November 2008 Report
The FNESC/FNSA/SET-BC project has started its second year of providing assistive technology services for students with disabilities in First Nations schools. It has been an exciting and busy time for students and their support teams as they plan how students will use their new writing and communication tools to access the curriculum.
The FNESC/FNSA/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 at 0.8 FTE, technology loans for a defined number of students, and training and support for their school teams. Training and support continues for the twenty-two students and their teams who received equipment last year.
The webpage for the FNESC/FNSA/SET-BC project is up and running at www.setbc.org/setinfo/FNESC_FNSA. It features general information about the project, as well as useful information and downloadable resources. Further information about SET-BC can be found at www.setbc.org.
This report outlines the services provided by SET-BC in September and October 2008.
Identified Students for Assistive Technology
As last year, a screening committee reviewed information sent by prospective teams to identify students with the greatest priority to receive equipment from this project.
In our first cycle this fall, eleven students in nine schools were selected. Planning meetings have taken place and training for students and teams will occur as the technology is delivered.
- Locations: Brentwood Bay, Duncan, Nanaimo, Agassiz, Mt. Currie, Hazelton, Iskut, and Merritt
- Age/grade: ages five to nineteen, grades Kindergarten to Grade 12
- Disabilities: Students have various challenges, including autism, cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, developmental delay, vision impairment, communication disorder, language development delay, and fine motor difficulties.
In our second screening meeting in early October we identified eight more students for service. Planning meetings for these students will take place from October 2008 to December 2009.
- Locations: Port Hardy, South Hazelton, Port Alberni, Kispiox, and Kuper Island
- Age/grade: from age five to seventeen, from Nursery School to an adult program in an Education Centre
- Disabilities: Students have various challenges, including Down Syndrome, autism, sensory-motor integration disorder, severe articulation and receptive/expressive language disorder, moderate to severe cognitive delay, and fine motor difficulties.
At this point, we have many more eligible students with applications than we have funding to allocate services from our project. We are doing our best to assist schools to support these students until a time when they may be priorized in the future. This process has been helped greatly by the donation of seven redundant computers from SET-BC to First Nations schools. These computers do not come with any software or repair services, but they will be a great help for some of our students who are waiting.
Assistive Technology Provided
The following equipment was ordered for students identified in our first cycle:
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Computers:
- 6 desktop computers
- 3 laptop computers
- Specialized devices:
- 1 SmartSpeak, voice output communication device
- 1 Springboard Lite, voice output communication device with dynamic screen
- Specialized hardware for computer access:
- Alternate keyboards
- Specialized mouse
- Specialized software:
- Scan and read: Kurzweil 3000
- Talking word processing - Clicker 5
- Word prediction - Co:Writer and WordQ
Please see the document, ‘Assistive Technology Descriptions and Examples’, available on the project page on the SET-BC website for more information on these items. www.setbc.org/setinfo/FNESC_FNSA
Comments on the Project to Date
In June 2008, we sent follow-up forms to teams who received equipment last school year. Most teams reported their students’ implementation of equipment to be in the successful range. Challenges reported were the need for more time to implement, some attendance issues and changing staff issues. A consistent request was for more training for staff and students as transitions occur and as the needs of students change.
This fall seven students from the first year of the project have transferred from First Nations schools to public schools in BC. These students will no longer receive support from this project, but their equipment follows them to their new schools and they will receive service through the SET-BC provincial resource program.
In our first year, many of our referrals were for younger students, many in preschool, nursery schools and primary grades. Many of those young students required voice-output devices to help with communication and language development. This year we are receiving more referrals for older students, with requests for writing tools, such as computers, dedicated word processors, and word prediction software.
Many schools purchased copies of Clicker 5 software prior to the start of this project. This is a talking word processing program with features that greatly support early learners in the reading and writing process. Some schools also purchased copies of Kurzweil 3000, which is software to support older readers and writers. This project has allowed school staff members to take advantage of extended training opportunities for both of these programs.
Some extra training has taken place to assist some teachers of Culture and Heritage in developing materials for First Nations language instruction and content for the computer, including accessible books and activities in Clicker 5.
Looking Forward
Working in this project continues to be a very exciting experience. Stories from schools reflect new levels of success and inspiring personal growth for some students. Some individuals and teams have expressed a special interest in learning about this technology and have demonstrated impressive commitment to making implementation meaningful and positive for their students.
As First Nations schools continue to identify students who could benefit from assistive technology services, it is important to have a vision for the future of this project. We are discussing future plans for the project and sincerely hope to provide a continuing, quality service for students with disabilities in British Columbia’s First Nations schools.
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 throughout this first phase of the project.
- Kelly Kitchen, FNESC Special Education Manager
- Madeline Price, FNESC Special Education Consultant
- Holly Le Reverend-Smith, FNESC Special Education Resource Line
Respectfully submitted on November 15, 2008
Carol Graham, SET-BC Assistive Technology Consultant
Joe Cash, SET-BC Provincial Consultant
Elaine Ferguson, SET-BC Provincial Coordinator