Assistive technology (AT) helps to remove barriers to participation for our students.
We have sourced some information here from reputable international organizations in the field such as NCTE, NDA, SESS, AbilityNet, ACE Centre and Enable Ireland.
Here are some excellent, free resources we use within the school.
Teach your Monster
This site offers three free game based numeracy and literacy apps aimed at the primary end of the school. The apps are available for the iPad and can also be played through browsers on PC. There is a bit of a spiel with an unskippable video at the start but the games are worth it. Most students in the school have a login. Please contact you teacher for the details
Khan Kids
An amazing free programme available on android and apple. Huge range of activites available. You create an account to track progress.
Duo ABC
Excellent free literacy support app available for android and apple. Unskippable video at the start but a bright and engaging series of activites and stories.
My Colourful Words
Excellent sentence structure programme teaching subject, verb, object. Completely customisable. Apple only right now
We have a range of paid subscriptions in the school that can be accessed from home. Free home trials are available. In the case of Reading Eggs and IXL accounts can be accessed at home and in school. Not all our students have accounts. In some cases the accessibility options are just not good enough for them to engage with. With younger classes they may share one class account.
Reading Eggs/Maths Seeds
A lovely colourful and engaing package covering students for the entire primary curriculum. The only downsides are around accessibility. It can only be used via touch on an iPad or mouse and keyboard laptop.
Help Kidz Learn
This website offers five subscriptions, three of which are in use in the school. Their accessibility options are second to none. All activities can be accessed the normal ways as well as with switches and eye gaze.
Games and Activities is an excellent training programme for learning how to uses computers using accessibility tools.
Ready Mades - 100s of educational quizzes.
Chooseit Maker - The ability to make your own quizzes. - These quizzes can be shared with home.
Insight - and Eye Gaze training programme - We do not have this in the school. More appropriate to SLT
Inclusive Stories - A range of storys and songs promoting inclusivness - Not currently used in the school
IXL
Is used with a number of our older students. It covers Maths and English quizzes across the primary and secondary curriculum.
The latest Apple software offers some excellent accessibility supports. These videos highlight some of these:
https://www.cricksoft.com/uk/clicker
Clicker is a Reading and Writing support tool that is very popular with our pupils. On laptops our students use Clicker 7 software, while on iPads they use Clicker Sentences. The licenses are very expensive but definitely worth it in some cases.
Switch Accessible Software available from Inclusive Technology (winner of the 2010 BETT Award)http://www.inclusive.co.uk/catalogue/acatalog/switch_accessible_software.html
Links to AT courses for parentshttps://www.urability.com