Professional development

NextSense Institute is committed to providing high-quality continuing professional education. Our program includes conferences, webinars, and workshops conducted by leading national and international experts for education and health professionals who support people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or have low vision.

Delivered by NextSense Institute in affiliation with Macquarie University, the Master of Disability Studies offers the advanced professional the preparation required to qualify as a Teacher of the Deaf, a teacher of students who are blind or have low vision, or a professional working with people with sensory disability.

At NextSense Institute, we’re committed to delivering high-quality continuing professional education—in-person and remotely—to meet the professional learning needs of educators, therapists, and health professionals.

But we know not everyone’s an expert, so many of our programs are well-suited for parents and caregivers of children with hearing or vision loss—giving you practical skills and strategies to apply in your everyday environments.

Our range of programs are delivered by leading national and international experts who lead their fields, helping us to drive the entire sector forward.

Many of these events are accredited by Audiology Australia, the AG Bell Academy of Listening and Spoken Language, Orientation and Mobility Association of Australia and the NSW Education Standards Authority.

NextSense Institute conducts research related to any aspect of the education of students with hearing or vision loss. Research undertaken falls into three broad categories:

• Projects conducted by members of NextSense academic staff (either individually or in collaboration with other researchers).
• Projects conducted by Research Fellows under the Japan Australia Friendship Fund (JAFF) scheme.
• Projects conducted by students undertaking research as part of their degree studies (for example, MSpecEd (Honours), MPhil, PhD).

The Rydge Family Library provides an extensive and highly specialised collection of books, periodicals and audio-visual materials in the area of education of children with sensory disabilities.

The library has been designed and purpose built to meet the information needs of NextSense Institute as well as the staff of NextSense. Library staff provide a high-quality, client-centred service to all registered users of this resource centre.