Rachel Lam

BA, GradDip (Sec), COGE, MEd, MDis

With over 20 years of experience in Australian Independent Schools, I have worked across Foundation to Tertiary levels, supporting students, teachers, and families to create inclusive, enriching learning environments. My career has included leading Gifted and Talented programs, guiding instructional practice, mentoring educators, and supporting Deaf and hard of hearing children.

I am passionate about developing practical, evidence-based strategies that help children with additional needs to belong, grow, and thrive. My work is grounded in a strength-based, inclusive approach that empowers educators to confidently meet the diverse needs of their students, and supports families in advocating for their children.

I specialise in working with Deaf and hard of hearing students, and in gifted education. My services support individual learners and build whole-school capacity through tailored interventions, professional learning, and collaborative planning — all with the goal of creating learning environments where every child can succeed.

Services

Visiting Teacher of the Deaf

My school-based service as a Visiting Teacher of the Deaf allows me to work directly with students who are Deaf or hard of hearing, their families and their teachers within their school environments. This approach enables me to work collaboratively with teachers and school leaders along with the direct support of students to ensure they are fully supported to access learning and thrive.

My work in school can include:

  • Observations and assessments to best understand and identify individual needs

  • Individualised support planning

  • Classroom strategies to support communication, access, social skills and other identified needs

  • Liaison with teachers, classroom aides and allied health professionals

  • Guidance around inclusive practices and Deaf awareness

  • Support with goal setting, reporting and documentation

  • Consultation on appropriate technologies, device use and environmental adjustments

My approach is strength based and practical, with an aim to target up-skilling and empowering educators to ensure each learner can participate meaningfully in their learning. Support is available from ELC to Tertiary students, and is flexible to meet the needs of the students, teachers and setting.

Professional Learning

I offer professional learning and development services focused on strengthening inclusive practice and supporting students with diverse learning needs. My work is grounded in both current research and extensive experience in leading and implementing inclusive education across school settings.

Key areas of expertise include:

  • Supporting deaf and hard of hearing students

  • Provision for gifted and talented learners, including twice-exceptional students

  • Differentiation in planning, instruction, and assessment

  • Evidence-based inclusive classroom practices

  • Building student agency and self-efficacy through strengths-based approaches

  • Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and inclusive assessment design

I design and deliver high-quality, tailored professional learning for groups of all sizes—from small teams to whole staff. Each workshop is carefully aligned to the school’s context, priorities, and strategic goals, ensuring relevance and practical application.

My approach is highly collaborative and focuses on equipping educators with clear, actionable strategies that can be implemented immediately in the classroom. Sessions can be structured as standalone workshops or ongoing professional learning partnerships, with opportunities for follow-up support, coaching, and classroom application.

Consulting

I provide specialist consulting services to schools seeking to strengthen their inclusive education practices. My work focuses on reviewing, refining, and building whole-school approaches that support diverse learners.

My approach aims to guide school leaders and teaching teams to deliver practical, evidence-based recommendations that align with curriculum requirements while improving student access, engagement, and outcomes. My consulting services include:

Program Audit & Review

  • Review of Gifted and Talented programs

  • Review of Learning Diversity / Inclusion programs

  • Evaluation of current practices in differentiation, adjustment, and assessment

  • Audit of whole-school inclusive practices against best practice frameworks

Strategic Planning & Development

  • Development of action plans to strengthen inclusive education

  • Support with whole-school differentiation approaches

  • Embedding Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in planning and assessment

Staff Coaching & Professional Learning

  • Targeted professional learning workshops

  • Coaching to support implementation of recommendations

  • Collaborative planning with leadership and teaching teams

Contact

Interested in working together? Complete this form and I will be in touch.