Purpose
The Specialist Disability Support in Schools (SDSS) Program—previously known as the Non School Organisations (NSO) Program—supports schools by providing funding to approved organisations to deliver services to improve access to and participation in curriculum and the educational outcomes for eligible school-aged students with disability.
Organisations are funded under 3-year agreements for the funding categories (1) school support services and (2) resource centre services and 1-year agreements for (3) specialised equipment.
The current 3-year agreement period for SDSS funding is 2019–2021.
The new application process for 3-year funding is expected to open in July 2021.
Eligibility
An eligible applicant must:
(a) be a registered charity or Incorporated not-for-profit entity or
(b) local government entity, and
(c) provide programs or activities designed specifically for students with disability and
(d) not be a school unless accredited to provide special education.
Student eligibility
To be eligible, a student must be enrolled in a Queensland school and be identified under the Education Adjustment Program as requiring significant educational adjustment related to the specific impairment areas of:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Hearing Impairment
- Intellectual Disability
- Physical Impairment
- Speech-Language Impairment
- Vision Impairment
- Social Emotional Disorder (non-state schools only).
Alternatively, a student enrolled in a state school who is recorded as receiving substantial or extensive adjustments to address a Social Emotional Disorder on the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability, and has been formally reported as being subject to abuse or harm or at risk of harm, may also be eligible.
The important distinctions between the department's SDSS Program and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) are available on the following link and the video clip below—SDSS and the NDIS.
Transcript for schools, the SDSS program and the NDIS video (PDF, 213KB)
Please note the NSO Program concluded in December 2018 and has been replaced by the SDSS program. However, the same distinctions apply regarding the NDIS.
Find out more about the program