54223 (2024). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills

54223 (2024). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills: What advice, if any, has the Minister received on the experiences of disabled students within the vocational educational sector?

Hon Penny Simmonds: I refer the Member to my responses to written parliamentary questions 53989 and 54987 (2024). Further, in May 2024, I received a report “Let’s Get Accessible: Disabled students’ experiences navigating the tertiary education system” produced by the Ministry of Education, the Tertiary Education Commission, the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, and the National Disabled Students Association. While this report did not specifically provide advice, it gathered qualitative data on the shared lived experiences of disabled students across tertiary education in New Zealand, including vocational education. This report is publicly available on the Education Counts website: https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/tertiary_education/education-learners/lets-get-accessible-disabled-students-experiences-navigating-the-tertiary-education-system.