SETDirect

SET-BC Direct: December 11, 1998

Special Education Technology-British Columbia

Email Circulation: 385, Website Visitors Last Month: 15,000 (November)

http://www.setbc.org

 

Welcome to SET-BC Direct, an on-line newsletter for people who are interested in issues and resources regarding the use of assistive technologies in education.

SET-BC Direct is intended to help teachers and other professionals who have questions regarding the implementation of technology for students with special needs. Subscribers may also be interested in the SET-BC program itself; our model for service delivery and the projects we develop to better assist students with disabilities.

In this issue:

1. SET-BC Information Bulletin #1

2. Resources: PIRCH98 for text-to-speech based chat over the internet

3. Resources: SET-BC highlights a presentation by Brenda Fossett

4. Projects: Adaptive Workstations for the Classroom

5. Links: Is your website accessible to people with disabilities?

6. Student Gallery: SET-BC profiles students who use assistive technology

 

 

Best wishes for the holidays and the new year from all of us at SET-BC.

 

Sincerely,

Mike Bartlett
Provincial Coordinator

Special Education Technology-British Columbia

 

P.S. We hope you enjoy receiving SET-BC Direct. However, if you would rather not receive any future issues from SET-BC, please follow the subscribe/unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of this page.

 

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1. SET-BC Information Bulletin #1

As a follow up to a number of School District visits during the 1997/98 school year, and in consultation with special education contacts and SET-BC district partners, SET-BC has developed an Information Bulletin on SET-BC Services. This Information Bulletin provides school districts and members of school teams with detailed information on a number of components within the SET-BC Service Delivery model. This document is available for general distribution.

http://www.setbc.org/servdeli/bulletin.html

 

2. PIRCH98 for text-to-speech based chat over the internet

SET-BC and CNIB (The Canadian National Institute for the Blind) hosted Summer Camp 98 for visually challenged teens. Prior to the camp, the search began for a Windows95 based chat program for text-to-speech based chat over the internet on IRC (Internet Relay Chat). After trying several programs, Pirch98 was selected as the easiest IRC chat Client to set up and modify for this purpose. This technology was deemed ideal for the visually impaired and blind students attending the Bowen Island Summer Camps.

http://www.setbc.org/projects/camp/camp98/chat/irc.html
For configuration information:
http://www.setbc.org/projects/camp/camp98/chat/pirchconfig.html

 

3. Resources: SET-BC highlights a presentation by Brenda Fossett

Brenda Fossett is a teacher who has developed a wide range of useful strategies and resources in her work with students with communication difficulties. Brenda recently presented an outstanding workshop on "Supporting Individuals Using Picture Communications Systems" for 100 Lower Mainland educators.

http://www.setbc.org/projects/fossett/

 

4. Projects: Adaptive Workstations for the Classroom - A Resource Guide for Planning Adapted Workspaces

During the 1997/98 school year, the Ministry of Education - Special Programs Branch in partnership with the Vancouver School Board and SET-BC released "Adapted School Workspaces for Students with Special Needs". The document is a resource guide for planning unique and custom workspaces for students with very special needs. View a copy on-line or download the components you need.

http://www.setbc.org/projects/workspaces/

 

5. Links: Is your website accessible to people with disabilities?

Ever wonder how accessible a web page is? How accessible is your web site? The Centre for Applied Special Technology (CAST) has developed a web-based public service called "Bobby". Just type in the URL, and Bobby will analyze the page and provide detailed information on making it more accessible. Each month, Bobby tests over 3 million web pages, from thousands of sites.

http://www.cast.org/bobby/

 

6. Student Gallery: SET-BC profiles students using assistive technology to support their educational activities. We are continually in search of student works to highlight in our Student Gallery. Visit the gallery and enjoy our wonderful collection of student work!

http://www.setbc.org/projects/gallery/

 

 

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HOW TO SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE TO SET-BC DESKTOP DIRECT

To subscribe to SET-BC Direct, reply to this email with the word "Subscribe" in the subject header.

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Questions or comments can be directed to direct@setbc.org.

SET-BC is a Provincial Resource Program funded by the B.C. Ministry of Education. Its purpose is to assist school districts in British Columbia in meeting the technology needs of students with physical disabilities and visual impairments.

SET-BC Direct is copyright © 1998 by Special Education Technology-British Columbia. Excerpts used for the purposes of quotation must be attributed explicitly to Special Education Technology-British Columbia.

The information contained in this newsletter is drawn from sources believed to be reliable, but the accuracy and completeness of the information is not guaranteed, nor in providing it does Special Education Technology-British Columbia assume any liability. This newsletter is a public commentary for informational purposes only and does not represent an invitation to purchase or endorse products, and is not to be construed as a source of buy or sell recommendations.