Responsible bodies, including local authorities, national government and other relevant agencies, are obliged to consider the needs of all pupils with disabilities, and should therefore make provision of accessible learning resources and services for all pupils who have literacy support needs, not just those with a visual impairment.
Around 5% of pupils in Scotland (over 34,000) aged 5-18 have some form of support plan in place to help them access the curriculum. These pupils have additional support needs as a result of a disability or impairment. Because they have difficulty accessing standard print and/or demonstrating their knowledge and understanding, many of this core group of pupils is likely to benefit from materials being made available in alternative formats, either in addition to or instead of standard text.
Each pupil’s requirement for an alternative format may be highly individual and require in-depth knowledge of that pupil. ICT can contribute on a large scale to meet the range of support required through production of accessible formats. Better, more efficient access to a wider range of accessible printed, audio and/or digital multimedia formats will help this process and enable pupils to work more independently.
Our video clips highlight the work carried out by classroom practitioners who support these young people to ensure they have access to adapted digital resources. The young people, from a wide range of settings, illustrate throughout the clips their increased independence when presented with suitably adapted resources. They are able to overcome a whole range of barriers to their learning.