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RE assessments - he should be entitled to an assessment through an HE assessment centre. http://www.nadp-uk.org/resources/links.php EA from emptech.info was also compiling a map of centres, but this doesn't seem to be public yet (EA?). Also, http://www.techdis.ac.uk/ may be able to help find an appropriate centre. Cheers. Simon -----Original Message----- From: A discussion list for Assistive Technology professionals. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ian F. Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 10:23 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Advice please - spinal injury Hi Wonder if anyone can offer any advice. A student with a spinal injury contacted me today. He says he cannot attempt to sit and read or use a computer for even brief periods because of chronic pain, and that he is only comfortable when he is lying flat on his back, when there is "no pressure on the spine". I don't have access to the details of his condition at this time. He asked for advice on aids that could allow him to read and undertake computer based coursework tasks while lying flat on his back. He thought some way of "projecting the pages of a book onto a screen over his head" might work. I made some basic suggestions he didn't think would help. In the end, I could only suggest some specialist equipment suppliers he could investigate and that he might want to contact AbilityNet or local British Computer Society volunteers. The student studies at University of Essex and I think he could benefit from expertise I'm not able to offer. Is there a specialist assessment service I can refer him to, or tell him to ask to be referred to by his GP or Social Services, where he can try out potential aids and adaptations that allow him to use computer equipment and read in bed that take into account any medical implications of his condition, ideally in the London or Essex area? Any suggestions on how best to advise this student will be gratefully received. If necessary, I can approach his local education authority to pay for a specialist assessment. However, I'm concerned that the nature of the assessment might require involvement of medical specialists, which might not happen if a private assssment is arranged. It wasn't possible to explore his current treatment but I got the impression he is struggling to get medical support that he's happy with, as he also asked if I knew of any charities he could approach to pay for surgery. Maybe people know of a good spinal injuries organisation I can refer him to that can provide practical, realistic advice and support e.g. arranging appropriate treatment through the NHS, understanding why treatment isn't being offered, pursuing alternative options etc? Thanks in advance for any suggestions people come up with. Regards Ian Francis ********************************************************************** This message may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient please accept our apologies. Please do not disclose, copy or distribute information in this e-mail or take any action in reliance on its contents: to do so is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. Please inform us that this message has gone astray before deleting it. Thank you for your co-operation. NHSmail is used daily by over 100,000 staff in the NHS. Over a million messages are sent every day by the system. To find out why more and more NHS personnel are switching to this NHS Connecting for Health system please visit www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/nhsmail **********************************************************************