​22 January 2014

Dr Varaporn Seehanath, the Thai Deputy Secretary-General from the Office of the higher education Commission, led a 23 member delegation to Australia to explore Australian laws and policy relating to students with disabilities in Higher Education.

One of several cooperative activities coming out of the Australia-Thailand Joint Working Group, this visit focused on developing the administrative and management skills of university staff supporting people with disabilities in higher education.

The five day programme included briefings on Australian Government disability policy, disability employment services, disability assessment processes, visits to agencies that assist employers to provide employment services for job seekers with a disability and visits to universities in Sydney and Newcastle. 

Dr Varaporn Seehanath expressed her thanks following the visit, nominating the Disability Support Programme, the National Disability Coordination Officer Programme and equity policy as highlights of the trip. She also observed that Thai Universities will be able to adapt the lessons learned while in Australia to the need of students with disabilities in Thailand.

Delegation from OHEC and senior executives from the department. Centre front left: Dr Varaporn Seehanath, Deputy Secretary-General, Office of the Higher Education Commission (OHEC). Centre front right: Ms Susan Bennett, Branch Manager, Mobility South and South East Asia.