November 2007 Report
This fall saw the launch of an exciting new pilot project 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) and FNESC (First Nations Education Steering Committee) collaborated to create this project, and our first students received technology and support in recent weeks.
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. Further information about SET-BC can be found at www.setbc.org.
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 a half-time assistive technology consultant, technology for a defined number of students, and training and support for their school teams. This report outlines the services that have been provided by SET-BC up until November 1, 2007
Identifying Students for the Pilot Project
Funding for the pilot project limits the number of students who can participate, so a selection / screening process was set up. Information was sent to First Nations’ schools describing the project, the benefits for students and details on how students can participate. Interested school teams submitted a profile of each prospective student’s goals, descriptions of barriers to achieving those goals, and educational strategies that they are currently using. They also provided information on the resources and technology currently available for the student.
Representatives from FNESC’s Special Education Department and SET-BC reviewed the requests and prioritized students to receive equipment and support. The screening committee has met twice and has identified 25 students to participate in the project in 2 service cycles.
Twelve students were selected in our first screening meeting on August 18, 2007 and the SET-BC consultant met with school teams for the students in September and October.
- Schools: Brentwood Bay, Ladysmith, Gold River, Port Hardy, Mt. Currie, Agassiz, Ahousaht
- Age/grade: from 5 to 16 years, from pre-school to grade 9
- Disabilities: Students have various challenges, including autism, deaf blindness, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, hydrocephalus, Down Syndrome, developmental delay, vision impairment, communication disorder, language development delay, and fine motor difficulties.
In our second screening meeting on October 19, 2007, we identified 12 more students for service. Planning meetings for these students will take place from October to December, 2007.
- Schools: Chase, Hazelton, Fort Nelson, Duncan, Nanaimo, Douglas Lake, Lower Nicola, Massett, Bella Bella, Fort St. James
- Age/grade: from 5 to 47, from kindergarten to an adult program in an Education Centre
- Disabilities: Students have various challenges, including vision impairment, autism, sensory-motor integration disorder, severe articulation and receptive/expressive language disorder, moderate to severe cognitive delay, and fine motor difficulties
Planning for Assistive Technology Implementation
- Composition of teams involved in the project varies widely, but consistently includes key people who need to be involved in the selection and use of students’ technology tools.
- Awareness and skills related to assistive technology varies with the teams, but all teams have shown a very high level of interest and commitment in this process.
To get things started, the school team participates in a Collaborative Action Plan (CAP) meeting. The team talks about educational goals for the student that can be supported by technology. We target 3 goals, specifying current student progress for each goal, and what they will be able to do when they have achieved those goals. For example:
- Goal # 1: James will increase his ability to express his thoughts and needs.
- Current level: James uses gestures, vocalizations, eye gaze, and some signs to indicate what he wants. His choices are understood by the few people who know him very well.
- Evaluation Criteria: James will use his communication device to choose between two activities or objects consistently and independently
Once the team has determined the how technology can support the student’s educational goals, the SET-BC consultant helps them explore options and select the most appropriate software and equipment. The team plans how to implement the technology in the classroom, assigning specific tasks to team members. We discuss security plans and evaluation procedures and make plans for team training. Teams have up to one year to trial the equipment and make any changes that may be necessary to best fit their students’ needs.
Please see the document: Assistive Technology Examples and Descriptions (PDF) for more detailed information on the following technologies that have been requested for student’s use.
- Computers:
- 2 desktop computers
- 3 laptop computers, 2 with large monitors
- Specialized devices:
- 3 SmartSpeak voice output communication devices
- 1 Flipper CCTV and Room Viewer – magnifies text from printed page onto a computer monitor, also magnifies objects from a distance onto the computer monitor
- 1 Palm Pilot – used with a student with autism to organize his daily schedule and assignments, to make up visual schedules and work completion lists
- Specialized hardware for computer access:
- Switches and switch interfaces
- Alternate keyboards
- Trackball
- Specialized software:
- Scan and read: Kurzweil 3000
- Talking word processing - Clicker 5
- Word prediction - Co:Writer and WordQ
- Picture communication - Boardmaker
- Early literacy development– Balanced Literacy
- Access for math worksheets - MathPad Plus
- Switch training – Teaching Access Ability, Everybody Has Feet, Old MacDonald’s Farm, Choose & Tell Nursery Rhymes, Switch It Maker 2
Training is arranged to take place as the equipment arrives in the schools. Various training opportunities are available for teams in this project:
- In First Nations schools – small group sessions and/or larger school workshops
- Online – individuals and/or small group sessions. SET-BC provides these online training opportunities for all BC schools.
- SET-BC regional workshops in BC provincial schools – larger group sessions, when available in area.
Follow-up forms will be sent from SET-BC six weeks after the arrival of equipment to track implementation and support needs. A designated member of the team will receive and report information on behalf of all team members.
Comments on the Project to Date
We learned a great deal from the first cycle of meetings with students and their school teams. The following points summarize some of the key issues that we believe will have an impact on students’ success in using technology.
- There is a high degree of school and community support and involvement in the education of these students.
- There is a strong sense of belonging for the students in their communities.
- Many students have access to speech and language therapists.
- Some have access to occupational and physical therapists, but this remains a challenge for many schools.
- Most students have a teaching assistant working with them on a regular basis
- Technical support for schools and students is generally very good. Most schools have good internet access, although some have challenges. Most schools have on-site technical support.
- Knowledge of assistive technology varies between the schools. Generally, there has been limited access to and experience with this specialized technology and there is a need for training in the schools. Team members are very willing to participate in training and show a high level of interest in developing skills and materials to help their students be successful.
- We need to develop culturally-appropriate materials as examples for the technology tools our students will be using. We can build resources for commonly used programs such as Clicker 5, Boardmaker, Kurzweil 3000 and build our collection of accessible books to include more culturally-appropriate titles.
- The level of service provided in the first service cycle was not sustainable, given current levels of funding for a 0.5 consultant. The Collaborative Action Plans for the first service delivery cycle were completed in a timeline that was not realistic. We will adjust that for the next cycle, allowing more time for travel and to process loans and reports. If the project does continue after this year, there will be ongoing students to support, as well as new students entering the project. We will need time for transition planning and training for ongoing students with new teams.
Plans for the Next Phase of the Project
We are looking forward to some initiatives that could provide additional support for students within this pilot project and for First Nations students in schools throughout British Columbia.
- Some school teams will participate in ‘Make & Take & Share’ activities using Clicker 5 and Boardmaker to develop culturally-appropriate materials.
- We will share student successes using their technology on the SET-BC and FNESC websites.
- We may develop digital portfolios of students using their technology that can be shared with new teachers and teaching assistants working with the students. The portfolios will illustrate how they use their technology to access their curriculum and how it contributes to success in their educational program.
- We would like to implement a mentorship component to foster advanced skills and leadership capacity in the area of assistive technology.
Based on our experience within First Nations schools this fall, it is clear that technology will be of great benefit to the students in this pilot project. There is a high level of commitment on the part of the school, FNESC and SET-BC team teams to ensure that this project is successful.
We believe that assistive technology can make a positive difference for these students; that it can improve their participation and their ability to communicate effectively, and enhance their access to their learning experiences. There is a wonderful energy and spirit already building and we look forward to seeing the successes and inspirations the months ahead will bring.
We appreciate the interest and support of all of the teams and students involved in this pilot project. We would also like to thank the FNESC special education team for their ongoing support and advice throughout this first phase of the project.
- Kelly Kitchen, FNESC Special Education Manager
- Madeline Price, FNESC Special Education Consultant
- Lisa Ellis, FNESC Special Education Resource Line
Respectfully submitted November 5, 2007
Carol Graham, SET-BC Assistive Technology Consultant
Joe Cash, SET-BC Provincial Consultant
Elaine Ferguson, SET-BC Provincial Coordinator