John Ravenscroft

‘Access to learning’ and ‘learning to access’: Analysing the distinctive role of specialist teachers of children and young people with vision impairments in facilitating curriculum access through an ecological systems theory

The move towards greater inclusive practice in recent years has resulted in significant changes in curriculum design, delivery and support for children and young people with vision impairments, including increasing placement in settings not designated for pupils with vision impairments. Within these settings, pupils will participate in most curriculum areas alongside their sighted peers with support provided by a range of practitioners including a specialist teacher of children and young people with vision impairments. This article is concerned with analysing the distinctive function and role of the specialist teacher across settings in helping to facilitate an appropriate balance of curriculum ‘access’. Drawing upon recent work in this area, a dual model of access is presented as a means of illustrating the specialist teacher’s role in (1) ensuring that the child’s environment is structured to promote learning throughout their education (‘access to learning’) and (2) supporting the child to learn distinctive skills in order to afford more independent learning (‘learning to access’). While it can be challenging for specialist teachers to find the balance between these two roles, its importance is highlighted in literature which associates independence skills with positive employment outcomes. An ecological systems theory is used as a lens through which to conceptualise and navigate the issues teachers negotiate in facilitating an appropriate curriculum balance. We illustrate the multi-faceted role of the specialist teacher in providing support ‘within’ and ‘between’ the different ‘systems’ within this theoretical framework with a particular focus on the professional ‘standards’ that are used in England and Scotland, respectively. The article is original in being the first to examine the role of the specialist teacher of children and young people with vision impairments through such an analysis. In providing a theoretical framework and related vocabulary illustrated with examples from practice, it therefore has significance for educators and researchers concerned with facilitating curriculum access across national contexts and educational settings in order to reduce future barriers to learning and participation.

Size Counts: The Significance of Size, Font and Style of Print for Readers with Low Vision Sitting Examinations

This Paper is based on a study commissioned by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (Aitken, S., Ravenscroft, J., Buultjens, M. & Carey, K., 1998)1 which examined the effects of font, size and styles of print for students with low vision undertaking examinations such as GCSE, A Levels and Highers in the UK. It confirmed the importance of individualisation in these matters and identified that font, size and style affect speed and accuracy. The study raised important issues for those presenting students for examinations and for examination boards with respect to adapting and modifying print papers. Helvetica N24 plain text emerged as the most generally accessible font, size and style.

Transition, Inclusion and Partnership: Child-, Parent- and Professional-led Approaches in a European Research Project

This paper utilises qualitative and quantitative findings from the Facilitating Inclusive Education and Supporting the Transition Agenda (FIESTA) project that carried out a survey of professionals and focus groups/interviews with parents and children to understand the context of transition, inclusion and collaborative working. The paper contrasts parent, professional and pupil views of different approaches to transition for pupils with additional support requirements in the partner EU countries of the FIESTA project (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Romania, Catalonia/Spain and Scotland/the United Kingdom). Transition from pre-school to primary school and from primary to secondary school is a period where professionals begin to meet and exchange knowledge. Although many significant developments have taken place, transition remains very challenging for European countries. This paper differentiates between transitions led by professionals, parents and children. It analyses transition practices in order to make recommendations on how we can move beyond rigid approaches to inclusion, shift power relations in service settings and enable more flexible, participatory and inter-relational approaches.

Communication access for a student with multiple disabilities: an interdisciplinary collaborative approach

This case study highlights the challenges and outcomes of implementing assistive technology for a 17 year old school student with a profound hearing loss, and significant physical disabilities. It demonstrates the importance of a collaborative team approach and the benefits for the student of using assistive technology with regards to the development of self determination and social relationships. This article is of benefit for inter-professional teams working in special education, particularly with students with multiple disabilities.

A Novel Method of Notification to Profile Childhood Visual Impairment in Scotland to Meet the Needs of Children with Visual Impairment.

The purpose of this study is to pilot a new notification system for children with visual impairment (VI) and describe the initial summary findings. A system of notification of children in Scotland with VI was established. Information concerning this system was distributed to professionals working with visually impaired children to forward to parents. Parents, teachers and health professionals were all encouraged to notify children with VI. 975 families with children with (VI) were notified and received information and support from Visual Impairment Scotland (VIS). For this review, the data from 850 parents were included in the analysis. The provision of a range of support services for parents and children with VI has led to a wide range of children being notified to VIS. The causes of VI can be recorded as well as other useful demographic information. The methods used could be applied across the range of low incidence childhood disabilities.

Factors associated with successful transition among children with disabilities in eight European countries

Introduction This research paper aims to assess factors reported by parents associated with the successful transition of children with complex additional support requirements that have undergone a transition between school environments from 8 European Union member states. Methods Quantitative data were collected from 306 parents within education systems from 8 EU member states (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain and the UK). The data were derived from an online questionnaire and consisted of 41 questions. Information was collected on: parental involvement in their child’s transition, child involvement in transition, child autonomy, school ethos, professionals’ involvement in transition and integrated working, such as, joint assessment, cooperation and coordination between agencies. Survey questions that were designed on a Likert-scale were included in the Principal Components Analysis (PCA), additional survey questions, along with the results from the PCA, were used to build a logistic regression model. Results Four principal components were identified accounting for 48.86% of the variability in the data. Principal component 1 (PC1), ‘child inclusive ethos,’ contains 16.17% of the variation. Principal component 2 (PC2), which represents child autonomy and involvement, is responsible for 8.52% of the total variation. Principal component 3 (PC3) contains questions relating to parental involvement and contributed to 12.26% of the overall variation. Principal component 4 (PC4), which involves transition planning and coordination, contributed to 11.91% of the overall variation. Finally, the principal components were included in a logistic regression to evaluate the relationship between inclusion and a successful transition, as well as whether other factors that may have influenced transition. All four principal components were significantly associated with a successful transition, with PC1 being having the most effect (OR: 4.04, CI: 2.43–7.18, p<0.0001). Discussion To support a child with complex additional support requirements through transition from special school to mainstream, governments and professionals need to ensure children with additional support requirements and their parents are at the centre of all decisions that affect them. It is important that professionals recognise the educational, psychological, social and cultural contexts of a child with additional support requirements and their families which will provide a holistic approach and remove barriers for learning.