Attending university has rarely been seen as an option for people with intellectual disability, but staff from Flinders’ Caring Futures Institute are providing a pathway to higher education set to result in both a positive student experience and employment outcomes for people with intellectual disability.
Flinders University’s Up the Hill Project, a continuing 26-year program informed by research, has been instrumental in driving this change. Dr Fiona Rillotta, a Senior Lecturer in Disability and Community Inclusion at Flinders University, has led Up the Hill research projects examining why people with intellectual disability might choose to go to university, as well as outcomes for and perspectives of students, staff and peers. The research has prompted continuous improvement in the program and the voices of participants to be heard.
“In the past few years, we have had significant breakthroughs, with students completing topics in nursing, anatomy and exercise science, to support their interests – and this provides a huge signpost of what is possible for people with intellectual disability.”
However, while the Up the Hill Project has enabled more people with intellectual disability to participate in university life at Flinders University, it has been largely about encouraging participation without providing a qualification. From the first semester in 2026, this is set to change.
“The next step will feature a cohort of 20 students with intellectual disability studying for a Diploma in Employment Pathways at Flinders University – the first of its type in Australia,” says Dr Rillotta.
“This one-year, full-time Diploma will be a pilot project that will provide solid employment pathways for people with intellectual disability.”
People with intellectual disability have limited post-school options, leading to lower employment rates. Even if they want to pursue higher education goals, they have found that most universities are not necessarily equipped to support them in ways they may need. The Up the Hill Project has initiated necessary changes in this area.
“Lifelong learning and access to education are human rights and everyone should be afforded the opportunity to continue their post-school education. That’s what we have set out to achieve through the Up the Hill Project – by finding out what people with intellectual disability want, what is missing, and finding ways this can be changed, working with university staff, so that targeted outcomes can be successful.”
Dr Rillotta highlighted the necessity of this research and expressed her concern that Australia is lagging behind in providing evidence to support crucial educational developments for people with intellectual disability.
“There is plenty of evidence showing the outcomes of university or college education for people with intellectual disability in the United States and other countries, but so far only two universities in Australia – Flinders University and the University of Sydney – are addressing this,” she says.
Dr Rillotta’s Up the Hill Project research shows that people with intellectual disability can achieve great results, and that systems can make changes to benefit everyone. University education will result in employment outcomes – not just getting a job, but building a career – and Dr Rillotta says the new diploma being offered by Flinders can drive nationwide progress, becoming a model that is later embraced and implemented by other universities.
Participants in the first Flinders Diploma in Employment Pathways being offered in 2026 are coming from many areas – a mix of previous Up The Hill Project participants who want to continue studying and gain a qualification, school leavers, plus keen students identified by the Community Bridging Services (a not-for-profit organisation supporting people with intellectual disability to gain employment), and recommended by SACID (South Australian Council on Intellectual Disability).
“We are excited about this turning point, because through this new Diploma, we will work towards broader implementation – with more universities across Australia being more inclusive of students with intellectual disability who wish to pursue further study and employment pathways.”