Assistive and Digital Technologies

Subject overview

Our aim is to ensure that all students can use technology to improve their independence and their employment opportunities. All students at RNC are provided with bespoke assistive and digital technologies provision.

We know that people’s experiences of using technology are likely to be different and we want to enable students to build on their skills to ensure that they can access their course and develop skills for their future.

We encourage you to use assistive technology, including Braille displays, screen readers and/or large print.

Duration of programme

Assistive and Digital Technologies provision is encouraged for the duration of your time at RNC.

Requirements

During your Pre-Entry Assessment we will work with you to identify the skills you currently have and the areas where you may need to develop to enable you to achieve an independent working medium using technology.

What does the course involve?

As a Microsoft Centre we encourage the use of Windows devices and provide you with a laptop for the duration of your studies. The laptop is installed with your preferred assistive technology (Fusion, JAWS, ZoomText, Supernova or NVDA).

If your preferred working medium is Braille, you will be encouraged to use a Braille Display with your laptop so that you are able to have the benefit of accessing both the screen-reader and Braille output.

In the first year of your Assistive and Digital Technologies programme, you will be guided through our bespoke RNC Skills Profiling curriculum to ensure that you have the skills for your main areas of study.

You will develop skills in many of the Microsoft Office applications using your preferred assistive technology. We also support skills development using Apple iOS software where appropriate or requested.

You will develop skills in how to present visually appealing documents and check the accessibility of them. You will be able to access, edit, format, check and share a range of file types.

Our Skills Profiles are grouped depending on difficulty and they provide a structured sequence of small-steps for progression. The three stages are:

• Essential
• Intermediate
• Advanced

The Essential elements will ensure you have the skills to independently access your programme of study and the Intermediate and Advanced elements expand your knowledge and ensure that you have digital skills for your next steps, whether that be continued education or employment.

How you’ll learn

You will be taught within a group, but not necessarily as a group. You will be encouraged to develop the skills that you need and will be supported on an individual basis to gain these skills.

Your digital skills development will be taught alongside you developing your use of your chosen assistive technologies.

Using personal devices

Many of you will come to RNC with your own devices, some of you will be confident in their use, others will need support. We will encourage you to use our devices in the classroom but will also support you to gain a better understanding of your personal devices. We can support you with making the most of accessibility features on your devices, such as speech or large print.

You will have the opportunity to support and be supported by your peers. This can be invaluable, as you are able to learn from each other and discuss what works for you.

How you’ll be assessed

• Skills Profiling activities which will enable us to build on your skills and assess your knowledge.
• Diagnostic Tasks that give a snapshot of current skill levels within an application or program.
• Day-to-day questioning and feedback.