Cairns Catholic and Independent Schools Therapy (ACCIST)

Who are we?

Cairns Catholic and Independent Schools Therapy (ACCIST) is an organisation funded under the Specialist Disability Support in Schools (SDSS) Program that provides consultative therapy support to schools supporting students with a disability. This consultative therapy support is delivered via a professional team of:

Occupational Therapists
Speech-language Pathologists
Physiotherapists

What services do we offer?

ACCIST therapists work collaboratively with school staff in supporting students with a disability. Services are focused on maximising student access to and participation in the curriculum, enhancing their engagement and assisting them to achieve school goals. ACCIST services aim to build the capability of school staff to support the learning requirements for each student with a disability within their education setting. This includes the provision of information and advice to school staff in areas such as communication, concentration, participation and mobility. This may require:

Student assessment, including observations
Collaborative planning, goal setting and program delivery with school staff
Teacher and school support staff training

Who is eligible to access our services?

To be eligible to access ACCIST services, a student must be enrolled in a Queensland school (state or non-state) and be identified in one of the following ways.

A student who was recorded in the latest submission of the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) as receiving supplementary, substantial or extensive adjustments.
A student where the school requires assistance to address a barrier to the student’s physical access to the school environment.
A student who is new to the school (including Prep students), where the school has evidence of a diagnosed disability and has confirmed by the end of Term 1 that the adjustments provided are consistent with any of the supplementary, substantial or extensive adjustments descriptors as per the NCCD guidelines.
A student who is new to the school (including Prep students), where the student has a diagnosed disability and documented complex needs, schools can apply for ACCIST services to commence at the start of the school year if the student requires immediate support to access and participate in in learning and/or for their safe attendance.

In addition to the above, priority for ACCIST services will be given to students who are unable to access occupational therapy, speech-language therapy or physiotherapy support via school or regional office-based staff.

How can I refer to ACCIST?

To refer to ACCIST services please complete the ACCIST referral form and return via email to admin@accist.org.au

Download School Referral Form

Where can I find more information?

Download:

SDSS Program Fact Sheet for Schools
Protocols for SDSS Services

Contact:

For more information regarding ACCIST, please contact via email admin@accist.org.au or telephone (07) 4050 9722.

Download:

Contact:

For more information regarding ACCIST, please contact via email
admin@accist.org.au
or telephone (07) 4050 9722.