Assistive Technology
Outreach Programme
Year 2 Report 2013-14
Deirdre Madden
Assistive Technology
Outreach Co-ordinator
Assistive Technology Outreach Programme, UCC – Year 2 Report
Contents
Snapshot of Assistive Technology Outreach Programme …………………………………………………………………..3
Summary and key points of Assistive Technology Outreach Programme ............................................ 4
Summary of methodology to target relevant students, their parents & educators .............................. 5
Stage 2 Provision of AT Training ......................................................................................................... 6
UCC based training .......................................................................................................................... 6
In-school based training .................................................................................................................. 7
Assistive Technology Videos ........................................................................................................... 8
Appendices are available on our website http://www.ucc.ie/en/dss/atoutreach/
(under AT Outreach Publications)
Appendix 1: Calendars of training distributed to participants:
Appendix 2 List of Schools Engaged
Appendix 3 Testimonials
Some testimonials from students, parents and educators
Figure 1: Stakeholders in the field of education and disability with whom the AT Outreach
Programme has engaged ........................................................................................................................ 4
Figure 2: Locations of Information Evenings held across UCC’s catchment area to raise awareness of
AT ............................................................................................................................................................ 5
Figure 3: Students and parents attending AT training in AT lab in UCC ................................................. 6
Figure 4: Students and parents attending an activities day for students with physical disabilities in
UCC.......................................................................................................................................................... 7
Figure 5: Teachers & SNAs receiving in-school training in Cobh Community College ............................ 8
Deirdre Madden
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Assistive Technology Outreach Programme, UCC – Year 2 Report
Deirdre Madden
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Assistive Technology Outreach Programme, UCC – Year 2 Report
Summary and key points of Assistive Technology Outreach
Programme
The Disability Support Service (DSS) has been running an Assistive Technology (AT) Outreach
Programme for two years. See Report on Year 1 (2012-13) of the programme available on
the DSS website:
(http://www.ucc.ie/en/media/support/disabilitysupportservice/at/Endofyear1report.pdf)
This programme aims to enhance access and transition to third level education for students
with disabilities/learning difficulties by:


Increasing awareness of the role of AT in enabling students to maximised their
potential.
Providing the hands-on training and support to students, parents and educators
making use of AT in school/homework.
Figure 1: Stakeholders in the field of education and disability with whom the AT Outreach Programme has
engaged
STUDENTS
Special
Needs
Assisants
Special
Education
Needs
Organisers
Parents
AT Outreach
Programme
Visiting
Teachers
County
Education
Services
Teachers
Educational
Psychologists
The programme has worked with all the relevant stakeholders in the field of education and
disability in UCC’s catchment areas to realise proposed objectives. The programme is
delivered by Deirdre Madden, a professional with many years of experience in education
and technology.
Deirdre Madden
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Assistive Technology Outreach Programme, UCC – Year 2 Report
Summary of methodology to target relevant students, their parents &
educators




General awareness raising Information Evenings on AT held in a variety of locations
across Munster.
Calendar of AT training events held in UCC for educators disseminated to all second
level schools in the catchment area. (See appendix 1 for these Calendars)
Calendar of AT training events held in UCC for students and parents sent to schools
and disability support organisations. (See appendix 1 for these Calendars)
Innovations in 2013/14 included use of the internet to extend the reach of the
programme. A series of bite sized information and training video podcasts were
made available on the DSS website to extend the reach of the programme to those
who cannot attend training sessions and to act as a refresher to those students,
parents and educators who have.
Stage 1 Information Evenings to increase AT awareness
Figure 2: Locations of Information Evenings held across UCC’s catchment area to raise awareness of AT
On these evenings a general overview of AT for a broad
spectrum of needs was presented and a student with a
disability gave an account of their experience with AT in
education with time for questions and discussion
afterwards.
Deirdre Madden
385 people (students,
parents & educators)
attended the
Information Evenings
in total (Year 1+2)
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Assistive Technology Outreach Programme, UCC – Year 2 Report
The target audience was contacted through a variety of means in advance. Where available,
local papers and radio stations were engaged to promote the events as well as UCC’s Media
and Communications Office. All participants were invited to sign up for training in the
specific AT they found relevant providing the platform for hands-on training.
Collaboration with Cork Education Support Centre enhanced the profile of the programme
in year2 hosting an information evening on AT for educators in May. Working towards
greater collaboration with the Education Centres throughout UCC’s catchment area has
been a goal for year 2 of the AT Outreach Programme.
Stage 2 Provision of AT Training
Training was provided to students and parents and, separately, to teachers and SNAs either
in UCC or in their own schools as best met their needs.
In addition, in year 2, relationships with Education Centres were fostered across the
catchment area to provide them with AT training to students, parents and educators.
UCC based training
Figure 3: Students and parents attending AT training in AT lab in UCC
Hands-on training sessions, varying in duration from 2 hours to full day workshops, were
carried out for those who signed up on the Information Evenings.
Calendars of training events for students (See appendix 1 for calendars), parents and
educators were circulated to schools, Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs),
representatives of the National Educational Psychological Services, Department of Education and
Skills Visiting Teachers Service and via various Disability Organisations including the following:
Dyslexia Association Cork
Dyspraxia Cork
Aspect, Cork Association for Autism
Cork Deaf Association
Deirdre Madden
Enable Ireland
Rebel Wheelers Multi Sport Group
National Council for the Blind
Disability Federation of Ireland
Irish Wheelchair Association
Young Arthritis Ireland
Muscular Dystrophy Ireland
Irish Motor Neurone Disease
Association
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Assistive Technology Outreach Programme, UCC – Year 2 Report
These training sessions were held in a UCC and also in the Education Centre Tralee.
To accommodate the high demand for AT from students with Specific Learning Difficulties
(SpLD) training sessions were offered to students and parents covering technology for
reading and writing support and mind mapping.
Students with SpLDs and their parents were also accommodated in four day long summer
workshops covering a wide array of technology to meet their needs. Two covered free
software and two covering commercial literacy support technologies.
My Study Bar (free)
Natural Reader (free)
Xmind mind mapping (free)
Read & Write Gold
Inspiration mind mapping
Dragon Naturally Speaking
Figure 4: Students and parents attending an activities day for students
with physical disabilities in UCC
During the midterm break, students
with physical disabilities and their
parents were invited to UCC for a
day long activity programme with
second level students and primary
school students (5th and 6th class)
attending on separate days.
Participants received an overview of
the supports available at UCC for
students with physical difficulties,
had a tour of the campus and
enjoyed some fun activities.
Parents also received a short presentation from a current UCC student who has a physical
disability who gave their account of life in UCC.
In-school based training
Awareness-raising presentations, demonstrations and training were also provided to
students, their parents and educators in their own schools. As each school’s level of
awareness and/use of AT varies, a range of options were available to best meet the AT
needs of individual schools as follows:



A general overview presentation of AT for students
In school training of staff and/or students
Presentation and training for parents in relevant technologies.
Deirdre Madden
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Assistive Technology Outreach Programme, UCC – Year 2 Report
Figure 5: Teachers & SNAs receiving in-school training in Cobh Community College
Assistive Technology Videos
Making AT videos available on the DSS website aims to extend the reach of the programme.
Short, simple videos were created with a view to developing a video gallery on the website
to provide simple AT support to those who cannot attend training sessions and to act as a
refresher to those who have.Challenges & Proposed Responses
Challenges faced
Poor uptake of training from Cork City
schools.
Great demand for AT by students with
specific learning difficulties (SpLD) which
sometimes overshadows the AT needs of
students with physical and sensory
disabilities.
Proposed Responses/goals for 2014- 15
 Targeting of Cork City schools via phone
and email.
 Liaise with UCC+ to utilise their networks.
 Targeted AT training to specifically
support students who are
o blind/visually impaired,
o Deaf/HoH
o have physical or multiple disabilities
using the networks of the SENOs and Visiting
Teachers.
Implementing the use of AT on the ground
seems to be a slower process than
anticipated in part due to level of IT
knowledge in some educators and the lack of
IT support in schools.
Time consuming nature of organising,
promoting and booking training session.
Reaching a wider audience
Deirdre Madden
 Monitor feedback on challenges faced in
implementing AT use.
 Examine the possibility of running follow
up training to address the issues
 Highlight links to free resources and sites
for IT knowledge as part of each
presentation/training session.
 Utilise engagements with the Educations
Centres to avail of their contact
networks.
 Use Eventbrite online booking systems.
 Use assistive technology video gallery
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Assistive Technology Outreach Programme, UCC – Year 2 Report
Deirdre Madden
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