Creating a Level Playing Field using Assistive Technologies

Inclusive Education

The UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities opened worldwide discourse on Inclusive Education (IE). Research has taken place in developing evidence-based practices for IE, such as ‘Learning Without Limits’ (Hart, Dixon, Drummond and McIntyre, 2004) and the ‘Inclusive Practice Project” in the UK (Florian and Linklater 2010), which involved systemic change for the school from the leadership level down.

In Australia, the move to include learners with disabilities and provide more equitable opportunities for their education, led the Australian Government to legislate: The Disability Discrimination Act of 1992 (Commonwealth Government, Australia 1992) and the Disability Standards for Education, 2005 (Commonwealth Government, 2006).

2018  VCAA Special Provisions

VCAA has embedded this in their Special Provisions Guide 2018, stating unequivocally that some students with a disability, as defined in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Commonwealth), or illness, may require Special Examination Arrangements to enable them to access the examination/test questions p.125.

The underlying principle of the VCAA Special Provision Policy is to ensure that “the most appropriate, fair and reasonable options are available for students to demonstrate their capabilities, if their learning and assessment programs are affected by disability, illness, impairment or other circumstances”. Furthermore, provisions “should provide equivalent, alternative arrangements for students, but not confer an advantage to any student over other students”. Individual students may need Special Provisions in their learning program to achieve the learning outcomes and in assessment to demonstrate their learning and achievement” p.125. The following link takes you directly to the Handbook for the 2018 Special Provisions for 2018, which includes early applications to VCAA in Y9

http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/handbook/2018/15specprovadhb18.pdf

Special Provisions are sometimes misunderstood. An analogy I often use is that of “the plaster cast”. If a student has a broken leg, a plaster cast enables them to get around so they can remain part of the class. Special Provisions allow students to learn and demonstrate what they know by reducing the impact of their learning disability. Special Provisions therefore have the potential to create a level playing field.

Both ACARA (NAPLAN) and VCAA (VCE) now include Assistive Technology in their Special Provisions. It is articulated both for in school assessments, learning environments and formal exams, under specific conditions.

Using assistive technology, aides or other special arrangements to complete classroom learning and/or undertake assessment tasks, enables students to participate in classroom learning and access all assessment tasks in their study program. Computers, specialist software, recording devices and other technology can be made available to help students to complete work. VCAA have cautioned schools, to consult with VCAA, if they are considering new technology.

Additionally, VCAA recommends that if a school intends to support students with view to applications to VCAA in the future, schools should trial such technologies.

Assistive Technologies (e.g. text to voice software, electronic reader)

Given VCAA’s recommendations for trials for Assistive Technologies (AT) in VCE, it is only prudent that we trial these in our Learning Plus classrooms and beyond, in order to prepare our students for their potential use in VCE exams. However, more importantly we want to provide our students with experiences that support them in attaining a level playing field so they can learn and access the curriculum across all their classes.

To that end, we have been researching together with our students, the use of number Assistive Technologies. Some of the technologies have been researched and trialled, others are currently being used in classrooms beyond Learning Plus and still others are soon to be trialled.

The following Assistive Technologies cover text to voice and voice to text software, electronic readers and planning and editing technologies.

C-Pen

Students found that the C-pen read hard copies provide definitions to words they do not understand, records lessons and converts them to text. Students also found some limitations. These included; its high cost and its inability to scan soft copies. Overall, the C-pen received a resounding thumbs up, prompting the following comments, “it helps people develop confidence”, “and adults will not always be around so the C-pen helps you to read for yourself”. Trials in the classroom will commence shortly.

Edrolo

Years 11 and 12 students found this technology extremely beneficial, particularly for text heavy subjects with a large number of definitions to learn. Students shared the following: “it reinforces what is learnt in the classroom”, “the quizzes are good to see where your gaps are and what you need to work on”, “notes are simplified” and “it gives us the opportunity to revisit concepts that we discussed in class, at our own pace, we can stop and start it when we need”.

Natural Reader

This technology reads text to the student. Students found that it can be used to read back essays, assisting with editing and spelling. The senior girls use a this technology frequently. They download all their VCE textbooks onto Natural Reader and then play it aloud when answering questions, looking for information, studying.

Speech to Text

Once again, there are a number of programs available. This particular assistive technology will convert spoken work into text.

Audio Files

This has been very popular with our Years 11 and 12 students. Students make audio files from word documents. These in turn can then be saved into iTunes or onto a desktop. This way they can be replayed. As one student commented, “it’s a great way to learn your speech for orals!”

We have been excited to see our students embrace the technologies and equip them with the means to access the curriculum as any other student without a learning challenge.

Mrs Elka Gaensler
Head of Learning Plus