The QCAA recognises that a student’s participation in assessment may be adversely affected by disability, medical condition/s, or other circumstances outside of their control. Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments (AARA) are designed to assist these students
The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (CTH) (DDA) and the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (DSE) seek to eliminate discrimination against people with disabilities. The Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld) (HRA) asserts that every child has the right to access primary and secondary education appropriate to their needs.
Compliance with these documents ensures students with disability are able to participate in education and training on the same basis as students without disability. This is achieved primarily through consultation with the student and/or their parents/carers, making reasonable adjustments, eliminating harassment and victimisation and giving proper consideration to human rights.
AARA are action/s taken by the school so that an eligible student can participate in assessment on the same basis as other students. AARA processes are relevant to assessment in Applied, Applied (Essential), General, General (Extension), General (Senior External Examination) subjects and Short Courses. In this handbook, candidates for the Senior External Examination are referred to as students.
The use of AARA for student assessment is based on the functional impact of the condition for which AARA are sought. Students with the same condition may experience highly varied impacts on their education and on their ability to demonstrate their learning, knowledge and skill in assessments on the same basis as other students. This section does not include examples of every possible circumstance for AARA; it provides information to support schools with AARA decisions and processes relevant to their students’ needs.
The QCAA encourages schools to develop a school-based AARA process that includes early and ongoing consultation with students and/or their parents/carers and aligns with AARA principles outlined below.
Most AARA applications for students with disability should reflect existing arrangements that have been in place and documented, e.g. as evidence to support judgments for the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on school students with disability (the NCCD). Adjustments required due to temporary medical conditions or injuries and unforeseen events should be identified and managed as soon as possible, in consultation with students and parents/carers.
See Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments (AARA) for further information and resources.
- Last updated:
- 14 January 2026
