Application
This unit of competency specifies the outcomes required to work with individuals and the management and staff of organisations in order to advise them on their rights and obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and state and territory legislation with regard to service provision. It requires knowledge of the DDA and commonwealth, state and territory legislation applicable to service delivery, including educational, building and transport services. The unit also requires communication skills to consult effectively on a wide range of service provision issues.
The unit supports the access consulting service of facilitating the development of DDA Action Plans. It applies to access consultants who provide advice to clients who may be owners and managers; providers of services to the public, such as a retail outlets; management and staff of organisations; representatives from public utilities; and representatives from commonwealth, state and territory, and local government departments and agencies.
No licensing, legislative, regulatory, or certification requirements apply to this unit of competency at the time of endorsement.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the range of conditions. | ||
1. | Respond to client inquiry regarding access advice on service provision. | 1.1. | Client requesting access advice is identified and their authority to act is established according to organisational requirements. |
1.2. | Client requirements are discussed, clarified and confirmed according to organisational requirements. | ||
1.3. | Own competence and organisational capability to respond to client needs are determined and assessed. | ||
1.4. | Client brief providing required level of detail and authority to proceed are negotiated with client and documented according to organisational requirements. | ||
1.5. | Contractual arrangements for advice are negotiated, confirmed, documented and stored according to client, organisational and legislative requirements. | ||
2. | Prepare to provide access advice. | 2.1. | Documentation relevant to project is identified and copies are obtained. |
2.2. | Access arrangements are negotiated and contact person is identified according to client and organisational requirements. | ||
3. | Research project context. | 3.1. | Information on client’s business is accessed and analysed according to organisational requirements. |
3.2. | Client | ||
4. | Identify legislation applicable to project. | 4.1. | Commonwealth, state and territory legislation is reviewed to determine relevance to services provided by client’s organisation. |
4.2. | Sections of legislation relevant to service delivery of client’s organisation are identified and documented. | ||
4.3. | Advice is sought where required to assist in identifying and analysing unknown elements identified during research process. | ||
5. | Provide advice to client on service provision. | 5.1. | Advice is provided to client on their rights and obligations under legislation, regulations and standards relevant to disability access in service provision according to organisational requirements. |
5.2. | Training programs to address access compliance requirements for service delivery are suggested according to organisational requirements. | ||
6. | Prepare access report on service provision. | 6.1. | Report format, style and structure are established according to industry standards, and client and organisational requirements. |
6.2. | Report content is prepared according to client instructions, contractual arrangements, organisational requirements, and access service provision requirements of applicable legislation, regulations and standards. | ||
6.3. | Report is reviewed with required persons according to organisational requirements, and feedback is integrated. | ||
7. | Finalise access report on service provision. | 7.1. | Report content is checked for accuracy and suitability according to organisational requirements. |
7.2. | Report and associated documentation are finalised and distributed to client in a professional manner and according to organisational requirements and contractual arrangements. | ||
7.3. | Copy of report and associated documentation is recorded and retained according to organisational and legislative requirements. | ||
Evidence of Performance
A person demonstrating competency in this unit must satisfy the requirements of the elements, performance criteria, foundation skills and range of conditions of this unit.
The person must also provide access advice to two different clients in regard to their organisation’s compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements for the provision of service, ensuring that an access report is provided for each set of advice that:
identifies non-compliance in the provision of adequately accessible services
provides practical and effective advice on how to address identified areas of non-compliance to meet legislative requirements and business objectives
meets contractual arrangements.
In preparing each of the above service provision access reports, the person must:
identify, interpret and apply legislative and regulatory requirements relating to disability access, including those of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), and evaluate the provision of services by each of the above clients in relation to those requirements
use effective interpersonal skills and communication techniques to facilitate the exchange of ideas and information on issues relating to the provision of services
apply organisational policies and procedures, including quality assurance requirements
use research skills to:
identify client business operations, nature of services provided, and related documentation
source information to assist in developing potential solutions to the provision of adequate access
use measurement tools correctly and record collected data accurately.
In providing access advice in each of the above service provision access reports, the person must:
interpret the impacts of the full range of disabilities and the limitations that each disability places on the individual’s ability to access the service
interpret how the full range of environmental barriers impacts on people with a range of disabilities and impairments
apply and adhere to work health and safety (WHS) regulations, policies and processes applicable to workplace operations
use business equipment effectively to prepare and present reports in required format
provide final version report and documentation of supporting evidence for advice given, within required timeframe and according to organisational requirements.
Evidence of Knowledge
A person demonstrating competency in this unit must demonstrate knowledge of:
key access obligations in regard to an organisation’s provision of services under the legislation, regulations and standards specified in the range of conditions
organisational requirements for providing access advice, including:
access and equity policy, principles and practices
client service standards
code of conduct and code of ethics
client privacy and confidentiality requirements
communication channels and reporting procedures
complaint and dispute resolution procedures
compliance with applicable legislation, codes and standards
compliance with applicable legal policies and guidelines relating to the provision of access advice
policies and procedures relating to own role, responsibilities and delegation
procedures for writing and recording service provision access reports, including required:
content
format, style, and structure
presentation
quality assurance requirements
records and information management systems and processes
disability awareness to inform service provision access report, including:
range of disabilities to be considered when providing access advice on service provision
disability-specific physical barriers to access
disability-specific minimum requirements for enhancing accessibility of service provision
key principles and techniques associated with consultation processes
limitations of own work role, responsibility and professional abilities with regard to above service provision access reports
processes for interpreting documentation relating to service provision access
WHS procedures, including procedures for:
identifying hazards and controlling risks associated with work
selecting and using required personal protective equipment (PPE).
Assessment Conditions
The following must be present and available to learners during assessment activities:
equipment, including:
PPE required for specific project
computer and software to access, retrieve, store and distribute service provision access report documentation
specifications:
legislation, regulations and standards specified in the range of conditions
relationships with clients, including:
owners and managers
providers of services to the public, such as a retail outlets
management and staff of organisations
representatives from commonwealth, state and territory, and local government departments and agencies
representatives from public utilities.
Timeframe:
in line with timeframe established in contractual arrangements for providing access advice on service provision.
Assessor requirements
As a minimum, assessors must satisfy the assessor requirements in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) current at the time of assessment.
Foundation Skills
This section describes the language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills essential to performance in this unit but not explicit in the performance criteria. | |
Skill | Performance feature |
Learning skills to: | maintain knowledge of current legislation, codes, standards, regulations, practices and industry updates relating to access advice. |
Numeracy skills to: | interpret and use ratios and scales to analyse organisational services against access requirements and provision. |
Oral communication skills to: | consult with clients and colleagues and explain information on issues relating to the provision of access, demonstrating: command of language to elicit and clarify information in a clear and accessible manner communication techniques suited to individual stakeholder convey knowledge and ideas through oral and visual means. |
Reading skills to: | interpret a range of complex texts and data to extract information relating to access requirements to inform access advice identify and assess information in business documentation to identify compliance with accessibility requirements. |
Writing skills to: | write access reports that meet client requirements and detail accessibility compliance outcomes, and: are based on detailed analysis of service characteristics impacting on access represent and convey the needs of diverse disabilities and impairments provide advice specific to client requirements and nature of service provision meet organisational standards of style, format and accuracy. |
Initiative and enterprise skills to: | provide access advice in a sensitive and professional manner use opportunities to plan strategies to eliminate identified barriers and facilitate change for greater disability access in organisational services and facilities. |
Planning and organising skills to: | meet contractual obligations within designated timeframes. |
Problem-solving skills to: | evaluate provision of access in relation to legislative and regulatory requirements and prepare advice on service provision based on analysis of options available to provide adequate access apply disability awareness to work processes. |
Teamwork skills to: | work effectively with a range of people from diverse backgrounds. |
Digital literacy skills to: | apply information technology and computer skills to prepare working documentation and reports. |
Range Statement
This section specifies work environments and conditions that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) are included. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. | |
Access arrangements must include: | access and egress points keys, passes and security clearances timing of access work health and safety (WHS) requirements, including required personal protective equipment (PPE). |
Contact person | identified project contact site manager site owner site supervisor. |
Information on client’s business must include: | client’s business operations and premises services offered by client, including: nature of services known use of services by customers with disabilities, and frequency of that use staff profiles. |
Customer profile data must include: | information on client’s customer base, including: existing customers range of potential customers changing nature of potential customer base. |
Commonwealth, state and territory legislation must include: | legislation relating to educational services, building and transport DDA. |
Advice must: | be written or oral include referral to other experts or sources of information. |
Obligations under legislation, regulations and standards must include those represented in: | commonwealth, state and territory legislation that affects organisational operation and services, including: anti-discrimination building environmental equal employment opportunity industrial relations WHS Australian standards, including AS1428 Design for access and mobility DDA local government regulations and by-laws quality assurance and certification requirements trade practices laws and guidelines. |
Suggested training programs must include: | information on: client and staff rights and obligations under legislation service users’ rights and obligations under legislation. |
Report content must include: | advice for clients on their rights and obligations under legislation relating to disability access conclusions and recommendations that are clearly supported by information gathered and verifiable evidence attachments containing supporting documentation that is relevant and consistent with references made in body of report. |
Required persons must include: | another member of access team business partner or colleague. |
Sectors
Access consulting