JISC

A new publication from the JISC TechDis service, the UK's leading educational advisers  in the fields of inclusion and accessibility, highlights the  ways in which independent Specialist Colleges are progressing opportunities for disabled people in higher, further and adult education.  Specialist Colleges: Specialists in Innovation details the highly successful outcomes of Innovation Fund projects funded by JISC.

Specialist Colleges offer inclusive further education for a wide range of students with learning difficulties or disabilities. They are often small and cater for particular types of student. They are diverse, having markedly different ethos and organisations. Almost all colleges have a high proportion of residential students, some of whom require very high levels of care.

In 2004 Specialist Colleges were invited to bid to the Innovation Fund for funding for projects that used technology in innovative ways to benefit their students. A total of 27 projects, based in 22 Colleges, were awarded funding ranging from £2,500 to £11,000.

The projects funded under the new scheme covered a range of technologies, from wireless networking which allows access to the internet for students and staff working in the garden at HomefieldCollege’s Horticulture Department, to the use of Global Positioning Systems enabling students with learning disabilities at DilstonCollege to relate maps to the physical world. 

John Sewell, Senior Advisor at TechDis, said of the scheme, “The Specialist College Innovation Fund projects show that relatively small amounts of funding, carefully disbursed and with the appropriate supports in place, can result in disproportionately effective outcomes and developments in the use of technology to support students.”

Further examples of all the funded projects can be found at: Innovation projects 

The publication was launched at this year’s Association of National Specialist Colleges (NATSPEC) conference which opened on the 23rd of May with a reception hosted by David Drew MP at the House of Commons.  For the past two years TechDis has been funded by the Learning and Skills Council to work with NATSPEC and the Specialist Colleges sector to support the development of Information and Learning Technologies and e-Learning.

The publication is available from Specialists in Innovation  or by emailing the TechDis helpdesk