Assistive technology

We recognise the need for student independence and have a wide range of specialist software and equipment available to students who may require it. We have a specialist coordinator available to carry out assessments and after advice and guidance can offer such equipment as:

Hardware:

  • Laptop Computers - Available to any students who have been assessed as requiring one.
  • Specialist Keyboards and Mouse Alternatives
  • 19" TFT Displays - Eliminates glare from the screen

Software:

  • Screen Reading and Magnification Software for computer users who are blind or partially sighted. Currently this includes Jaws, Zoomtext and Supernova
  • Specialist software for dyslexic students - Texthelp Read, Write Gold, Inspiration and Kurzweil
  • Specialist Voice Input Software - Trains your voice and then inputs your words onto the computer; this includes Dragon Dictate
  • EaseReader Software - Enables user to listen and navigate audio files.

Other Equipment:

  • Portable Electronic Magnification Devices - A range of portable magnifiers, which can be used to read text etc.
  • Audio Electronic Spellchecker/Dictionary/Thesaurus
  • Audio calculators and talking scientific calculator
  • Dictaphones/Digital recorders and transcription pedals.
  • Task lighting

Ergonomic Equipment

We have a range of ergonomic equipment including:

  • Wrist Rest, Back Rests, Foot Rests
  • Support Chairs
  • Adjustable Height Desks
  • Portable and Personal Loop
  • Deaf Alerter
  • Hearing Aid Battery Supplies
  • Copy Holders
  • Monitor Arms

Students will also have access to or will benefit from:

  • Closed Circuit Televisions (CCTVs) - To enlarge text and pictures on screen
  • Braille Embosser - To convert documents to Braille format
  • Hotspot Thermo-fuser - To produce tactile diagrams
  • Dolphin Producer Software - Converts Word files into audio format
  • Scanners/OCR software - To convert documents to a preferred format

If we do not have the equipment you require, on the above list, it may be possible for us to buy it provided we have enough notice and it is to meet an identified learning need. Each year we set aside a budget for assistive technology.