Assistive Technology for Dyslexia – where now?

Ian LitterickExecutive Chairman

Iansyst LtdBDA Organisational Member Day

2014

Where are we now in schools?

Notebooks v tablets v phones; Supply or BYOD (bring your own device); Do we allow smartphones in class? Do we use smartphones in class? What controls? Do we encourage “anytime, anywhere

learning”?

Why “Phones” Are Important:

Personal: one per student; Available all the time; home and school; Particularly useful for organisational

purposes; Practically everything a tablet can do. Will very quickly be more powerful & up to

date than many of the school’s tablets.

Speed of development:

2010: “It is too early to judge what impact Android will have on the mobile world”.

Most 2010 problems have been solved; Obsolescence – is it already slowing? Apple stopped OS upgrades for the iPad1

after 3 years.

“Phones” and dyslexia:

Text to Speech; Speech recognition (in class?); OCR; Calendar/reminders; Sound recorder; Camera; (tablets, too, of course) Etc etc etc.

Is there any dyslexic difficulty they can’t help with?

Notebook/desktop or mobile?

Text input? Trained speech recognition

(and off-line); Screen size (multiple

windows);

Is RSI more or less of a risk?

Weight; Reliability? Power needs; Start-up time; Lack of integration; Software price?

DisadvantagesAdvantages

Perceived Barriers to Use – The Pedagogical:

Scepticism from teachers: “distracting”; What do I do with it? Blurring of formal & personal environments; Diverse range of platforms and standards:

Hinders deployment; Makes development more costly and complex Can’t rely on the student’s device. Generally enabling, but less standard for specific

learning apps unless they are web.

Long term side effects?

Spending our lives looking at screens?

Google-derived memory deficit?

What can I do with it? Training:

Introduction to the iPad; Using the iPad to Support Learning; Assistive Technology and Accessibility on

the iPad; And, of course, training and e-learning on

CapturaTalk, windows literacy support tools, AcceleRead AcceleWrite, etc, etc.

At your place or ours.

A bit about BATA:

British Assistive Technology Association; Founded 5 October 2009; Martin Littler of Inclusive Technology; 44 other founding members; Schools and dyslexia under-represented; www.bataonline.org

Our Aims:

To campaign for the rights and interests of those needing Assistive Technology.

To provide expert and impartial support and advice to government departments and agencies.

To educate and inform widely on the benefits of Assistive Technology.

To promote British Assistive Technology products and expertise at home and overseas.

Campaigning:

PR re Michael Gove saying “curriculum is ‘a closed book’ to children who are not literate”. Pupil premium for AT – Dec 2010;

Auxiliary Aids for Schools; “Most disabled children who need auxiliary aids ... will ... already be receiving them through SEN statements”!

Campaigning . . .

Sayce review of specialist disability employment programmes; “A disabled person needs a certain amount of IT based AT for daily living, access to the internet etc, whether they are in work or not, but particularly to seek work.”

Copyright: value of the private copying exception for print impaired people.

Support & advice to government(!)

Disabled Students Allowances: “We will no longer pay for standard

specification computers or the warranties and insurance associated with them.”

“Students with Specific Learning Difficulties will continue to receive support through DSAs where their support needs are considered to be more complex.”

Educate and Inform;

Newsletter; Press; Ability Magazine regularly; Website; Support for exporting (UKTI);

Membership: Not just a trade body; Voting members who are users & users

representatives: Third sector; Schools; Individuals;

Very many are involved with AT professionally;

Ethical Statement (code of conduct).

Membership fees: (new members)

Individuals: £50 Third Sector, incl HE £100 Commercial £150-£825

Newsletter subscription FREE

Other activities:

DSA Equipment Suppliers Subgroup: 17/19 suppliers; Our first formal representation; Better communications over, eg, QAF revision;

AT Qualification? Simon Bloor;

Evidence based research.

Issues:

Pervasive AT; Where it is needed (schools, prisons,

unemployed, low income, work, elderly); Assessments; Accessible formats; Sustainable DSA; SLC issues (payments).

Please join!

So we can do more:

www.bataonline.org

Contact us…

iansyst ltd

Fen HouseFen RoadCambridgeCB4 1UN, UK

Tel: +44 1223 420101Fax: +44 1223 426644ianl@dyslexic.com

References:

www.capturatalk.com www.dyslexic.com www.iansyst.co.uk