Category Archives: disability

Go On: Be Brilliant!

disability, Literacy, New technologies, software, special needs
image from Smart notebook
Classroom resource from Stanley School on the Wirral

Brilliant Ideas for using ICT in the Inclusive Classroom from David Fulton books has just been published. I wrote this with Angie McGlashon who is a great trainer and has her own website . The idea was to show the power of technology to make things happen in a classroom and to give less confident teachers some hints and tips as well as clear How to … sheets.

Young people are growing up in a world where visual images are as important as words. Some pundits claim that YouTube is beginning to challenge Google as a search engine. Digital video and podcasting are immediate and direct but many teachers still rely heavily on discussions, reading and writing even though it disadvantages up to a third of their class.

For technology to take off in a school, it needs to be easy to use and to solve a problem. If reading and writing are barriers for children in your classroom how do you get them to engage with the curriculum? Think digital animations: Newman School a Specialist School for Cognition & Learning in Rotherham did and now they have pupils who know all about King Lear which is pretty unusual for children at KS3.

Using digital video helped focus pupils’ attention at Frank Wise School in Banbury, “Using slow motion has been a great way to draw attention to a key point,” said head teacher Sean O’Sullivan. “For example, we might roll a toy car down a slope and then do it again on a rougher surface to show the impact of friction but if a child is looking away the point is lost. We can play it back in slow motion so they really focus on what is on screen.

Pupils in Redbridge used Nintendogs as the basis for an entire topic, while Longwill School for Deaf Children in Birmingham used Sony PlayStation Portables (PSPs) to improve language development in British Sign Language (BSL)and English. It also made spelling practice more effective and let children transfer news more easily between home and school.

Brilliant Ideas for using ICT in the Inclusive Classroom contains 50 amazing Brilliant Ideas with suggestions of how you can tailor them for different children and different curriculum areas.  We also have 20 Brilliant Starters to get you going. Enjoy!
You can order the book from Routledge

Swansong for BETT at Olympia

BETT, disability, Literacy, New technologies, software, special needs, ,

Next week marks the last BETT at Olympia. I have been doing BETT for so many years that I can remember when it was at the Barbican!

Last year marked a downtown in the fortunes of so many companies, especially small businesses providing for low incidence special needs. Inclusive Technology has just published their accounts for last year showing a fall in profits and the loss of 8 members of staff. For the first time in many years, they are not running the Special Needs Fringe at the Hilton.

There is still plenty for Sencos and other special needs staff to look at but be warned – you will have to be prepared to walk as it is so spread out.

suscription service for primary and older children with SEN
Odd from Oddizzi

For primary and early years have a look at two new subscription based resources. Oddizzi from Little Travel Bug is on stand P47. It lets children learn about the world and visit far flung places from the comfort and safety of their own classroom. Two little globe trotting characters, Odd and Izzi, introduce children to different countries with extra information being provided by teachers and travel writers. Best of all, it promotes links between classrooms across the world so children get the inside story about how people live in other countries.

Q&D (B39) is launching a new version of their busythings.co.uk online subscription service for early years and SEN children. This is a words-free version which has icons and pictures and has been designed for use by children all over the world. For children who are learning English, try Langeroo, (SW68), an interactive programme with activities and games to help children learn vocabulary and construct sentences.

Storyphones - rugged headset and MP3 player
Any place, any time audio

One of my favourite products is returning to BETT this year. Storyphones (V35) an MP3 digital audio system in a robust and colourful headset is a great way of ensuring Anywhere Anytime audio. They have story books but also can be used for music and movement lessons, for teaching French and for working with young children who have language delay.

For older learners who need extra support with reading and writing have a look at ClaroRead for PC V6 (ClaroRead for Mac V5) on stand SN64. This software offers text-to-speech and scanning so any piece of writing can be turned into a file which can be edited or read aloud by a computer or other device. Rival company Texthelp (SN70) will be showing cloud based versions of old favourite Read&Write GOLD which can be used with iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone, as well as PCs and Macs.

Those about to start university may benefit from a new Higher Education dyslexia screening tool that Iansyst will be showing on stand SN05. Also take a look at WordQ on SN13 which offers word prediction alongside any standard writing software. The company claim that it will only take 15 minutes to learn the ins and outs of this program and that it features, ” a carefully thought-out design that aids literacy without getting in the way.”

If you are looking for resources for children in special schools, have a look at the special needs zone where many of the more specialist companies congregate. nasen is running the information point on stand SN15 and can offer advice on what to see. Make sure you visit the Ablenet stand SN82 to see Ian Bean deliver his best practice sessions.

Finally do come to my seminar. Angie McGlashon and I are presenting Brilliant ideas to use ICT in the inclusive classroom at 1.30 on Wednesday 11th January SEN Theatre, in the West Hall. This is full of practical advice and case studies from schools which are making great use of technology.

Don’t miss this assistive technology training!

disability, software, special needs, training
Switch accessible activities
Training with Ian Bean

Assistive technology expert Ian Bean is running a series of online training events. Ian is famous for his work a Priory Woods School where he created a host of imaginative and fun activities for young people with profound disabilities and learning difficulties. The switch accessible version of The Lion Sleeps Tonight has livened up many a stodgy training session!

The four events run between November and February. Sign up now for the most enjoyable in-service training you have ever experienced.

Course Title: Making Something Happen (5-part series)
Session Two
Topic – Assistive Technology/ Switches
Date/Time: November 30, 2011 11:00am CST
Session Two: Making Something Happen
Description: This session will look at the early stages of using switches as an access method for
communication and learning. We’ll examine experiential learners and how we might facilitate the
transition toward early control with switches and how we might meaningfully embed the use of switches at
a cause and effect level across the school day.
Certification of Attendance provided after attending webinar
Registration Link: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/r2h2higcnvey

Course Title: Extending switch use beyond cause and effect (5-part series)
Session Three
Presenter: Ian Bean
Topic – Assistive Technology/ Switches / Cause and Effect
Date/Time: December 14, 2011 11:00am CST
Session Three: Extending switch use beyond cause and effect
Description: This webinar looks at developing switch use beyond the cause and effect stage toward
making meaningful choices with one or two switches. We’ll examine the different routes we need to
facilitate for one and two switch users and explore meaningful activities to embed switch use at this level
into your school day.
Certification of Attendance provided after attending webinar
Registration Link: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/djp4obodfyvy

Course Title: Getting the most from your switches AWAY from the computer (5-part series)
Session Four
Presenter: Ian Bean
Topic – Assistive Technology/ Teaching of switching skills
Date/Time: January 18, 2012 11:00am CST
Session Four: Getting the most from your switches AWAY from the computer
Description: This webinar looks at the development and generalization of switching skills away from the
computer. We examine the role of switch controlled toys, lighting and other electrical equipment and
single message and step-by-step communication devices in the teaching of switching skills.
Certification of Attendance provided after attending webinar
Registration Link: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/l3iycnibki6x

Course Title: Communication Devices in an Inclusive Classroom (5-part series)
Session Five
Presenter: Ian Bean
Topic – Assistive Technology/ Communication
Date/Time: February 15, 2012 11:00am CST
Session Four: Communication Devices in an Inclusive Classroom
Description: This webinar looks the use of single and multiple message communication devices and how
they can be used as an integral part of the school day. We’ll examine vocabulary, motivation and share
ideas and examples that you can use in your classrooms the very next day.
Certification of Attendance provided after attending webinar
Registration Link: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/h0sos2oupxnl

Up to one in ten affected by dyspraxia

disability, Literacy, special needs, training,

Dyspraxia affects, “up to ten per cent of the population and up to two per cent severely. Males are four times more likely to be affected than females.” (Dyspraxia Foundation).

Dyspraxia Awareness Week runs from 6-13 November. Why do we need these awareness weeks? Many conditions get a lot of recognition and media coverage –think autism, dyslexia, and behavioural issues. Lesser known conditions get overlooked and so parents, teachers and therapists are less clued up and children’s needs can be overlooked.

the cover of How to Help your Dyslexic and Dyspraxic ChildMy new book How to Help your Dyslexic and Dyspraxic Child features two boys with dyspraxia, Matt and Jake. You will also meet Rupert who has both dyspraxia and dyslexia. This means that not only does he have problems with words and symbols (dyslexia) but also with the messages from brain to body (dyspraxia) so he may also find tasks involving fine motor skills or organising himself a challenge.
Children with dyspraxia may demonstrate some of these types of behaviour:
• Can’t keep still
• Very excitable and may have a loud/shrill voice
• Prone to temper tantrums
• May constantly bump into objects and fall over
• Hands flap when running
• Finds it hard to pedal a tricycle or similar toy
• A very messy eater. May hate the texture of certain foods
• Over reacts to noise and lights
• Has problems holding a pencil or using scissors.
• Can be slow to respond to what people say and have problems with comprehension
So what did our parents notice?
• He was very slow to do things such as doing up buttons, tying laces, catching a ball, riding a bike.
• He held his pencil in an odd way and was always writing with his hand twisted over so he was writing back on himself
• His reading was good too; it was his writing which let him down
• He was so accident prone, we used to joke that he would fall over his own shadow.

For more information, buy the BOOK which is out at the end of the year

Wonder drug offers hope to children with arthritis

disability, special needs, ,

Cara has systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). She has limited joint movement and if she has a ‘flare up’ she experiences acute pain and stiffness and feels very ill. If her legs are affected, she needs to use a wheelchair and if her hands are affected, she can’t feed or dress herself or hold a pencil. Cara’s immune system is weakand catching any “childhood disease” would have serious implications for her.

It’s early days but there seems to be a new wonder drug for children like Cara. It’s called Tocizilumab. 112 children have been involved in a drug trial. After just three months of treatment with Tocizilumab nearly three-quarters showed a 70 per cent improvement in their condition, compared with eight per cent taking a placebo, or dummy drug.

Around 2,500 children in Britain have systemic juvenile arthritis which causes chronic illness, pain and disability. Some are in wheelchairs or bedridden but after a year two-thirds of children had a 90 per cent improvement in their symptoms.

Tocilizumab can be prescribed for children over 2 but willl cost £9,000 per patient per year so the NHS may decide that it is too expensive.

Barbara to make BATA bigger and better

disability, New technologies, Politics, special needs,

The British Assistive Technology Association (BATA) has been making its presence felt in recent weeks with a highly publicised export seminar and news that they have appointed Barbara Phillips, CBE, as Executive Director.

Martin Littler and John Crick at BATA export seminar
Martin Littler and John Crick at BATA export seminar

With recent gloomy predictions for companies in the educational technology sector, it was feared that BATA, which represents assistive technology companies at home and overseas, would disappear.

Martin Littler, chair of BATA, has bounced back from recent setbacks. His own company Inclusive Technology has had to shed jobs and will not be sponsoring the Special Needs Fringe at the Hilton in 2012.

He feels that buoyant export markets will offer, “significant business opportunities” in the coming months. While sales are falling in the USA and in Britain, there may be opportunities for companies in emerging markets such as Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and The Gulf States.

New blood Barbara Phillips

BATA is not just a trade organisation. It also campaigns on behalf of disabled people who need assistive devices to remain independent, to communicate and to access education and training.

To strengthen this role they have just appointed Barbara Phillips as Executive Director. A former senior civil servant, she has the vision and clout to raise BATA’s profile, “We want to change public perception of assistive technology and make it more accessible to those whose lives would be better through its use. Being able to bring about change like that is what motivates me – and I like a challenge!

Leicester Lions and Eye Gaze help Teresa to communicate

disability, New technologies, special needs,
tobii eye gaze in action
tobii eye gaze in action

2011 is The National Year of Communication which highlights the importance of good communication skills for children and young people. Some of those children need help from technology if they are to have a voice.

Last week, I was invited by Northgate Managed Services to an event called “Engage, Evolve, Excel”. It had Professor Stephen Heppell as the keynote speaker and was an ICT showcase for the great work done in Leicester schools.

There I met Teresa, a year 11 pupil from Ash Field, a day and weekly boarding special school.  She demonstrated a Tobii Eye Gaze system that lets users with severe physical disabilities control their computer just by using their eye movements.

Her school had bought the system but the camera was provided by Leicester Lions Speedway.  Teresa uses Eye Gaze to access her communication device which enables her to speak. The school invited some Leicester Lions into assembly and Teresa used her Eye Gaze to deliver her presentation thanking them for their fundraising efforts.

What a difference a bit of kit can make!

GOSH gets a SKOOG

disability, New technologies, special needs
Tom Griffiths, Peter Pan and a Skoog

Bring together experts in physics, acoustics, computing and psychology and what do you get? A Skoog! and now Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) has one. So what is a Skoog?  It’s a musical instrument disguised as a soft squishy cube which plugs into your computer. It has been programmed to respond to the lightest touch and allows children and adults to play a wide range of instruments without all the slog of practising chords and scales.

With support from Edinburgh University and NESTA (The National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts) David Skulina and Ben Schogler set out to make a totally inclusive instrument which could open up the world of music making to young people with learning difficulties, sensory impairments, behavioural issues and autism. It is especially useful for those e with conditions which have affected their manual dexterity. So often if you cannot hold an instrument or control your breathing or fine motor movements, you are destined to spend your life as a listener instead of a performer.

Tom Griffiths, who works with assistive technology at the Hospital for Sick Children won a Skoog in a prize draw held at the BETT exhibition in January, “We are delighted to have a Skoog at GOSH and are sure it will be an invaluable tool in our assessments”, said Tom. “We envisage it providing a lot of fun for our children and young people – and probably the staff, too!”

The Skoog has been extensively trialled with children who have made many recommendations about colours, the design and what they want it to do. It can easily be customised for the needs of even the most disabled child and after just a few minutes staff report an increase in confidence, skill and dexterity.  It looks like it might be party time for some of the Great Ormond Street children.

http://www.skoogmusic.com/

nasen Awards 2011 – Celebrating Inclusive Practice

disability, New technologies, special needs, , ,

I am heading north this week to cover the nasen awards for Special Children magazine. Four products have been shortlisted for the ICT Resource to support Teaching and Learning Award.
2011 is the National Year of Communication so fittingly 3 entries support speaking and listening skills:

Recordable bar from TTS
Short listed entry Recordable Bar

Recordable Bar/Story Sequencer from TTS Group can be used to create talking stories, class timetables or question and answer games
Sound Shuffle from TTS Group was created by Carol Allen, advisory teacher for ICT and special needs in North Tyneside. It is a brand new device for creating stories, sequencing and sound effects.
Logan Proxtalkerwas created by Glen Dobbs for Logan Technologies. It is a moveable picture communication device originally devised for children with autism
MyZone from Inclusive Technology Limited provides a simple desktop and a wealth of activities for people with dis aor ldd who need to access a computer via speech and pictures rather than text

The winners will be announced at a special ceremony at the Reebok Stadoium in Bolton as part of Special Needs North.

Local Authorities challenge the government

BSF, disability, Politics, special needs, ,

A High Court judge ruled that Michael Gove abused his powers when he axed BSF projects for six local authorities

Picture Michael Gove
Open mouthed at his own effrontery?

“Wasteful and bureaucratic” were the words education secretary Michael Gove MP used when he announced the demise of Building Schools for the Future (BSF). I was working with Accessible Futures Ltd and Northgate at the time of the election, supporting Kent County Council as it sought to modernise a group of special schools.
We were working with several special schools, each of which had its own distinctive problems. There was Foreland, a special school for children with complex and profound difficulties. Because of the nature of their disabilities, some children die before they finish their schooling at Foreland and one of the sensitive organisational challenges facing the BSF team was how to relocate their ashes to the new school grounds. Is this what Gove meant by wasteful and bureaucratic?

 St Anthony’s School caters for students aged 5-16 with a range of behavioural, emotional, social and learning difficulties. They had a good ratio of computers to children but needed robust laptops for the children who have dyspraxia or might misuse computers on a bad day. Laleham Gap School is the county’s specialist provision for high functioning pupils aged 3-16 with autistic spectrum disorders or speech and language disorders and has a residential unit for those children who cannot go home.

These schools were all victims of the BSF cuts and the pupils will lose out.
See the full version of my article and join the debate at Merlin John Online http://www.agent4change.net/policy/bsfpcp/828-bsf-abuse-of-power-ruling-a-chance-to-right-a-wrong.html