At the University of Adelaide (UoA), the existing support system relies heavily on students disclosing their disabilities and or learning difficulties to Disability Support. This process, due to Commonwealth funding requirements, largely adopts a medical model of disability given medical documentation is required to secure an “access plan”. These plans typically offer adjustments such as additional time to complete assessments, but they are largely limited in scope and contingent on formal disclosure. This process leaves students who are unwilling or unable to disclose or obtain diagnoses unsupported. Furthermore, it offers limited assistance to students with neurological differences. This reality exists because getting additional time to complete assessments may not be useful to students who have difficulties meeting deadlines.

Driven by a passion for inclusivity and equality and informed by my expertise in disability discrimination and education policy, I have sought to create initiatives that might better support our neurodivergent students in law, as well as all students, more broadly.

My role as the law school’s access, support, and inclusion coordinator (ASIC) has seen me design and implement initiatives aimed at creating inclusive learning environments and activities that empower all students and that aren’t reliant on a medical model of disability.

There is limited literature on how to support neurodivergent students with practical study skills such as organisation and writing. The literature on how to support neurodivergent law students specifically is also sparse. This gap persists despite the growing recognition of neurodiverse law students and the benefits of hiring these individuals in law firms. There is, however, a wealth of scholarship in the inclusive education space regarding how best to support students with complex learning profiles, which may include neurodiversity. These initiatives are exam practice sessions, the Student Success and Accountability Mentor program, and my weekly wellbeing walks – These activities are informed from inclusive education scholarship given they are designed considering a framework known as the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) but adopted to meet the adult learning environment that is higher education. They are also a means of fostering a more inclusive culture within the school.

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MTSS

After attending a conference hosted by QUT’s Centre for Inclusive Education in 2023, I was inspired by a presentation given by Dr Kate de Bruin about Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). This “comprehensive framework … address[es] academic, social-emotional, and behavioural domains through a coordinated system of universal and targeted supports” across three tiers.

Tier 1 is support given to all students through the form of universal classroom instruction. In a higher education context, this support would be viewed as the instruction given through lectures and seminars. If delivered effectively, tier 1 practices can help approximately 80 per cent of students’ progress.

Tier 2 is a more targeted form of support, designed to assist about 15 per cent of students requiring additional help. It supplements classroom instruction by providing extra time and opportunities to develop skills, frequent progress monitoring, and corrective feedback.

Tier 3 offers intensive, individualised support for students who do not progress with tier 2 interventions. These supports are tailored and often delivered by specialists, with frequent monitoring and adjustments to meet specific needs.

In a higher educational context, given it is an adult learning environment, and “students” have a greater level of autonomy, tiers 2 and 3 present differently. This is because university students are self-directed in their studies. In any event, the activities below are designed to provide additional assistance than just tier 1 level of support.

Exam practice sessions

The exam practice sessions were born from a desire to ease first-year law students’ exam anxieties. Although I encouraged my seminar students to practise answering past exam questions under timed conditions, many did not follow this advice. To bridge this gap, I introduced mock exam conditions in my own Foundations of Law classes to answer seminar questions. This act may be considered a tier 1 level of support.

Students practised handwriting or typing answers in a silent, timed environment, closely replicating real exam conditions. While the early iterations lacked the physical set-up of individual exam desks, the concept received overwhelmingly positive feedback from students and sparked valuable conversations about its benefits.

With growing recognition of the value of this initiative and against the increased use of in-person exams in the face of the proliferation of generative AI, I teamed up with colleagues in 2024 to offer this activity to the wider first-year law cohort in Torts and Principles of Public Law.

My colleagues supply the mock exam questions and then run a revision lecture on it after the invigilated activity.

Importantly, these sessions are open to all students undertaking these courses, not limited to those with access plans or diagnosed learning difficulties. This initiative may be characterised as a tier 2 support.

By removing the need for formal disclosure and keeping participation voluntary, I aim to create an inclusive space where any student can develop their exam-taking skills. It also respects the adult learning environment of higher education as it is a voluntary activity.

These practice sessions were primarily created to target students who feel nervous or underprepared for exams, including neurodiverse learners. Inspired by MTSS – it is an activity combining academic, behavioural, and social/emotional support to achieve equity and excellence in education – this initiative operates as a universal support strategy. It benefits all participants while creating value for those with higher support needs.

Student success and accountability mentor

Another key initiative, introduced as part of my ASIC role, is the Student Success and Accountability Mentor program. This program is designed for students who require more individualised assistance, or perhaps a tier 3 level of support.

Through weekly one-on-one meetings, students are provided with an opportunity to plan their study time, set deadlines, and share draft work before submission. While I don’t provide content-based feedback on drafts, these sessions help students remain accountable and productive to submit assessments by the due date.

The pilot of this program demonstrated significant benefits, with participants reporting improved levels of organisation, reduced stress, and greater academic confidence. Although this pilot saw me support students who were referred to me by other law school staff, the Adelaide Law School will expand it in 2025 by employing a “mentor” with lived experience to reach more students.

Weekly walks

These weekly 30-minute walks are open to all staff and students, providing an opportunity for the broader law school community to socialise and to be mindful about developing healthy habits to manage stress and anxiety, which might be exacerbated when studying at law school. This initiative is, therefore, more aligned to developing students’ social and emotional domains.

Rethinking accessibility in higher education

Together, these initiatives challenge traditional accessibility models, which depend on disclosure and documentation, by offering scalable, non-stigmatising interventions that benefit all students. They also complement existing models of support, including the UoA Neurodiversity Project headed by Tiana Blazevic.

While research on best practice for supporting neurodiverse law students in higher education is limited, insights from inclusive education research, such as MTSS, have informed my approach. By combining universal and targeted strategies, I ensure that support is available to all students, regardless of whether they choose to disclose a disability or learning difficulty.

Ultimately, these initiatives reflect a broader vision for diversity, equity, and inclusion in legal education. By empowering students to build their skills in an environment that respects their individuality, we create pathways for greater academic success and wellbeing. This holistic, proactive approach not only addresses immediate needs but also fosters a culture of inclusivity that benefits the entire university community.

Dr Peta Spyrou is a lecturer at Adelaide Law School.