclusive learning environment.
  5. Campus built environments and facilities are safe and accessible for disabled students, staff and visitors.
  6. Disabled students are aware of, and feel confident accessing, a range of safe, inclusive and culturally appropriate general and specialist services and personalised reasonable adjustments.

The Plan

In 2022 the Kia Ōrite Toolkit was used to facilitate a self-review and an initial Disability and Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) was developed. The toolkit includes a series of standards that Massey used to compare current University practices with best practice. It was, and is, intended that the plan will be updated regularly as part of an iterative process of engagement and application of the disabled student voice. This plan replaces the previously published work and is framed around six thematic areas to effectively enable both the plan’s execution and future developments.

As with other work within Pūrehuroatanga, the Disability and Inclusion Action Plan takes a whole-of-university approach and focuses on what we as a university need to change to create an inclusive and accessible environment for all our students.

The Plan

In 2022 the Kia Ōrite Toolkit was used to facilitate a self-review and an initial Disability and Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) was developed. The toolkit includes a series of standards that Massey used to compare current University practices with best practice. It was, and is, intended that the plan will be updated regularly as part of an iterative process of engagement and application of the disabled student voice. This plan replaces the previously published work and is framed around six thematic areas to effectively enable both the plan’s execution and future developments.

As with other work within Pūrehuroatanga, the Disability and Inclusion Action Plan takes a whole-of-university approach and focuses on what we as a university need to change to create an inclusive and accessible environment for all our students.

Please contact diap@massey.ac.nz if you require a copy of the plan in MS Word or large print format.

Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2024 2027 (PDF, 200.3 KB)

Disabled student and staff engagement

Through 2023 a key focus was the development and inclusion of disabled student and staff voices in future versions of the DIAP. This has included, but was not limited to:

  • Regular engagement with our disabled student representative group, Disability at Massey, affiliated with Te Tira Ahu Pae, the University’s student association.
  • Publication and promotion of the initial Disability and Inclusion Action Plan and the establishment of a feedback email channel.
  • A series of staff hui, including members of the disabled staff community, to discuss their views on the self-review and resulting actions.
  • A survey to disabled students asking for feedback on improvement areas and for participation in future interest groups.
  • Feedback from Ākonga Māori on their experiences.
  • A student-led consultation project focused on the neurodivergent student experience.
  • Student Experience Survey results.

Future workshops and hui with disabled students are scheduled in the latter half of 2024 and these voices will continue to influence future revisions and the implementation of the actions outlined in this plan.

Governance and implementation

This Disability and Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) is a multi-pronged plan that requires sustained engagement from staff from across the University, as well as the engagement of students, whānau, community and disability sector advocacy groups.

The plan is overseen by a Senior Leadership Team (SLT) led governance group and as part of the Pūrehuroatanga work programme as well as through an operations group and specific subject-matter working groups drawn from experts across the University.

As part of Pūrehuroatanga, this plan, and the actions implemented, will take a coordinated whole-of-university approach and the plan’s implementation has received some specific strategic funding.

Responsibilities

Whilst Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University has a team of dedicated disability and inclusion advisors supporting both students and staff of the University, achieving the objectives outlined in this Disability and Inclusion Action Plan are the responsibility of all staff at the University. All staff, professional and academic, have both the agency and responsibility to foster an inclusive, respectful and safe environment in which all students are positively engaged and able to bring their whole selves to their learning experiences.

Champions for specific actions within the plan have been identified, but successful implementation of the Disability and Inclusion Action Plan is a collective responsibility.

Timelines

The Disability and Inclusion Action Plan 2024-2027 articulates specific outcomes and actions that will be undertaken over this 3-year period. Work will continue throughout 2024 to establish detailed timelines based on a prioritisation workshop being undertaken with our students and staff. This additional detail will be published in quarter four of 2024.

Plan structure

The Disability and Inclusion Action Plan has been divided according to the six outcomes or themes, each with an overarching outcome statement. The plan then details specific actions that will be taken over the next three years and, to aid in the monitoring and evaluation of our progress, specific objectives have also been developed for each thematic area.

The attached Disability Inclusion Action Plans outline the actions under each expected outcome area.

Outcome / Theme One: Kaimahi Capability Building and Awareness

Objectives
  1. Staff understand the importance of creating an accessible learning environment for students.
  2. Staff understand Te Ao Māori perspectives on disability.
  3. Staff are provided guidance, training and support to provide inclusive learning environments and assessments.
  4. This guidance, training and support encompasses a range of conditions and addresses the experiences and needs of students who belong to multiple equity groups.
  5. Disability confidence, responsiveness and inclusion training is designed and delivered in partnership with a diverse group of disabled students and their whānau, and their time, efforts and expertise are appropriately compensated.
Outcomes

Staff are supported to be disability confident and to address barriers by designing for accessibility as part of their regular mahi.

Outcome / Theme Two: Community Building and Information Sharing

Objectives
  1. Prospective and new disabled students are welcomed into the university community.
  2. Disabled students do not experience institutional barriers to taking part in the university community activities.
  3. Relevant and accessible information is available to guide, support and connect disabled students.
Outcomes

The policies and data management practices of the University demonstrates our commitment to a safe, accessible and inclusive learning environment.

Outcome / Theme Three: Digital Inclusion and Assistive Technologies

Objectives
  1. The provision of alternative formats to students with a print disability is widened.
  2. The university improves the coverage and quality of captioning available to students.
  3. Accessibility considerations are embedded in future technology purchases.
  4. The use of assistive technology in online tests and examinations is improved.
Outcomes

The university takes an accessibility-first approach, supporting digital inclusion and successful outcomes for all students.

Outcome / Theme Four: Inclusive Policies and Data

Objectives
  1. The university develops or updates its policies, procedures and guidelines to ensure they clearly articulate our commitment to the inclusion and success of disabled students.
  2. The university ethically collects and uses data to better understand, design for and support disabled students.
  3. A safe environment is provided for the disclosure of disability and impairment information.
Outcomes

Disabled students are informed and have a sense of belonging as valued members of the Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University community.

Outcome / Theme Five: Physical Inclusion

Objectives
  1. The accessibility of our physical learning environments are improved and maintained.
  2. Physical access information is available in both the built environment and online.
  3. Disabled students and staff are notified of recent or temporary changes that may affect physical access on their campus.
  4. Fire, evacuation, health, safety and security procedures consider all disabled students.
Outcomes

Campus built environments and facilities are safe and accessible for disabled students, staff and visitors.

Outcome / Theme Six: Support Services and Adjustments

Objectives
  1. Disabled students are aware of the services and adjustments available to them.
  2. Disabled students are proactively engaged and advised about the supports and services available to them, how to access them and how to confirm their support arrangements.
  3. Disabled students can access the range of services and reasonable adjustments available to them.
  4. Services and reasonable adjustments available to students are safe and culturally appropriate.
Outcomes

Disabled students are aware of, and feel confident accessing, a range of safe, inclusive and culturally appropriate general and specialist services and personalised reasonable adjustments.

How you can assist

We invite students and staff with experience, knowledge or interest in disability and disability issues to support this work by providing feedback, thoughts and ideas as Massey implements items outlined within the action plan.

Students can get involved in reference and advisory group opportunities which will promoted through the students’ association, Te Tira Ahu Pae. You can also participate in topic-based working groups or surveys which will be held from time to time.

Please fill in this form if you would like to get involved or receive updates.

For further enquiries, contact the team at diap@massey.ac.nz.

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