Learn how QUT transformed disability services and created a seamless student experience with Symplicity Access.
Benefits
2025 Delivery Snapshot - Using Symplicity Access (adopted in 2019), QUT:
- 32,000+ adjustments delivered
- 15,000+ end-of-semester exam adjustments
- 2,913 students supported across 40 teaching periods
- 984 faculty members emailed with automated notifications and updates
- Top three adjustments: extensions, working time, separate location
The Challenge
Queensland University of Technology's Disability and Accessibility Services team was struggling to manage growing student demand across two large campuses, supporting ~2,900 students with 32,000+ adjustments. Manual processes for creating and distributing access equity plans created significant administrative burden for both staff and students. Students experienced anxiety about whether exam adjustments reached all stakeholders, often requiring multiple follow-up appointments. Faculty members occasionally questioned accommodation recommendations, and the time-consuming manual approach limited the team's capacity for proactive advocacy work.
The Solution
As one of the first Australian universities to adopt Symplicity Access in 2019, QUT transformed its disability services from a manual, appointment-dependent process into a streamlined, systematic operation. Rather than treating it as a "set and forget" solution,
Manager of Disability and Accessibility Services Belinda Russell and her team committed to ongoing customisation, tailoring the software to match QUT's specific workflow needs.
QUT established a faculty liaison structure where each faculty has a designated person to receive accommodation plans. Combined with Symplicity's consistent, professional documentation, this systematic approach created a process that faculty members trust. The platform enables students to receive their complete access equity plans after a single meeting with a disability advisor, with automatic distribution to all key stakeholders—eliminating the need for follow-up appointments.
The team partnered intensively with Symplicity and their Client Manager to ensure the system evolved with their needs. "Making sure that our system is actually working the way that reflects our workflow became a key priority," Belinda explains, with the understanding that the system would continue to grow and refine alongside the service.
The Results
- Standardised workflows and automated adjustment distribution
- Enabled students to recieve completed plans after a single advisor meeting
- Systematic faculty adoption across all programs and faculty liaison structure for clear, accountable delivery
- 7 disability advisors managing two large campuses efficiently
Student confidence: "The aspect that I think students appreciate the most is around exam adjustments," says Belinda. "They know that once they meet with an advisor and that plan is delivered to them, they are 100% sure that it's gone to all of the key stakeholders in their academic life at that point in time, and they find that very reassuring."
Faculty trust: The systematic approach resulted in widespread faculty acceptance of accommodation recommendations. "We don't often get a faculty member questioning why they would have to implement the advice or the recommended adjustments on a plan because we have this systemic approach now," Belinda notes. All plans now look consistent and formal, lending credibility to recommendations.
Team efficiency: By automating plan distribution and standardising workflows, the seven-person disability services team can now manage growing student volume while dedicating more time to proactive advocacy and inclusion initiatives rather than administrative tasks.
Cultural impact: The implementation supports QUT's broader goal of making inclusion "everybody's business across the university," ensuring all staff understand their role in providing accessible education.
Key Takeaway
"It's all about building those relationships and connections within the university as a whole. We have really gone out of our way to ensure that inclusion is seen as everybody's business across the university." - Belinda Russell, Manager of Disability and Accessibility Services, Queensland University of Technology
