You Need
Providing Sensory Support for your Pupils
Roger Bates, Information Director of Inclusive Technology, shares his experience
So many of the things in our catalogue can be used in creative ways to support learners who have additional difficulties, be they hearing, visual, learning related or physical.
It is important to use an approach that can appeal to all the senses. Speech and sound feedback has been a mainstay of our work for many years and it is good to see new resources and improvements to some old favourites. In particular the AbleNet communicator range has been extended and we now have a new and even better BIGmack and a new LITTLEmack.
We now also have some new speech devices that bring all sorts of possibilities, not least because of their low cost.
Talking Tins were originally
developed as an aid for blind people to add affordable speech to their tins of
food or bottles of sauce. These great gadgets come with a built-in magnet that
allows them to be easily attached to any suitable metal surface. Each one is
also supplied with a Velcro strap that can be fastened round the neck of a
bottle or similar and a stick-on metal plate for use on non-magnetic surfaces.
The simple record feature allows for up to 10 seconds of message to be
recorded, and a press of the button (quite small, so it requires more accuracy
to press than a typical switch) replays the message.
Their low price means that they can be used in considerable numbers. Using the stick-on adaptor, you could make each door in your school talk. The Velcro strap can fasten them to lots of other things like fluffy toys and similar surfaces.
We also now have some very simple self-adhesive talking pads. There are lots of uses for these. They are thin enough to stick on some of the pages of simple book or on to a simple communication chart. Again, it is easy to record and re-record any message (or sound) you like, up to ten seconds in length.
We all enjoy talking greeting cards and ours has bright bold balloons on it. When it is opened, your own message is automatically replayed (messages can be re-recorded as often as you like). If you want a really personal card you could also add your own image - a child's photo or a picture they have drawn - anything you like.
Switches are
usually and rightly seen as a means to an end. We want the student to be
focused on what the switch is making happen rather than on the switch itself.
But there are occasions where a child may not be interested in the switch or
may not like the feel of it. The Pneumatic Switch Kit is a fun way of
turning all kids of squashy rubber toys into switches. It comes with three toys
but can be used with others provided they have a hole for the air pipe (most
do). In this way the switch can be made into a more tactile and interesting
device and hopefully encourage the pupil to handle it and see the result. It
would be fun to build the switch action into a story: a rubber duck switch
could be connected to a communicator that says, "quack" when the duck is
squeezed.
In all our new software we
are making great efforts to broaden the appeal by using bright, clear graphics
and good sound feedback. SwitchIt!
People, Weather and
Farm (SwitchIt! Farm is a firm
favourite of mine) all have excellent sound and pictures and can be used in a
variety of ways. If a student has great difficulty in using a switch you could
set the option for a single switch press to result in a reward.
SwitchIt! Patterns and Pictures have long been popular for students with severe and multiple difficulties and we now have Big Bang. It is designed to provide graphics and sounds that encourage early looking activities. The menu allows a choice of activity ranging from simple colour changes to movements that help develop tracking skills.
Using switches to control toys can give the student valuable experience and help develop their understanding of switch use. The Inclusive Toy Control Box and Cooperative Switch Box have extended the range of options for toy play; the setting that allows one switch to turn the toy on and a second switch to turn it off is an excellent way to introduce two-switch use. Some students also find it conceptually easier to use one switch for start and another switch for stop.
The IntelliKeys keyboard and its associated software are ideal for pupils who need tactile materials and SoftKeys adds to the opportunities. SoftKeys is a soft cover that allows you to fix objects to an IntelliKeys keyboard using Velcro. Then, it is up to you to make fun activities! IntelliPics Studio or the original IntelliPics are ideal programs to use for this. We also supply packs of transparent overlays that help you create tactile overlays that can be placed on top of a printed version. This further enhances access for students with visual impairments.