“Inclusive Technology exists to provide resources which help learners with severe, profound and complex special
needs to learn, communicate and live a more independent life”
says one of the company’s founders, Martin Littler.
We spoke to them to find out more.
Inclusive Technology’s customers are typically the teachers, therapists, health professionals, charities, and the
centres and services who work with students in special education settings. Inclusive is a British company but
as their software is increasingly delivered online they are now finding a world market. In the newest services
like HelpKidzLearn and ChooseIt! Maker3, less than a third of their customers are UK based. The company’s
largest online market is now the USA and they have subscribers in sixty other countries.
Inclusive works with children who may only be able to make one voluntary movement or sound. They specialise
in harnessing whatever students can do – most recently they have added “eye-gaze” access to access via
joysticks, switches and touch. Once a student’s access problems are tackled the company focus on education
objectives while continuing to improve a student’s access skills.
To be economic, software for the “low incidence disabilities” in which the company specialises must rely on
recognition in the widest world market. In 2014 Inclusive Technology won the top special education software
awards in both the United Kingdom and the United States. These were the British BETT Award for “Special Educational Needs Solutions” and the American CODiE Award “Best Solution for Special Needs Students”
The company is delighted to top this and achieve worldwide recognition with the 2015 AI Business Excellence
Award for Innovation in Special Educational Needs Software! This is also welcome recognition for their team of
teachers, therapists, designers and programmers who feel that they are already rewarded improving the lives
of learners’ special needs.
Students with severe and profound needs and disabilities typically progress in tiny steps over a long period.
This means having as wide a variety of software as possible so that the students stay stimulated and motivated.
This has meant a major commitment to development over the 20 years of the company’s life and has
resulted in much the largest software resource in the SEN market.
Today’s online delivery of software closes the feedback loop. Inclusive can now see how their software is being
used and this yields a huge amount of data on each student and about students in general. Inclusive’s development
team is currently being expanded to harness the opportunities this offers. 2016 will see a web of over
500 small programs in HelpKidzLearn with students recognised and guided through a learning process which
offers tasks with the right level of challenge and provides for each student’s access needs.
Over the last twenty years Inclusive have harnessed the latest technology to improve the life chances of
children who face the greatest challenges. “Currently eye-gaze access, and learning analytics from the huge
amount of data that eye gaze provides offer the best insight into improving the learning of children with severe
and complex needs” says Martin Littler “the AI Business Excellence Award gives us are welcome boost, we’ll
see that these special children don’t miss out!”
Learn more about Inclusive's Special Educational Needs Software:
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