Outline

Overview

This unit introduces students to broad definitions pertinent to both disability/disadvantage and rehabilitation. This unit provides unique opportunities to learn about disability and both the individual and systemic factors that explain disability and disadvantage. The unit surveys international perspectives on the disability process with a disability-human rights perspective. Students will learn about disability as it is seen through the lens of society. The various models of disability, language related to disability, and power, oppression, privilege, and intersectionality as they relate to disability will be discussed. Students will also learn about other holistic aspects of disability including accessibility, sexuality, and disability culture.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	REHB2026
Academic unit	Participation Sciences
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Andy Smidt, andy.smidt@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Online task	Weekly in class small tasks Submitted outcome of learning activity	40%	Multiple weeks	30-60 mins
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Assignment 2: prepare for an interview Submit your notes ready to interview an expert in Disability Binarism	30%	Week 08 Due date: 23 Apr 2023 at 23:59	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Peer review Groups review the presentations of peers	5%	Week 12	45 mins
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Assignment 3: Presentation Recorded presentation about disability culture and peer feedback	25%	Week 13 Due date: 28 May 2023 at 23:59	10 min presentation
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Weekly quizzes: You must complete all the assessment tasks to pass the entire unit. Failure to complete any assessment item will result in you being awarded a fail grade, regardless of your cumulative marks in the unit of study.
Assignment 2 (Interview plan): This assignment involves applying concepts learned in class to plan an interview with an expert in the field
Disability culture (recorded presentation and reflection): The presentation will be a recording of one side of an ethical debate which is uploaded to Canvas in week 12. Each student will record their side of the debate. Peer feedback and reflection will take place during week 13 lecture ahead of final submission of the presentation at the end of week 13.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

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 listed in the Assessment Procedures Policy, late penalties apply for any work submitted late Written work submitted electronically after 11.59 pm on the due date will be considered to have been submitted late. 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. 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. 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.

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.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

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	Introduction to disability	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	What is disability?	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 03	1. Person first; 2. Language and disability etiquette	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	1. Cycle of socialisation; 2. Power privilege and oppression	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Disability in the media	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 06	Disability in the media	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 07	Disability binarism, disability simulation, and inspiration porn	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	Physical accessibility and universal design	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 09	Sexuality and disability	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 10	Disability culture	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Disability culture	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 12	Advocacy and changing attitudes	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 13	Presentations and discussion prior to submitting assignment	Lecture (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: This unit is completed completely online and can be completed asynchronously. Each week there will be a lecture on Zoom which students are encouraged to attend but students can opt to listen to recordings and complete the online material in their own time. All students are expected to contribute to discussions and meet with other students to complete groupwork. Marks are based on active participation in activities and students will benefit from engaging in discussion with peers to achieve the learning objectives

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 readings for this unit can be accessed via Canvas

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. explain the impact of power, oppression, and privilege on how people with disabilities are viewed and treated in society
LO2. describe psychological, social, and cultural aspects of disability and identify how these impact the lives of those with a disability
LO3. Compare perspectives on intersectionality, ableism, and external perceptions of disability, and how they impact the lives of people with disabilities
LO4. Evaluate disability culture, the importance of physical accessibility, the influence of the media on disability, and how all of these intertwine with power, privilege, and oppression
LO5. Evaluate the importance of advocacy, and advocate within your own community.
LO6. Compare the social model of disability with other models and consider the influence on employment, relationships, independence and living valued lives
LO7. Analyse your own values about disability and consider the source of your personal views and the extent to which your life experiences have impacted your values
LO8. Consider how terminology and stereotypes impact societal acceptance of disability including inspiration porn and disability binarism

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 unit has been renamed from Fundamentals of Rehabilitation to Fundamentals of Disability following student feedback

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

REHB2026: Fundamentals of Disability

Semester 1, 2023 [Online] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

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