Gnvq ict - advanced

ICT SOLUTIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL
NEEDS (7331)
About This Unit
This unit gives you the opportunity to investigate the provision of ICT software andhardware, dedicated to people with special needs, and to assess whether this equipmenthas improved the quality of life of users with special needs.
• explore why there is a need for dedicated equipment and discover what special • consider issues related to relevant legislation• match hardware and software available to users with particular needs and analyse its • investigate possible areas for future development.
This unit links with Advanced Unit 9: Impact of ICT on society. It also has close linkswith Advanced Unit 4: Systems installation and configuration, as you will explorespecific user requirements in terms of hardware and software.
This unit may be useful for a career in the caring field, using your ICT skills.
This unit will be assessed through your portfolio work only. The grade on thatassessment will be your grade for this unit.
What You Need To Learn
Types of Impairment
There are many reasons why a person might need extra support to undertake certainactivities. For example, a person may have a sensory impairment (e.g. visual or hearingimpairment), mobility or language difficulties.
You must learn how different impairments, which may affect learning, also effect auser’s access to information because of: • a lack of motor control or dexterity• having limited use of limbs• a lack of spatial awareness• having a short attention span• having a language difficulty e.g. dyslexia.
ICT Solutions for People with Special Needs Having studied these different types of impairments, you need to be able to identify howICT facilities can help support a user with special needs to gain access to informationand carry out other activities.
There are many pieces of legislation which relate to the provision of support for peoplewith special needs, including: • Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons’ Act (CSDPA) (1970)• Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) (1995)• Telecommunications Act (1984)• Equal Opportunities policies.
You need to know the detail of the legislation. You need to learn how legislationaffects the requirements for support of people with specific needs (for example in theworkplace) and what requirements it makes of organisations and individuals involved insupporting people with special needs.
Provision Currently Available
Current provision includes different types of hardware and software that give access toother systems or have been modified so that a person with a specific impairment ordifficulty can use them. You need to learn about hardware including: • incoming speech amplifiers and induction loops• speech synthesisers• special monitors (for example, touch screens)• text pay telephones and fax machines• controllers such as air pressure and light beam controllers.
You also need to learn about software, and what special features are incorporated tohelp people with special needs, including: • Typetalk (relay service for the deaf)• TED (Telephone Exchange for the Deaf)• voice recognition techniques• environmental control systems• the Internet• Success Maker• educational applications software.
ICT Solutions for People with Special Needs Specially adapted media are also available to suit people with special needs. You needto learn about media including: • enlarged telephone number buttons• colour contrasting• reports on audio tape• documents produced in large print/Braille• bills read to customers over the telephone• notched telephone cards.
Having investigated current provision you will be able to identify what facilities aremost suitable for a person with special needs.
Matching Special Needs with ICT Solutions
When designing an ICT solution to match the needs of a person with special needs it isimportant to be able to gather background information on the type of impairment ordifficulty that the person has. You need to be able to: • identify relevant sources of information, for example organisations and exhibitions• interpret this information in relation to the hardware, software and specially adapted • relate the general information to the specific requirements of the person.
Once you have investigated this information, you must be able to present yourrecommendations for an ICT solution in a way that: • recognises the impairment of the person with special needs• takes into account that the user may not understand technical ICT terminology• is of a professional standard, ie well presented in a user-friendly way and free of It is important to analyse how well a recommended solution meets the needs of a personwith special needs by referring to the original requirements of the system. By doingthis, the benefits and limitations of the recommended system can be identified.
ICT Solutions for People with Special Needs Areas for Development of New Products
Current provision meets many people’s needs very well. However, future developmentsin ICT may have an even greater impact upon many people with special needs.
You need to learn about recent developments designed to support users with specialneeds, including: • use of voice commands• MOBIC (mobility of blind and elderly people interacting with computers)• gesture recognition (computer understands ‘talk’ in sign language)• cyber speech (text turned into speech and lip movement)• expert advice (headset-mounted video conference system)• virtual reality• multimedia terminal equipment.
Having investigated the recent developments you must be able to identify where furtherdevelopments could be made to more closely match the needs of users.
Standard Ways of Working
See Unit 1: Presenting information for full details of the standard ways of working youneed to know and use. This is a shortened version of the requirements written to applyspecifically to this unit.
Standard ways of working exist to help people to manage their work effectively. Youmust learn to: • edit and save work regularly, using appropriate names for your documents• store your work where you and others can easily find it• keep dated backup copies of files on another disk and in another location• keep a log of ICT problems you met and how you solved them• protect confidentiality and observe copyright laws avoid bad posture, physical stress, eyestrain and hazards from workplace layout.
ICT Solutions for People with Special Needs To achieve a grade A you must also
show you can:
To achieve a grade C you must also
show you can:
a recommendation for ICT solutions which match the needs of three users who have different types of impairment, Assessment Evidence
listing suitable equipment for use by each special needs, how each affects a user’s access to information and how legislation identify at least three areas where current an analysis of different types of special needs, how they affect the individual’s access to information and aspects of legislation which relate to an evaluation of current provision with recommendations for future developments in ICT to meet the needs of users with special needs.
You must produce
To achieve a grade E you must show
ICT Solutions for People with Special Needs Guidance For Teachers
Teaching Strategies
ICT has been a strengthening force, which has given industry the opportunity to designhardware, and software that raises the quality of many peoples’ lives. Thedevelopments in ICT have had a great impact upon many people with special needs.
Candidates need to investigate the range of special needs that people have and the waysin which ICT can help them. This should include adaptations which allow people withdisabilities to access ICT, such as the use of switches to allow someone who cannot usea keyboard and mouse to use word processing software. It should also include facilitieswhich use ICT to enable people with disabilities to function more effectively or be moreindependent, for example the use of voice synthesisers for those who cannot speak, ortext phones to enable the deaf to communicate by telephone.
The purpose of this unit is to provide candidates with an understanding of the range ofspecial needs people have, the legislation that is in place to provide for those needs andthe ICT solutions that are available. They will need to be able to match solutions to theneeds of specific users. Candidates should also be encouraged to consider futuredevelopments in this area, both in terms of how current ICT solutions for specificspecial needs may be of benefit to society in general, and in terms of developments toovercome special needs that have not yet been met.
British Telecom offers some exceptionally good publications with regards tohighlighting the needs of users with special needs. The book, which is free on request,called Putting Disability on the Agenda provides extensive information that wouldcomplement the unit. Another good publication is The BT Guide to Equipment andServices for Disabled Customers. Information may also be found in Social Trends,published annually by HMSO.
Many of the examples given in this unit originate from BT; however, there are othersources available.
There are many events that could be arranged for candidates to attend. They includedemonstrations and exhibitions. Examples of such events include: • British Deaf Association Congress• National Association of Citizens’ Advice Bureaux Conference• Naidex International• European Day of Disabled Persons• Muscular Dystrophy Conference• Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Conference.
Many of the examples of hardware, software and media given in the unit can be seen atexhibitions or through videos supplied by the producers of the goods. A considerablenumber of the BT products can be seen in action if requested.
ICT Solutions for People with Special Needs Candidates may find it useful to create a database to catalogue all the information that isgathered about the hardware and software available. From this, information may beeasily extracted in the form of a report or query.
This unit would be ideal for candidates who had not had the opportunity to seespecialised ICT equipment for people with special needs and may provide an interestingtopic for the candidates to assess the facilities available for candidates with specialneeds in their educational establishment. If the Centre has links with special schools,these could be explored or links could be made. It would enhance the learning of thecandidates if they could gain access to people with special needs and the equipmentdedicated for their use. Candidates should understand and see the equipment in use andassess its limitations, suggesting alternatives.
The list of legislatory requirements should be updated according to any laws amended.
Assessment Strategies
The result of your assessment of candidate evidence is an overall mark for the unit.
This is then used to generate a unit grade. It also contributes to the total mark for thequalification, which in turn is used to generate a qualification grade.
The mark you award must take into account the extent to which the evidence matchesboth the unit pass standards, represented by the set of criteria in the grade E column ofthe grid, and the grading standards, represented progressively by the criteria in the gradeC and grade A columns. Thus the overall mark you determine for a particular candidateis based on best-fit judgements of the evidence against successive sets of criteriapresented as cumulative grade descriptions for grades E, C and A.
When making these judgements you should consider the following general qualities thatdistinguish between the grades: • increasing depth and breadth of understanding• increasing evaluation, analysis and synthesis• increasing independence and initiative.
To achieve an E grade, candidates should aim to provide evidence that covers all therequirements stated in the E grade criteria of the assessment grid. It may be howeverthat a candidate demonstrates considerable effort and skill in some areas at the expenseof precise detail in another. Professional judgement should be used to decide what is areasonable expectation of candidates and whether the stated quality and sufficiencyrequirements have, on balance, been met.
Candidates must identify and explain in detail ICT solutions for three individuals withdifferent special needs. They must list suitable equipment for use by each individualalong with possible alternatives and present their recommendations in a way that is easyfor the user to follow.
ICT Solutions for People with Special Needs The candidate’s report on their analysis of special needs provision must clearly describethe differences between special needs, how each affects the individual’s access toinformation and how legislation affects the requirements for support for people withspecial needs. They must also identify at least three areas where current provision isunsatisfactory and suggest how developments in ICT could meet these needs in thefuture.
To achieve a grade C, candidates must give detailed explanations of their reasons forchoosing the particular equipment for each of the three individuals with special needs.
The explanations must show how their knowledge, skills and understanding ofspecialised equipment have led to their conclusions. They must produce well presentedand accurate information in their recommendations to each user, ensuring the accuracyof the information by cross-referencing a wide variety of sources.
Candidates should carefully plan their work and work independently to meet a givendeadline, once they have acquired the necessary knowledge and understanding. Thisrequirement does not mean without teacher intervention or assistance, rather it meansthat candidates do not display undue dependence. The agreed deadline may be re-negotiated between the candidate and teacher to take into account unforeseencircumstances. They should monitor their progress in carrying out their investigationinto special needs and possible ICT solutions and change their plans if necessary.
To achieve a grade A, candidates must analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the ICTsolutions they suggest and include in their recommendations to each user a discussion ofthe potential limitations of their proposed solution in relation to the budget available,considering both realistic and idealistic aims and objectives.
In the report of their analysis of special needs provision candidates must makeconclusions about the affects of legislation on people with special needs and therequirements it makes on organisations and individuals involved in supporting them.
They must evaluate the impact that hardware and software designed for people withspecial needs may have on society in general in the future.
ICT Solutions for People with Special Needs Key Skills Guidance
This guidance is specific to this unit, but for delivery and planning purposes, it shouldbe read in the context of the whole VCE. Please refer to the whole qualification forfurther information.
The guidance has been split into two sections: keys to attainment and signposts. Thetwo sections should be used in conjunction with each other.
The section on keys to attainment indicates the aspects of the key skills that candidatesshould develop as they meet the vocational requirements of this unit. It is highlyunlikely that candidates will be able to cover the unit requirements appropriatelywithout addressing these key skills.
The section on signposts indicates opportunities to achieve aspects of key skills that canbe incorporated naturally into candidates’ learning programmes. Candidates should beencouraged to both develop and to produce evidence for these aspects of the key skills,but they may need to develop additional evidence elsewhere to ensure that therequirements of the key skills units are fully met.
Keys To Attainment
They should have achieved the following keyskills evidence: Write two different types of
(They must select and use a form of writing that is appropriate to their and include at least one image.
purpose and complex subjectmatter; organise relevantinformation clearly and coherently,using specialist vocabulary whenappropriate; and ensure their textis legible and their spelling,grammar and punctuation areaccurate, so their meaning isclear.) ICT Solutions for People with Special Needs Signposts
There may be opportunities for them todevelop the following key skills evidence: (They must make clear andrelevant contributions in a waythat suits the purpose andsituation; listen and respondsensitively to others, and developpoints and ideas; and createopportunities for others tocontribute when appropriate.)• gathering background from two extended documents about
one image.
information they need; identifyaccurately, and compare, the linesof reasoning and main points fromtext and images; and synthesisethe key information in a form thatis relevant to their purpose.)• using statistical information (They must carry out calculationsto an appropriate level ofaccuracy, clearly showing theirmethods; and check methods andresults to help ensure errors arefound and corrected.) ICT Solutions for People with Special Needs LP3.2 Take responsibility for your learning by using your plan and seeking feedback and support from relevant sources to help meet targets. Improveyour performance by learning through a complex practical activity and by studying a complex subject.
and establish evidence of achievements including how you have used learning from other tasks to meet new demands.
option for solving the problem, review progress and revise your approach as necessary.
PS3.3 Apply agreed methods to check if the proble m has been solved, describe the results and review your approach to problem solving.
ICT Solutions for People with Special Needs

Source: http://www.mrfountain.me.uk/College/SixthForm/VCE/Unit%2012%20Spec%20(Solutions%20special%20needs).pdf