Focus Area 1: Organisational culture and attitudes

Goal: The University is a safe, welcoming, supportive place for people with disability, and demonstrates a commitment to becoming a leader in disability inclusion and accessibility

Outcome 1.a:  People with disability are included, free from discrimination and safe to share their disability information when they need to

Indicator 1:

Increase safety from discrimination

Measures:

  • Proportion of staff with disability or caring responsibilities who feel it is safe to speak up at the University
    • Baseline: 36% of staff with disability (Staff Experience Pulse Survey 2024)
    • Baseline: 50% of staff with caring responsibilities (Staff Experience Survey 2023)
  • Proportion of staff with disability or caring responsibilities who agree that the University provides a working environment free from discrimination and harassment
    • Baseline: 48% of staff with disability (Staff Experience Pulse Survey 2024)
    • Baseline: 60% of staff with caring responsibilities (Staff Experience Survey 2023)
  • Proportion of students with disability who agree that they are free from discrimination, harm or hatred at the University
    • Baseline: 56.8% of students with disability (Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching Student Experience Survey [QILT-SES] 2024)

Indicator 2:

Improve experience of inclusion and belonging for staff and students with disability

Measures:

  • Proportion of staff with disability who see positive change in how the University provides an inclusive working experience for staff with disability
    • Baseline: 21% of staff with disability (DIAP Staff Survey 2025)
  • Proportion of students with disability who report they have a sense of belonging to the University
    • Baseline: 31.5% (QILT-SES 2024)

Indicator 3:

Increase staff knowledge and understanding of disability

Measure:

  • Proportion of staff who have completed Disability Awareness training
    • Baseline: to be established in 2026 from TrainMe data

Indicator 4:

Increase lived experience representation at the University

Measures:

  • Proportion of staff with disability or caring responsibilities who feel their lived experience, perspectives, and values are represented in University activities
    • Baseline: 49% of staff with disability (Staff Experience Pulse Survey 2024)
    • Baseline: 60% of staff with caring responsibilities (Staff Experience Survey 2023)
  • Proportion of staff with disability in senior executive leadership roles
    • Baseline: proportion not reported, less than ten responses (Staff Experience Survey 2023)
  • Proportion of staff at the University who are people with disability or caring responsibilities
    • Baseline: 8% of staff have disability (Staff Experience Pulse Survey 2024)
    • Baseline: 25% of staff have caring responsibilities (Staff Experience Survey 2023)
  • Proportion of students at the University with disability
    • Baseline: 8.6% of students have disability (University of Melbourne student data 2025)

Outcome 1.b: The University demonstrates a commitment to being a leader in accessibility and inclusion

Indicator 1:

Increase senior leader knowledge and understanding of disability

Measure:

  • Proportion of senior executive leaders who have completed Disability Awareness training
    • Baseline: to be established in 2026 from TrainMe data

Actions for this focus area:

1.1: Launch and promote an online accessibility and inclusion resource hub

Indicative timeline to commence: 2026
Executive Lead: Director, Diversity & Inclusion
Link to outcomes: 1.a

1.2: Run an awareness campaign around the value of staff disclosing demographic data - including disability, cultural identity, and LGBTIQA+ information - on WorkDay and the confidentiality and privacy protections around doing so1

Indicative timeline to commence: 2026
Executive Lead: Director, Diversity & Inclusion
Link to outcomes: 1.a

1.3: Coordinate a University-wide approach to using data to support diversity and inclusion, drawing on expertise across University divisions and faculties as well as lived experience expertise voices2

Indicative timeline to commence: 2026
Executive Lead: Director, Diversity & Inclusion
Link to outcomes: 1.a

1.4: Pilot a rollout of Hidden Disabilities Sunflower across the University to better support staff and students with non-apparent disability

Indicative timeline to commence: 2026
Executive Lead: Director, Diversity & Inclusion
Link to outcomes: 1.a, 1.b

1.5: Pilot subscription to Convo Access to provide free, on-demand, online access to Auslan interpreters for staff, students, and visitors

Indicative timeline to commence: 2026
Executive Lead: Director, Diversity & Inclusion
Link to outcomes: 1.a, 1.b

1.6: Promote uptake and completion of the University's new Disability Awareness eLearn module

Indicative timeline to commence: 2026
Executive Lead: Director, Diversity & Inclusion
Link to outcomes: 1.a, 1.b

1.7: Build a suite of training opportunities around specific accessibility and inclusion related topics, including neurodiversity

Indicative timeline to commence: 2026
Executive Lead: Director, Diversity & Inclusion
Link to outcomes: 1.a, 1.b

1.8: Develop and implement a Disability Accessibility and Inclusion policy for the University

Indicative timeline to commence: 2026
Executive Lead: Director, Diversity & Inclusion
Link to outcomes: 1.a, 1.b

1.9: Update the Safer Community Program website and Speak Safely Portal to clearly communicate service scope for students and staff with disability, particularly those who may be experiencing harm or discrimination

Indicative timeline to commence: 2026
Executive Lead: Executive Director, Student & Scholarly Services and Academic Registrar
Link to outcomes: 1.a, 1.b

1.10: Repeat the Australian Disability Network Access and Inclusion index to measure progress since 2021 and over the life of the plan

Indicative timeline to commence: 2026
Executive Lead: Director, Diversity & Inclusion
Link to outcomes: 1.b

1.11: Continue the Critical Disability Studies seminar series to promote engagement with key issues in disability studies

Indicative timeline to commence: 2026
Executive Lead: Director, Diversity & Inclusion
Link to outcomes: 1.b

1.12: Partner with Indigenous communities, organisations, and leaders to build Indigenous ways of learning and doing and understandings of disability into accessibility and inclusion initiatives

Indicative timeline to commence: 2027
Executive Lead: Director, Diversity & Inclusion
Link to outcomes: 1.b

Next page: Focus Area 2

Footnotes

1This is a cross-cutting action across multiple D&I action plans
2This is a cross-cutting action across multiple D&I action plans