Access and equity in training ensures that people with differing needs and abilities have the same opportunities to successfully gain skills, knowledge and experience through education and training irrespective of their age, disability, colour, race, gender, religion, sexuality, family responsibilities, or location. It means identifying and addressing the training needs of each individual.

Under the Australian government’s Disability Discrimination Act 1992 all registered training organisations (RTOs) must identify barriers which people with a disability encounter when accessing programs and services and develop strategies to minimise the impact of these barriers.

By developing access and equity strategies and providing sufficient support for students with special needs, an RTO:

• ensures that the vocational education and training (VET) system is open to all individuals in the community, particularly those groups that have been traditionally under-represented
• becomes a training provider of choice for a broad cross-section of clients.