Disability projects
Projects have been completed with a variety of disabilities.
These include:
- Psychiatric disabilities
- Hearing and vision impairment
- Learning difficulties
- Aspergers Syndrome
- ADHD
- Acquired brain injury.
CYOC Le@rn
CY O'Conner College of TAFE Northam WA
This project was directed at young people with autism and autism spectrum disorder also described as "high functioning" doing the WA accredited unit: Develop Interpersonal Skills in a Supportive Environment 2A. The project emphasised interpersonal and career planning skills.
Project facilitators settled with online gaming and using MySpace for encouraging social interaction.
M-Learning and Employability Skills for Learners with Disabilities
Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE (NMIT)
This project targeted learners with intellectual disabilities. The project acknowledged differing learning styles and the need for social and communication skills linked to m-learning. Cert I in Work Education and Cert I in Transition Education linked to industry visits, work experience, travel training and guest speakers.
There were many small but significant learnings from engaging this group via mobile phones. 2 outsanding examples include social inclusion of students with asbergers, and the capacity of keeping students with adhd attentive to the task.
Smart Phone Training for workers with disabilities
GOAL Training and Development (GTD) and Compass
Goal Training in conjunction with Compass Group Australia developed a trial of Smart Phone based Training content to deliver components of a nationally accredited Hygiene Unit to a number of their catering staff with hearing impairments and other learning disabilities in regional and metropolitan locations.
The content included text, videos, audio, digital images, sign language and captioned samplings. The trial also included assessment components utilizing the various features of the Smart phones including texting and embedded assessments on the phones which can be emailed from any locations or downloaded via synchronization to web based PCs.
E-Pathway to Employment
Barkuma Inc (t/a Disability Training Australia) SA
This project targeted job seekers with an intellectual disability who have low level literacy and numeracy, taking part in the accredited Cert I in Introductory Vocational Education. Activities involved digital storytelling and e-portfolios in blended delivery.
Whilst units were successfully put online, the most successful development was the creation by a participant of online resume’s in Photostory, such that employment officers could go into workplaces with their laptop as part of their tools for promoting employment outcomes for intellectually disabled job seekers.
Case studies and project reports
- Inclusive e-support
The use of SMS and live online chat are now an integral part of the e-counselling service offered by Box Hill Institute of TAFE in Victoria for all students, but especially those with mental health issues. - Challenging e-Wares
Employment-related skills for people with intellectual disabilities have been developed at Challenger TAFE in Western Australia by involving students in the setup and operation of a virtual retail business. - Enabling Your Voice Online
Learners with a physical or learning disability at GippsTAFE in Victoria are now less reliant on text, due to the inclusion of voice tools in their learning resources. - TAFE Outreach Online Learning Tool (TOOL)
Students with a psychiatric disability at St George College of TAFE in New South Wales have taken part in a course teaching them online skills. They found a computer-based environment motivational as it requires less face-to-face contact and allows learning to be more individualised and self-paced. - E-Interpret
Sunshine Coast TAFE in Queensland has evaluated voice technologies for students with hearing impairments in a variety of settings including classrooms, online and the workplace. - Student support services online
TAFE NSW Western Institute has developed a fully accessible and W3C compliant Student Services website featuring roles, information, contacts, links and request forms for Western Institute libraries, counsellors and teacher/consultants for disabilities. People with disabilities can now access support services without having to travel to a TAFE campus. - The Hudson project
This project, led by YUM productions in Victoria, has become a national network. YUM created an online learning network, opportunities and resources for film makers with disabilities and VET practitioners interested in multimedia and film distribution via the web. - office@sunitafe: a café approach for students with learning disabilities
Sunraysia Institute of TAFE (Victoria) sought to identify, understand and nourish the learning styles and needs of students with learning difficulties through the application of appropriate teaching methods that incorporate e-learning. - Access: E-learning for people with disabilities
Challenger TAFE (Western Australia) piloted e-learning delivery strategies using new and emerging learning technologies for learners with disabilities currently studying in employment skills programs. - Inclusive eClassroom: increasing access and options for learners
Wodonga TAFE (Victoria) trialled a blended model of learning that simulcast the delivery of teachers in their traditional classroom into a live e-learning classroom. - E-support classrooms: from a distance
The Open Training and Education Network (OTEN) investigated ways of providing adequate levels of support to ensure successful outcomes for students with disabilities who were studying by distance. - dEadly Learning
The dEadly Learning project provided support for Indigenous people with a disability to attend an internet cafe on a weekly basis to access training and gain confidence in using computers and relevant adaptive technologies. - Play the game: developing literacies with screen-based games
Reservoir Adult Community Education in Victoria researched a range of literacy and numeracy related screen-based games that learners with a range of disabilities could use to enhance their individual learning. - Customising e-learning resources for specific client groups
Four training organisations were commissioned to customise e-learning resources - Flexible Learning Toolboxes - for local client groups that included learners with a disability.
Resources
- Inclusive e-Learning (Learners with Disabilities) case studies
http://www.flexiblelearning.net.au/flx/go/home/projects/2006/inclusive/pid/256 - Inclusive e-Learning research and policy reports
http://www.flexiblelearning.net.au/flx/go/home/projects/2006/inclusive/pid/229 - Guidelines to support learners with disabilities
http://www.flexiblelearning.net.au/flx/go/home/projects/2006/inclusive/pid/230 - Flexible Learning Toolbox: Disability and Mental Health
http://www.flexiblelearning.net.au/toolbox/series4/402.htm
