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About physical disability support#
Physical disability support is for ākonga | students at school who have a physical disability that prevents them from participating fully in learning.
Support helps with access to the everyday curriculum and activities. The support team can include physiotherapists and occupational therapists who work with teachers and students. Students who receive support may need help with:
- moving safely around the classroom at the school or kura
- using playground equipment
- taking part in learning activities, particularly physical ones
- using pencils, pens and other tools (including technology) and materials
- day-to-day tasks like changing their clothes and eating their lunch.
Physical disability support does not include a funding contribution towards teacher’s aide support.
Students with complex physical disability needs#
When a student has complex physical disability needs, talk to your regional office as it may be more appropriate to apply for the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme.
Contact us for support#
Contact your regional office to discuss your ākonga | student's circumstances or send us a request for support.
In some North Island regions and all of the South Island, physical disability support is provided by us. In some North Island regions, there are other specialist providers who do this. These are listed on the document below. If your school is not on this list, it means your school is serviced by us. We can help make sure you are accessing the right people in your area.
Specialist service providers – physical disability supportsFollowing a request for support, we will contact you to discuss next steps.
If a student has had physical disability support before and no longer receives it, you can contact us again about further support. This may be because the student's physical needs or circumstances have changed.
Make a plan after support is offered#
We work with the student's family and your school to identify and agree on:
- goals and priorities for support
- any resources needed
- how long the support is for
- responsibilities of those involved.
