Andy
And a Merry Christmas to you too.
At the risk of teaching grandmothers... - LEA's are only people and some of
them have a limited understanding of technology. Have you tried writing to
this one (to a named person) pointing out that you actually met this child
(the others don't seem to have), pointing out your credentials and repeating
what you recommend and why, including that he needs the equipment urgently.
Regards
Liz T.
At 17:02 08/12/97 GMT, you wrote:
>Hello All, I come out of my hidey-hole on rare occasions but here's an item
>for thought.
>
>For those who do not know me, I work for Computability (National Charity,
>Advice and Information, Independant of sale and supply, Freephone helpline),
>warmest seasonal greetings to you all!
>
>I had a young lad in for a personal assessment on switch input issues. Mum
>and dad were getting a little stressed with school, the statement process,
>provision of equipment etc.
>
>We went through some different concepts and the usual suspects, SAW, WIVIK,
>HANDS-OFF, EZ-KEYS - and found that for the purposes which he requires, AND
>his own PERSONAL PREFFERENCE, EZ-KEYS was the right choice. (Reasons
>included: support issues; flexibility of interface with a range of software;
>the nature of the mouse control; the flexibility of setup, including the
>ability to setup himself (14yrs old); the style of the interface; and most
>of all, when USING them ALL, he got on best with EZ-KEYS and made a strong
>preference.)
>
>I wrote a short report to help with acquisition, explaining the above,
>assuming that this would help secure funds and get the equipment he
>requires. School does exactly what was expected and contacted various
>organisations to check if this is a valid recommendation (who's this Andy
>Clarke fellow anyway?).
>
>Guess what......Ace say SAW is best, Foundation say HANDS-OFF is best, both
>agree EZ-KEYS is to expensive. This results in a very confused LEA IT
>provider, and a frustrated mum and dad when told they can't have the
>software, which we proved during an assessment, is best for their son.
>
>I'm not poking fingers, and I'm NOT blaming people for ANYTHING, as
>answering a query to the best of our knowledge, in any position, is the best
>any of us can do. What I would say, is that if someone calls with this sort
>of enquiry, we must where possible, ask the question "Where has this
>information come from, and, on what premise have these recommendations been
>made?". I know I'm a little guilty on this point, like everyone!
>
>I know a lot of members of this group, assess a lot of people, which helps
>to provide methods for development for thousands of individuals, each year.
>I would like to try and bridge some gaps where people are falling, and this
>seems like one of them.
>
>I read this through and perhaps it does sound like a whinge, but I think
>it's a point worth raising if an individual is now left without equipment
>for another school year, while parents contest the LEA's decision.
>
>I welcome contact, as always.
>
>Thanks for reaching the bottom. Kind Regards, Andy.
>
>
>
>
>
>Andy Clarke, Consultant
>The Computability Centre
>PO Box 94, Warwick CV34 5WS
>email: [log in to unmask]
>fax: 01926 311 345
>tel: 01926 312 847
>
>
>
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