If you teach or support children and young people with dyslexia, you will be interested in the Dyslexia Scotland Education Conference which this year will be held on Saturday 25th September at the Edinburgh Conference Centre at Heriot-Watt University.

The theme of the conference is "Innovative Practice in Dyslexia: A New Decade". The conference is again chaired by Dr. Gavin Reid and speakers include Rob Long (Chartered Educational Psychologist); Laura Ann Currie (HMIe); Fran Ranaldi, Dr Margaret Crombie, staff from Lochaber High School, Jennifer Drysdale (PT Learning Support, Fife) and yours truly. There are also panel sessions and an exhibition.

This conference is always a great event and if I wasn't otherwise engaged talking at the same time, I'd be at Margaret Crombie's session on the new Assessing Dyslexia Toolkit, and the workshop from the Lochaber team, who have created a web site with downloadable audio materials for revision.

To find out more and book, go to the Dyslexia Scotland web site.

Forbes Smith, who is coordinating a working group looking at provision of accessible formats in East Dunbartonshire, emailed recently to say that East Dunbartonshire Library Service now has a service for providing downloadable audiobooks. So far they have over 560 titles available for immediate download onto PC, iPod or mp3 player and Forbes says they are adding 30 titles a week. Forbes says he signed up and then within half an hour of returning to his base, he had downloaded an audio book novel. There are an extensive range of materials available including lecture materials for university students.

To find out more, go to the East Dunbartonshire online library site, click on My Account, then on Audiobook Downloads.

Forbes' email prompted me to ask if other library services are doing the same thing, so I've just spent a few happy hours googling and exploring the online library catalogues in all 32 local authorities. I couldn't find many that have downloadable audio books, but almost all of them have audio books on cassette and CD, and also Large Print books.

South Ayrshire has downloadable 'eReads' (eBooks) as well as audio and Large Print, although they are Adobe ePUB format which is OK for readers with a physical impairment who need the book on screen, but not so good for people with visual impairment or dyslexia because the maximum font size is quite small and you can't read the book with text-to-speech software.

I've made up a table with the contact details and we'll add it to the Finding Books page on the Books for All web site.

So, when looking for books in accessible formats, don't forget your local library service!

We were recently in contact with a member of staff from an adult day centre in Edinburgh. One of his clients, Stuart Hepburn has just finished writing a book, A Most Curious Detour, which describes his experience of becoming disabled as a result of a massive stroke in 2005. The stroke left him paralysed and unable to communicate. The book describes the impact of the stroke on his life and his encounters with the medical system in Scotland. He also reflects on his past life as a business consultant  and describes some of the dreams he has while in hospital. The book can be seen as a Scottish answer to Jean Dominique Bauby's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and is definitely required reading for anybody wanting to find out more about the impact of an acquired disability on a person's life.

The book can be purchased through the Lulu web site. It is now also available through Amazon. All profits go to charity.

On 28th May we blogged that the CLA announced a new Print Disability Licence to replace the 'VIP' licence, and today we received our copy of this new licence. Why is this good news? Well, the Print Disability Licence is for:

• "an educational establishment or a body that is not conducted for profit" who
• "wishes to make and to distribute multiple copies of copyright material in a format accessible to persons who could not otherwise read or access such copyright material by reason of visual impairment or other disability where no such format is commercially available."

This means that holders of the Print Disability Licence can now legally make, for example, digital copies of books for pupils with dyslexia, learning difficulties, autism or hearing impairment. Some of the terms and conditions:

• You must legally possess an original copy of the book from whch you make the Accessible Copy.
• You cannot make an Accessible Copy if one is commercially available in a similar accessible format.
• Your Accessible Copy must contain "a statement that it is a copy of the original Work made under a CLA licence for the personal use of an Authorised Person".
• Your Accessible Copy must contain the title, name of author and publisher, and the published edition from which you have made your Accessible Copy.
• You can add facilities for navigation around digital formats and you can enlarge, reduce or change colour of text or illustrations, provided these changes do not "amount to a derogatory treatment of the Work".
• You can give an "Intermediate Copy" to other CLA licence holders. An Intermediate Copy is a copy which you have made as part of the production process - for example, it could be a digital file which you made in order to create a Large Print or a Braille copy.
• You must keep records of copies made, and send the records to CLA annually, on 1st May each year. The report should list the title, ISBN, author(s), publisher, edition, format, number of copies created and the date they were created.

This new licence will lead to big changes and developments because the potential 'market' for Accessible Copies is now much larger and more diverse. It means that charities like Calibre can lend all their audio books to dyslexic readers as well as those with visual impairment, that dyslexic readers will be able to download text files of books from The Seeing Ear, that local authority transcription services can share Accessible Copies far more freely than before, and importantly, it also means that all Print-Disabled pupils can download and use Accessible Copies of books from the Books for All Scotland Database.

The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on Secondary Legislation arising from The Equality Act 2010.The consultation seeks views on new rules of procedure for the Additional Support Needs Tribunals for Scotland (ASNTS), to enable them to hear disability claims (discrimination, harassment and victimisation) cases in school education.

Details are available on the Scottish Government web site.

Came across Special Friends Online - looks interesting as a way of helping children and adults with learning difficulties to be part of international social networking communities  - but safely. They've invented 'Smiley Talk' a way of interacting, on the site, for people who can't spell/use keyboard (or think of what to say), using smiley face icons and preset questions and answers. There are also jokes and games, poems, videos, information and links, online chat, discussion forums, heroes and stars, send hugs etc. The 'Padlock' allows a carer to restrict access and lock user out of certain sections eg. 1:1 messaging or chatroom, for safety.

I've only just joined, in order to explore and evaluate, so not yet 'recommending' this site as such - but let us know how you get on if you have tried this site.  Maybe there are other similar sites out there - we'd like to hear of them? Some teachers are also using Glow groups as a way of simulating FaceBook-type facilities securely for pupils with ASN - Susan McCauley of Pinewood school gave a great presentation on this at the CALL's recent ICT and Inclusion event in East Kilbride.

The other great resource, for symbol users, of course, is Widgit's Symbol World with constantly updating symbol stories, news, personal stories, information etc. all in symbols (and also speech feedback, if you download Browsealoud).

Issue 3 of the 'ContAACt newsletter' is out now!

Follow the link ContAACt newsletter to find out what's happening with AAC users in Scotland (Spring 2010)

The 'AAC Project Awards' on page 1 may be of interest to people wanting to fund AAC events or active participation by a person who uses AAC.

Barry Smith received part of his funding to give a talk at ISAAC in Barcelona this Summer, using his Lightwriter SL40, from this scheme.

Find out more about Barry's story.

In 'Places We Like' on page 4 , you can find out about the best things to do in Perth from local AAC users, who know best!

We'd love to hear more from people who use AAC about what you have been doing in your local area or any other items you'd like to share in the next ContAACt newsletter, due out in Autumn 2010.

Please send your items to enquiries@acipscotland.org.uk We look forward to hearing your news and sharing it with AAC users across Scotland.

For those of you that have got the interactive  V6 BoardMaker Plus! here is a nice 'top tip' on storing boards and how to create a simple and accessible 'front end' to your stored boards so you can present a prepared lesson comprising different boards/exercises smoothly.

Amongst the new things seen at ICT and Inclusion last week were AbilityWorld's new  Uni-tech Voice Symbol and Voice Ink.  What’s innovative is that the special software prints sound as well as symbols and words on to paper (ordinary paper and normal colour printer cartridge). When the user touches the printed word or symbol on the paper with the special Voice Pen, it speaks (choice of synthetic voices). It can also play music/sound files or recorded voice.

With the Voice Ink software, when the user touches each word (or sentence, paragraph or whole page, depending on how the settings you choose) it speaks out, so you can use it just to check you've correctly read a few 'sticky' words, or to read whole work sheets, etc. A true 'talking book'.

The Voice Symbol communication software lets you make symbol boards or book pages, and record personalised messages, so it is a low-tech system that speaks as well! It also works through laminate.

The system is not exactly cheap, but comparable in price to some other recorded voice communication aids. Once you've got the software you can add more V-pens for more users at a reasonable price.

There is a link on the Ability World website to video clips on YouTube where you can see the Uni-tech system in use (albeit largely in Taiwanese...).

It's not too late to book a place at one of next week's free ICT and Inclusion days, run in conjunction with the JISC Resource Centres, though we may not be able to guarantee lunch if you book very late:

• Tuesday 15th June - Invercarse Hotel, 371 Perth Road, Dundee DD2 1PG.
• Wednesday 16th June - CALL Scotland, Moray House School of Education, Paterson's Land, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8AQ.
• Thursday 17th June - The Bruce Hotel, 35 Cornwall Street, East Kilbride G74 1AF.

The Exhibition, featuring many of the UK's leading suppliers of assistive technology and software for pupils and students with additional support needs runs from 9 am until 4pm each day and is accompanied by a series of presentations. Timetables can now be downloaded from the ICT and Inclusion web site, where you can also register to attend.

Late additions

There have been some late additions to the list of suppliers and organisations that will be attending:

• Ink Learning are joining the exhibition in Dundee. They will be demonstrating their Primary Steps Maths and Primary Steps Phonics programs that can be enjoyed using a dance mat. Great fun, educational and good exercise!
• Ability World and Steljes will be coming to Edinburgh and East Kilbride. Ability World will be bringing their innovative, Uni-tech system and Voice Ink software, which enables you to 'print' spoken words and sounds onto your teaching resources and communication boards. Steljes will be demonstrating their latest Smart Table, which brings a revolutionary approach to group learning, and other products.
• Pass IT On / U Can Do IT and the Scottish Sensory Centre will be providing information about their work in the Edinburgh exhibition. Pass IT On provide access to computers for people with disabilities in partnership with U Can Do IT, who provide training. The Scottish Sensory Centre provide training and support for teachers of pupils with visual or hearing impairments. 

 

What's this... a non-techie blog? Technology can often be used to support students with additional support needs in schools and colleges, but there are times when it isn't the answer. Even where it has a significant part to play, successful implementation depends on teachers, parents, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and other staff working together in partnership to support the student.

The Scottish Government have produced a new publication, Guidance on Partnership Working between Allied Health Professionals and Education, which presents strategies and guidance aimed at improving the quality of partnership working between allied health professionals, education staff and parents. The Guidance outlines different features of good practice and presents a number of short case studies from different parts of Scotland. There's also a useful set of tools that can be used to measure strengths and areas for development in current practice with regard to working in partnership.

Definitely worth a look if you are involved with Partnership Working!

We are all wondering what the iPad is going to do for people who use AAC. Here is a useful early evaluation of Proloquo2Go on iPad, by a person with fine motor difficulties who herself uses a variety of different AAC and computer technology, in her daily life.

'Sentence Trouble' - Communication Guide for helping troubled young people with dyslexia, autism & other disabilities:

http://bit.ly/doI9Fw

Although not written for teachers or education, this guide has a lot of useful info/advice that some teachers and others working with young people have still to take on board!

 

 

We're really very happy indeed to report that today the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) launched a new ‘Print Disability Licence’ to replace the old 'VIP' licence. The new licence has been extended to include all people with a 'print disability' - the previous licence was restricted to people with visual impairment or physical disability. This was clearly inequitable (as we pointed out in the 2007 Books for All Report) and so we are delighted that the new licence addresses this inequality. It means that dyslexic people are now covered under the licence.

Basically, the new licence allows not-for-profit organisations to make Accessible Copies of most published, copyright works and provide them to people with print disabilities who cannot read or access the printed copies. The Accessible Copy may be, for example, Large Print, Braille, audio (synthetic or recorded), digital (with or without text to speech), etc. The licence is free.

We've been waiting for the new licence for quite some time but now that it's here, it means that for example:

• books on the developing Books for All Scotland database can be downloaded for any print disabled pupil, not just those pupils with visual impairment or physical disability;
• books that we, or any other VIP licence holder has made, can be freely shared across the UK provided they are for use by print disabled readers;
• schools and local authorities in the 15 Scottish local authorities who hold VIP licences will be able to make and share their accessible copies with a much larger and wider range of pupils.

For children and young people in schools with dyslexia, learning difficulties, hearing impairment, or who may be on the autistic spectrum, this is very good news.

The new licence is the result of a lot of work by CLA, the Right to Read Alliance (of which CALL is a member) and the publishers' Accessibility Action Group.

Read more about the new licence in the CLA press release.

Chuffed!

(Right, let's get sourcing, adapting, making and sharing these Accessible Books.....)

Accessible Text: Guidelines for Good Practice, is a new publication from CALL Scotland on 'how to' produce accessible resources. 

Making your learning materials accessible to pupils with disabilities or additional support needs is not only good practice but is also necessary to meet equality legislation.  

Part 1 of the book, written by Fran Ranaldi, looks at the design of resources and covers issues such as the choice and size of font, use of images and colour and the visual layout and design. By following the guidelines in to the book, teachers should be able to create learning resources that can be more easily read by pupils with, for example, dyslexia, visual impairment, or learning difficulties.

Part 2, by Paul Nisbet, look at how resources can be made accessible in digital formats. Inceasingly, teachers are creating resources which will be accessed on screen as well as on paper, and this part of the book shows how digital accessibility can be built in when writing the material, with relatively little effort. 

You can download the book for free from CALL Scotland's web site. Altenatively, order print copies (£10) from CALL’s online shop. 

Fran Ranaldi is an experienced teacher who has worked for HMIe on the Review of Education for learners with dyslexia, the Scottish Government on Accessibly Guidelines and within her education authority on several projects for dyslexia and accessibility across the curriculum.

Paul Nisbet is Joint Coordinator of CALL Scotland and works directly with pupils with additional support needs and takes a lead role in current projects to help pupils access curriculum resources, such as Books for All, SQA digital exam papers, and The Scottish Voice. 

Preparation and dissemination of the book is funded by the Scottish Government Schools Directorate.