I run two companies. One is not-for-profit, ten years old, and offers services to students with severe disabilities who attend mainstream schools. The other is a brand new, for profit, company that has developed from the innovations of the first.
We had found that students who rely on communication aids (who have no speech) and also have physical disabilities are very disadvantaged in an education system that is not able (or willing) to adapt so that they have equal access to the curriculum. We found ways of adapting the software that the students use for communication so that the whole curriculum becomes available in an easily accessible way. We have also developed a new role within Schools that ensures that the adaptation is done efficiently and reduces physical effort so that the student can concentrate on content rather than physical access. We have even written the first, comprehensive phonics programme to be accessed via communication software.
We stay at the cutting edge by constantly updating our knowledge of what is new in the field. This year, our profit making venture involves selling resources we have made to support the literacy and curriculum access needs of our students. Support for our innovations is evidenced by our growth from one to four practitioners (fifth soon to be appointed), positive client feedback and the appointment of two software developers to keep the technology progressing.
We need to work on policies and statements of our vision. Maybe this blog is a start!
One area of frustration is that our long-standing (and regularly updated) training course is no longer university accredited since the senior lecturer who promoted us retired. It is very difficult to find an academic institution that will work with small organisations with innovative training opportunities to offer. We are glad, however, to have the national remit for the ‘AAC City and Guilds’ which is a qualification that can be taken by students who rely on communication aids.
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Comments
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Hello Marion!
I'm very much interested in this area of education, so enjoyed reading this post a lot!
Personally having worked with students with special educational needs in the past (in a time when the only technological resources I had access to were a pencil, paper, board, and chalk!), I can certainly see the opportunities that technology can provide in terms of removing barriers to education, learning, and development. Although in a different context, in my previous role I worked within my organisation's online education department that enabled students, globally, to access language tuition in ways that may not have been possible for them otherwise - this was a great driver and motivator in going to work every day!
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Excellent Marion. I enjoyed looking over both of your websites.