You can have a two week free trial of the great product Choose it Maker 3. Ideal for early years, primary and special setting it is really a brilliant product for teaching choice making or a learning activity .
Author: AccessAbility Smyles
Specialist ICT SEND Consultant,
Committed Christian,
Loves photography and computing
Plays piano and guitar - both badly!
Schools & AAS
AAS provides services to schools that enables your busy SENCO to be supported and informed. We also do individual assessments. This is important to enable the right technology to be matched to the individual’s special needs. Without the individual buying into the solution offered then the ICT provided will not be as effected. AAS gives you cost effective solutions at reasonable costs to the school. Check out what we do :-
New rules on VAT on Digital Devices in the UK
BATA have made an announcement that their are new rules on VAT payment for digital devices. If you are supplier or consumer you might be interested in this:-
https://mailchi.mp/dc7ccde50fec/new-rules-for-vat-on-digital-devices-published?e=d2bb926db7
Please sponsor me!
This year I am walking for BATA as we raise funds for the RNIB and BDA as well as BATA. Click on this link and it will take you to our Just Giving page. Please contribute as it will make a huge difference to those with sensory and cognitive disabilities. We shall be doing an 11 mile walk around Ladybower Reservoir in the Peak District. See the video below for a fly through of the walk
Picture Library in Immersive Reader
I said a few weeks ago that we expected a picture library to be included in Office 365 and Word 2016. If you type in the help section Immersive Reader and select the Book icon you get the picture above. Select Picture library and you will find that if you click on a word a helpful picture appears underneath it.
Focus Read Cards
Our friends at Focus Read are now on the Windows Store at:-
“Our new Reading Focus Cards app for Windows 10 PCâs has just been published and is available in the Windows Store at https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9WZDNCRDF33D.
Since you serve so many individuals with special needs, I thought you might be interested in knowing about the new version of this app that helps CHALLENGED READERS of ALL AGES and ABILITIES.
Thanks for ALL you do to help the many who struggle to read, learn and live each day because of various challenges.”
Thanks Joan for your encouragement!
Voice-Clouds.com
Voice -Clouds.com is a social/care tool that enables support workers and those working in care to establish needs and strategies quickly on the go. Person Centre planning is so important and often difficult to achieve logistically. This online tool can help in the process and is an aide to the busy professional. For a helpful video to show how it works go to:-
http://www.voice-clouds.com/how.php
Autism and Technology
Do you have a personal or professional interest in autism and/or accessibility?
In AbilityNet’s upcoming webinar they will share information about how websites, apps and other digital technology can be designed with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) users in mind – and how this can create more inclusive solutions for everyone.
This free webinar takes place on Tuesday 17 April at 13:00 BST and kicks-off with AbilityNet Accessibility and Usability Consultant Dafydd Henke-Reed presenting an overview of ASD, followed by the associated design challenges and most importantly the solutions.
For more information about AbilityNet’s upcoming webinar click here.
According to facts from The National Autistic Society autism is much more common than you might think. In the UK 1 in 100 people are estimated to be on the autism spectrum which makes this webinar a must-see.
There are concerns that bleeding-edge technology may not be autism-friendly and this issue will be discussed in the webinar along with the ways in which technology can be helpful and beneficial for people with ASD. Even if you’re not able to attend, please register your interest to receive a notification when the webinar recording becomes available to watch.
To register your interest in AbilityNet’s upcoming webinar click here.
BATA’s 2018 Sponsored Walk
BATA have organised an 18 mile sponsored walk to raise funds for BATA, RNIB and BDA on 16th June.
Here is the link to the justgiving page for those who would like to contribute online if you can’t participate.
We need as much support as possible to reach our £6000 target.
Full details of the walk can be found in the poster below:-
Immersive Reader to have PCS symbols
Microsoft and Tobii Dynavox announce that they are collaborating to produce a picture library of PCS symbols in the immersive reader. When you click over a word it will produce a picture to show the word as well as hear it spoken. This will be across Word and free Outlook, OneNote and other Microsoft packages. Not sure when this will appear but suspect it will be soon for those using Office 2016. It opens up reading to non-text readers who need picture support.For more details click on the link below:-
