Background
In the fall of 2007 an exciting new pilot project was launched to provide assistive technology services to First Nations’ schools in British Columbia in the 2007–2008 school year. SET-BC (Special Education Technology - British Columbia), FNESC (First Nations Education Steering Committee), and FNSA (First Nations School Association) collaborated to create this project, and our first students received technology and support during that first year.
SET-BC is a provincially-funded education program that provides assistive technology services to BC school districts. SET-BC loans technology and provides technical support, training and resources to meet the educational needs of students with physical disabilities, visual impairments, moderate to profound cognitive challenges, and autism spectrum disorders.
The FNESC – SET-BC partnership takes advantage of SET-BC’s infrastructure and resources to support students with disabilities in First Nations’ schools. SET-BC is providing the services of an assistive technology consultant, technology for a defined number of students, and training and support for their school teams.
Funding for the project has been continued in 2011-2012, and the project has expanded each school year to provide service to more students. More consultation time is available to provide training for the students and their teams, as well.
We are very pleased that this service is being offered and is growing in our First Nations schools. Students and their supporting teams have reported some exciting successes, and we look forward to collaborating with many more teams in the future.