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National Disability Co-ordination Officer

Newcastle and Hunter

What is an NDCO - what do they do?
What can an NDCO do for you?
Training provided by Newcastle/Hunter NDCO
Resources developed by Newcastle/Hunter NDCO
Items available for Loan
Committee Membership

What is an NDCO?

The National Disability Co-ordination Officer (NDCO) Program replaces the Regional Disability Liaison Officer and Disability Co-ordination Officer (DCO) Programs from 1st January 2008, and is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR - previously DEST).

There are presently 31 positions in place across Australia - for more details consult the DEEWR website for regional hosts nationwide. Kay Dean, the Newcastle/Hunter NDCO, is hosted by the University of Newcastle.

NDCOs perform a range of functions focused on the development of resources, training, and related activities to encourage a cohesive educational environment where students, and people in the community, can plan and participate in the transition process into further training, education and employment. This is achieved by working directly with teachers and disability staff in each sector, and employers and related employment services, to identify gaps in regional services or appropriate resources, and by establishing supportive professional networks and information bases for staff, students and their families.

The Newcastle/Hunter NDCO offers a range of regional services:

Organisation of activities related to transiton - the NDCO can organise, host, or assist to convene a range of forums, activities and training related to the transition of people with a disability into further training, education and employment
Strategy to promote employment of people with a disability - the NDCO is part of an innovative Newcastle Committee promoting this initiative, and funds a range of activities to promote the employment of people with a disability
Production of resources - where gaps are identified, resources related to transition issues can be produced by the NDCO (eg School Leaver Directories, web resources)
Other professional training - where skill gaps are identified that impact on student transition, eg training in available types of assistive technology, teaching strategies to impact on student retention, workshops can be organised by the NDCO
Disability Education Network (DEN) is the framework developed by the NDCO to promote the active networking of professional staff in schools, Vocational Education and Training, Universities and related services
den-list - a cross-sectoral email list established for the use of professional staff within the Region as a way to promote networking, and the dissemination and gathering information
NDCO website for professionals, parents, students, and the community which contains information on regional activities, assistive technology, and other disability-related issues; downloadable resources; subscription to staff and student email lists; and links to related websites
Careers Expos - the NDCO, along with DET Support Teachers (Transition), person an information table at each of the regional expos.
Presentations at schools, conferences, and other relevant forums on the pathways into further training, education and employment, and disability awareness issues, can be arranged by contacting the NDCO
Assessing - the NDCO participates in the assessing of the "disability/Illness/injury" section of Commonwealth Learning Scholarships and Educational Access Scheme applications for entry into NSW/ACT universities each year, at the Universities Admissions Centre in Sydney

Assisting University of Newcastle staff at it's 2008 Disability Forum

Cathy Stone (Uni Dep Academic Reg); Tony Payne (UTAS); Kay Dean (NDCO); Graeme Innes (HREOC Commissioner); Belinda Munn (Uni Equity Diversity Manager)

Training/Activities Organised by the NDCO

"Assistive Technology in Education" Conferences - convenor 2003, 2005, with 3 delivered in 2007
Assistive Technology Workshops - held yearly
Guest Lecturing to University Students on Assistive Technology
AASE Special Education Conferences - co-organisation 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2008 >> more info
AASE Seminars - co-organised throughout the year in role on AASE Hunter Executive Committee
School Leaver Expos (Hunter/Upper Hunter/Taree-Forster) - 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 co-organised with School Leavers Committees
Workshops/Seminars for staff and students on transition, disability awareness, employment pathways and other topical issues
Forum for People with a Disability Moving into Employment - being investigated for 2008
"Discover the Benefits: Employing People with a Disability" - annual training for regional employers
"Enhancing the Links" Seminar for Central Coast staff on 26th November 2008 - a joint activity with NDCO North Sydney-Central Coast >> click to register

NDCO Resources

DEN Email List - the NDCO established and co-ordinates the Disability Education Network (DEN) email list - 360 subscribers from Hunter-Central Coast-Taree region and beyond.
‘School Leavers Directory’ - Post-school transition guide for two regions updated annually by the NDCO. 1,000 copies of the 200 page directory currently in circulation, and downloadable from website.
Booklet - Your Right to an Education: A Guide for Students with a Disability, Their Associates and Education Providers (2007). Copies available from NDCO, and available online.
CD - Will This Help? which provides information on popular assistive technologies to use in education. Produced by Tasmanian NDCO, 3,000 were reprinted and circulated to regional staff in 2005, updated by Newcastle/Hunter NDCO and Ability Technology with DEST Project funds in 2006/2007.
Website - the NDCO has developed an informative regional website.
Student Email List - MovingOn established to assist leaving students to stay connected.
TechAssist Project - NDCO gained a grant in 2006 to pilot a service, in collaboration with Ability Technology, to provide information, support and advice on assistive technology.

NSW State NDCO meeting 2 July 2008

Items Available for Loan

If you are a professional in the Hunter, you can contact Kay Dean via email (or phone 02 4921 8844) if you are interested in borrowing any of the following resources - more to be added shortly.

How Difficult Can This Be - the F.A.T. City Workshop - DVD by Rick Lavoie: A compelling demonstration of how intimidating the classroom can be through the eyes of a child with learning disabilities. In this unique workshop parents, teachers and other professionals participate in a series of classroom activities that cause them frustration, anxiety and tension (F.A.T.) - emotions familiar to the student with LD.

More about Rick Lavoie, who visited Newcastle in 2006.

It's So Much Work to be Your Friend - DVD by Rick Lavoie: This new resource concentrates on teaching friendship skills to children with learning disabilities to use in the classroom, the homefront, and in the community.

To purchase these and other Rick Lavoie resources, go to the SPELD website.

WYNN Literacy Software - demonstration copy: WYNN includes optical character recognition (OCR) and the ability to scan printed pages and convert them into electronic text. Speech synthesis enables this scanned text to be read aloud. Additionally, WYNN Wizard can read word processing documents, PDF files, text files, and the Internet. More information about WYNN.

Beyond Expectations DVD - TAFE NSW Disability Programs Unit 2007 resource which has a series of video profiles of people with a range of disabilities who are making their mark on the workforce.
Aspirations DVD - a collection of tertiary transition experiences from people with Asperger's Syndrome, also viewable from the RMIT Disability Co-ordination Officers' website http://www.rmit.edu.au/ssg/aspirations.
Grasp the Nettle DVD - a collection of tertiary transition experiences from people with a Learning Disability. Copies to keep and some to borrow - email kay.dean@newcastle.edu.au or download at http://www.rmit.edu.au/ssg/aspirations, go to Grasp the Nettle link on right
disAbility Aware - Communicating Effectively with People with a Disability DVD - a 2006 resouce developed by the Illawarra Disability Co-ordination Officer.
Deaf Role Models - Encouraging Access to Higher Education - DVD produced by Deakin University 2005, link to additional information from Deakin website.

Committee Membership

Member, University of Newcastle Special Education Centre Board, 2008
University of Newcastle Disability Working Group, 2007 - current
Executive Council Member, State Disability Education Association of NSW/ACT (DEAN) - involves organising state professional development days and Network co-ordination
Vice President, Australian Association of Special Education (AASE), Hunter Chapter, 2002 - current
Vice President/NSW Representative, Australian Learning Disabilities Association, 2002 - current
Newcastle Disability Employment Advisory Group - Newcastle LGA - monthly meetings, 2006 - current
NDCO State Meetings- collaboration on a range of NSW activities and strategies
DET-NDCO State Meetings- discuss range of topics with Senior Executive DET staff
Hunter School Leavers Committee (quarterly meetings)
Central Coast School Leavers Committee (quarterly meetings)
Taree-Great Lakes-Gloucester Transition Committee (monthly meetings)
NSW & ACT Universities Admission Centre (UAC) Special Needs Officers Group
Work Matters Symposium Planning Committee, 2008

Newcastle Assistive Technology Forum 2007, organised by the NDCOs

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