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Somerset Parent Carers Conference

There is a wealth of AT stuff to get to grips with. Some free! Some AT is subscription based. Be careful what you agree to! A list of current hardware – some old, some new ​. Some are really pricey. ​ Scanmarker Pen https://editmicro.co.za/product/scanmarker-pro/ ​ Scanning Pens – https://www.scanningpens.com ​ Lexilens- https://www.lexilens.com​ Olympus DS9000-…

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WDA SENco & teachers AT training morning

This is the place where you can access the information I shared at this day. All the links are on the presentation which will be sent out to participants but also duplicated here for ease of access. New Stuff – not promoting but giving you information and a chance to see these products  Ivvi – https://ivvi.app – £30 monthly, £300 per year, £495 for 3 years  Scanmaker – £39.99…

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Last day of the show and shamelessly I am picking up freebies from the suppliers. Sorry, but it’s true to give the most suitable ones to my daughter. In doing so had a great conversation with Douglas Stewart supplier on the nuance directed hearing device. Here are some photos to explain what you do Because Scott was speaking the directional light was on and as the sound at the exhibition is quite loud this dimmed it and gave me the direction to listen to Scott Also a useful bendy connector that doesn’t cause your audio jack to be damaged if pulled unexpectedly. Another company making STEM kit that might be of interest is PIPER they have kits that can be built into action items such as robot walking dog illustrated here Lastly, apart from the colourful jacket this Maths software could be of real benefit to pupils with special needs. Magma Maths take a look and see if you agree. A simple interface that wouldn’t put pupils off. Finally I did meet a turtle and asked for a selfie

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Well this should be simple to report on for our only caught one new product and visited my old friends Texthelp (now called Everway) . Seek them out on SK41. As to Everway they have new AI assisted voices added to their free ReadWrite extension for Google Chrome. They give better pronunciation and inflection to their speech engine. You might need to re-install to get them. But if you go into Settings and Speech you will see AI assisted voices. I am saying this as I missed it myself. Odoo.com/education Odoo is a Belgian based company giving pupils and students experience of running a business. I think it will help any business studies module. Not particularly designed to be accessible but I think the process would work well for students with different needs. It is a business software available for teachers. It’s free to use and puts the user into the position of running a business and the different process in an engaging way using WhatsApp like features. … and that’s it

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As is my tradition I write up the things I saw and the things I did. First of all , BETT 2025 is 40 years old and they produced this T-Shirt with my name of it. The second thing in life with my name on it after the High Speed Train In relation to what I did I was involved in a panel discussion on AT and Higher Education with my old friend and colleague Dave Banes and Kellie Mote from JISC, So what I saw that took my eye. Well, nothing mind blowing but some interesting stuff. There is usually a trend at BETT. This year it’s AI. AI is everywhere on the stands from Microsoft’s Co-Pilot and Agents ( yet to understand what they do!) to AI powered systems in vendors products. BrainFreeze offers an AI system for education . You can sign up for a free version showing its potential. I haven’t got access yet but will feedback later on this product which is offering discounts at the moment. Scanning Pens have a new pen out which works with over 40 languages has a new colour display and is a mini computer in your pocket. Robotpen is a device that can be used to solve Maths problems and has an AI-powered tutor that answers your questions. It can be used with an app and also link to larger devices Jam-Coding good to see them at BETT. I was impressed by their scheme on coding. I especially like their work with autism. That’s because the owner – Roger – is autistic themselves. They are promoting a 50% discount on their E-safety workshops and Free E-Safety resources for E-Safety week. CherryPot is a Korean company promoting Maths skills and tools which prompts and helps students learn Maths concepts. Bow Tie Maths is a UK teacher inspired idea that helps pupils work on their Maths and find their gaps. Well worth a look to see if it can help your pupils. Designed for GCSE Maths and a good tool for revision. Catch Box is an audio capture device that you can literally throw around the room! In a lovely soft cube that is dribble proof this might be a solution for a special needs classroom but other devices apply. Plex is a company that work with HE/FE in giving students information about university and college building about the amount of people in a lecture room. It also identifies quiet spaces for students to use if they are feeling stress. It’s cloud-based so could work on a browser or you could use a large display. It works through counting people coming in and out of buildings. It doesn’t take personal details if you were worried about that! See the large screen display below Well that’s from Day 1. Report back on Day 2.

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Strategies for Thriving as a Digital Nomad with Disabilities 

 Image by Freepik  Adopting a digital nomad lifestyle allows for a balance of independence and opportunity, particularly for individuals with disabilities. Careful preparation and adaptability play a key role in navigating the challenges that come with this way of living. Using accessible technology and engaging in remote learning helps expand knowledge and capabilities. Staying informed about…

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ceased trading - but still sharing AT information

Having retired in December 2024 means that I can still share things of interest in the AT world. BETT is coming up and I am on a panel discussing inclusion in higher education. For more details of that go to:- “Myles will be at BETT, participating in a panel discussion in the Higher Education theatre on Wednesday 22nd January. You can find all the details at this link:…

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Episode 78 - 40 years of Assistive Technology

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-9jc3t-178c992 Looking back over my career

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WDA Newsletter - Issue 10 - deceMber 2024

I have to say another fabulous resource produced by Caroline Fowke for our local Dyslexia Association. Jam packed with useful content, information and Christmas resources. Well done Caroline! WDA newsletter – Issue 10 – 2024Download

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Greetings to all

Thank you for a great year and to appreciate all what we have achieved together. I just wanted to wish you and yours a Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year,

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retirement!

This is advance notice that at the end of December 2024 I shall be retiring and therefore winding up AccessAbility Solutions. I am 72 yrs old and due to a medical incident earlier this year which has led to a pacemaker fitted my body is telling me to slow down. In fact, I have always said that if my body is telling me this I should retire so that is my cue! I have worked in the Special Needs…

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techability 2024

As always a great show that takes me back to my roots in education which was special educational needs teacher for severe and profound learning disabilities. In terms of new kit Dr Paul Blenkhorn and David Stephens have some exciting additions coming to their Sensory Readable software in the new year. Making use of Voice Access Control and Live captioning there are going to be new features that…

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assisitve technology for adults in the workplace

With the advent of Access to Work a goverment initiative that enables employees to access a range of services including asissitve technology has a significant impact on the workplace. So what kinds of technology and what needs can assistive technology help with differently abled people ( like this term as the more negetaive term – disabled people). Sensory Impairments Asisitve technology can…

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discussingai.blog

Take a look at discussingai.blog. There are interesting posts on current work in artificial intelligence. An important subject at the moment and there should be discussion about it. discussingai.blog is set up to allow that discussion to take place, so feel free to comment as ai is here to stay whether we like it or not!

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discussingai.blog

discussingai.blog is now open and ready to take your comments, thoughts and ideas about artificial intelligence. Both Tereza and I feel the way forward is to start a debate on the subject and gather as many uses of ai that people care to share with us. Working collaborative on this subject can help to have a healthy idea of ai and it’s use. We need a balanced and constructive approach which we…

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discussingai.blog

Probably in the next week or two depending on training commitments and family matters I might be launching a new website. Artificial Intelligence has become the “elephant in the room.” Some teachers embrace it, other teachers fear it and still other teachers see it as a threat to critical thinking. It is the buzz word of the moment but what actual research is being done to compare these AI tools…

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making life less stressful with goblin tools

One of my clients introduced me to this invaluable tool for those who feel overwhelmed by the tasks they have to do each day. Wouldn’t it be useful if you could just pour out your thoughts onto a website that just does the organising into tasks for you. Well that is what Compiler does in Goblin Tools does. I just blurted out a list of things that I have just thought of. No need to format or make…