March 2009 Report
FNESC (First Nations Education Steering Committee), FNSA (First Nations Schools Association) and SET-BC (Special Education Technology - British Columbia) have collaborated a second year to implement this pilot project, and students in First Nations schools in British Columbia received technology and support throughout this school year.
This report outlines the services that have been provided by SET-BC up until March 15, 2009.
Students Participating in the Pilot Project
Representatives from FNESC’s Special Education Department and SET-BC reviewed the requests and prioritized students to receive equipment and support. The screening committee identified 19 students to receive equipment in two service cycles.
We also continued to support 22 students who received equipment in the 2007-08 school year.
6 students who received equipment last year through this project have transferred to schools in the public school system. The equipment they received has followed them to their new schools and the SET-BC provincial program will now support them.
In our first cycle, 11 students were selected by the screening committee and the SET-BC consultant met with school teams for the students in September through December.
- Schools: Brentwood Bay, Duncan, Nanaimo, Agassiz, Mt. Currie, Skatin, Kispiox, and Iskut
- Age/grade: from 5 to 19 years, from Kindergarten to grade 12
- Disabilities: Students have various challenges, including autism, Down Syndrome, developmental delay, communication disorder, language development delay, sensory-motor integration disorder, and fine motor difficulties.
In our second cycle, we identified 8 more students for service. Equipment has been delivered to these students and training is currently taking place.
- Schools: Kispiox, South Hazelton, Moricetown, Coal Harbour, Kuper Island, and Port Alberni
- Age/grade: from 5 to 12, from pre-school to grade 7
- Disabilities: Students have various challenges, including Cerebral Palsy, cortical visual impairment, autism, moderate to severe cognitive delay, and fine motor difficulties
Equipment Provided During this School Year
Please see the attached document, ‘Assistive Technology Equipment Descriptions’ for more detailed information on the following technologies that have been requested for student’s use.
Computers:
- 7 desktop computers
- 3 laptop computers
- 7 donated computers* – 2 desktop, 5 laptop
Specialized devices:
- 2 SmartSpeak voice output communication devices
- 1 Dynamic Screen Voice Output Communication device
- 5 Fusions – portable word processors
- 1 setup for physical access to classroom computer, included switch, switch interface, alternate keyboard and switch software
Specialized hardware for computer access:
- Alternate keyboards
- Alternate mouse
- Switches
Software:
- All students who received computers also received specialized software to support writing and reading
- 1 student received software to support writing and reading using a donated computer
Specialized software:
- Scan and read: Kurzweil 3000
- Talking word processor with picture support - Clicker 5, IntelliTools Classroom Suite 4
- Word prediction - Co:Writer
- Communication software –Boardmaker Plus!
- Switch training – Teaching Access Ability, Old MacDonald’s Farm, Choose & Tell Fairy Tales, Early Learning Suite, Switch It Maker 2
* SET-BC was also able to support the FNESC/FNSA/SET-BC project by providing 7 donated computers to students in First Nations schools this year. These computers are fully functional but come without supporting software or with future technical assistance. They have become the property of the schools the students are attending. This donation helps greatly to provide technology solutions for students who were not yet selected for service by the Screening Committee.
Training
Training is arranged to take place as the equipment arrives in the schools. Various training opportunities are available for teams in this project:
Within First Nations schools – one to one, small group sessions and/or larger school workshops
- Every team that has received equipment has had training opportunities
- SET-BC regional staff has assisted in training for students and their teams in Fort Nelson, Fort Saint John and Iskut.
Online – individuals and/or small group sessions
- Some teams in remote locations have received training through online sessions
- Some equipment trouble-shooting and implementation collaboration has occurred through online sessions
Many larger-group training sessions for Clicker 5 and Boardmaker have taken place for general staff training
SET-BC regional workshops in BC provincial schools – larger group sessions, when available in area.
- School teams have been contacted by SET-BC regional staff to invite them to regional training opportunities
SET-BC online training that is available to all schools in BC for software training has been attended by some staff of First Nations schools
Some training sessions have taken place for First Nations language and culture teachers to explore how use of computers and software can be used for language instruction
Comments on the Project to Date
The enthusiasm and commitment of school teams supporting students with assistive technology in First Nations schools have grown through the second year of this project. Levels of expertise are growing and implementation is becoming more and more successful.
School administrators continue to support the project by their personal involvement in implementation and through their acquisition of equipment not provided by the project, for example, printers, scanners, cameras, internet access, and release time for teachers and teaching assistants for training.
School-based technical staff has also been supportive, assisting when they can with setting up internet connections and access to school networks, printers and educational software.
Service Review Forms are sent from SET-BC near the end of the school year to track implementation and support needs. A designated member of the team receives and reports information on behalf of all team members.
Last school year, returned Service Review Forms reflected that a good portion of teams felt that implementation of assistive technology with their students was successful. Some felt that the process needed more time and that they needed more training opportunities to increase their level of success. Factors that influenced teams that reported minimal success were identified as student attendance and changes in school team members. A common comment was that they were happy to have access to this equipment and that their students were becoming more independent in its use. Most indicated they would like additional and more in-depth training.
Information from these forms and from feedback from teams throughout this year reflects a growing awareness of what assistive technology is and how it can assist students with disabilities to access their curriculum successfully.
Applications for service have increased significantly; we now have more new applications for equipment than we can provide service for with the funding we have at this time. Our screening committee is now more challenged to prioritize students with the most need and with the most urgency.
The second year of this project has been very successful. We are hoping to collaborate once again to support students with disabilities in BC’s First Nations schools, finding a way to move from a pilot project to an ongoing service delivery plan that works best for all in the future.
The FNESC Special Education Team has been exceptionally supportive as a partner in this project. The expertise and experience of teachers and Speech-Language pathologists have contributed much to quality of service provided. Kelly Kitchen has provided excellent leadership in all aspects of the project these two years.
It is, once again, a pleasure and an honour to participate in this very exciting project, and we thank you for the opportunity.
Respectfully submitted March 15, 2009
Carol Graham, SET-BC Assistive Technology Consultant
Joe Cash, SET-BC Provincial Consultant
Elaine Ferguson, SET-BC Provincial Coordinator