OK i agree with you, but waht do you do when all you get from the LEA is a straight "No because we don't allow laptops" and as hard as you try you still get the moronic corporate answer.

or the other wonderful answer " we only allow laptops when the student is on a placement" really what difference does it make wether the student is on placement or not, if the needs assessor considers that the student needs a laptop then it should be supplied. the LEA's seem to delight in blocking.

John

John Barker
Disability Technology Manager
Disability and Dyslexia Service
Room L206
Learning Resources Centre
University of Glamorgan
Treforest
Pontypridd
Glamorgan

Tel: 01443 483742

Email: [log in to unmask]



-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support staff. on behalf of Ian Webb
Sent: Wed 10/11/2004 18:04
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Laptop provision through the DSA
 
This is back an old argument that has reigned for a long time. Laptop 
versus Desktop. 

I believe that all students should be given a laptop and that to award a 
desktop should require a special and detailed rational. This rational  is 
in line with schools and colleges and for no other reason.

However I can and do agree that it is often a better option for students in 
student accommodation to be allowed a laptop as there is often a lack of 
space for a desk top and where security is an issue a laptop can be 
locked away in a drawer. There has been some interesting work done 
on the ergonomics of laptops over desktops and yet I have seen nothing 
that would make me stop using my laptop and change to a desktop 
especially as I am not a touch typist and even after 30 years of 
keyboarding I still prefer to look at the keyboard when typing glancing at 
the screen to check from time to time.

All these arguments were put to the DfES when they asked for rationales 
as to which should be recommended unfortunately it was the ergonomic 
argument that pushed the decision towards desktops as the cost of 
making a laptop ergonomic made it an expensive option. I often see 
students using their desktop on the floor as they have neither no desk or 
space for one; not sure the ergonomic argument has an answer to this 
one, except that a laptop is going to be easier to handle. 

Today laptops are indeed similar in price to desktops and whilst I do not 
wish to cloud the issue with a reference to the costs you quote I think 
that you have looked at high specification machines well beyond the 
needs of the average student. For most students the cost of a laptop 
would be around £525 and would buy a Celeron 2.6ghz, 256MB RAM, 
40GB, DVD-CDWRITERr, 14" TFT, 56k modem, Lan, Windows XP 
Home, this is more than ample computing power to operate a large 
range of assistive software. A comparable desktop would be the 
Celeron 2.66GHZ, 256mb Ram, 40gb Hard Drive, i810  Video Card, 
Sound Card,  DVD/CDWriter Rom, Speakers, 56k Internal Modem, 
NIC,Microsoft Mouse,  Keyboard,  Motherboard, Windows XP Pro and 17" 
CRT monitor which costs around £500. Warranties for both are the 
same and suppliers seem to have no difficulties supporting either 
machine.

Given that we now have a number of cases where a student has been 
awarded a desktop as an undergraduate and then as a postgraduate 
needs a laptop (PGCE students come to mind here) the issue of a 
laptop in the first place would make it a very cheap option to having to 
replace or rent later on.

Just a few thoughts and I would welcome a debate on this area.


-- 
Ian Webb
Disability Adviser
MNADO

"We lack wings to fly, but we always have strength enough to fall" 
Paul Claudel