Education

Descriptive Transcript

Assistive Technology for Education

Introduction

[Slide 1: Title slide. Along the top are the logos of “The Wheel: Stronger Charities. Stronger Communities.” and “Training Links, powered by The Wheel”. Below them is the colourful DATTN logo, a ring of multicoloured figures, with the words “Digital and Assistive Technology Training Network”. The title reads “Assistive Technology for Education”. Along the bottom are five cartoon characters: a woman using a powered wheelchair and a laptop that displays “Hello!”, a woman with a white cane holding a smartphone, a person in a green t-shirt holding a phone, a bearded man in a suit holding a tablet, and a blonde woman holding a baby.] Ronan Fox: Hi everyone. So hopefully everyone can see and hear me. I’m just going to give about another minute just to allow people that are coming in to get settled in. So welcome on in everyone. Yeah, if you would just want to drop a thumbs up in the chat, let me know that you’re there. Perfect. Great. And yeah, don’t be afraid to use the reacts throughout. It’s always nice to see it on on my side. OK, so we will get started. So hi everyone. Welcome to the third webinar for the Digital Assistive Technology Training Network. My name is Ronan Fox. I am the senior development officer for the National Learning Network which is part of Rehab Group. I am a middle-aged man. I have spiky dark hair and blue eyes. The aim of this training network is to provide easily accessible quick access micro training and reference guides in five key areas Assistive technology and daily living Assistive technology and communication. Assistive technology in education and assist assistive technology for hobbies. And the final one is assistive technology and work. [Slide 2: “Turning on live captions”. A screenshot of the Microsoft Teams meeting toolbar. The “More” button (three dots) has been selected and its menu is open, with “Language and speech” highlighted. A submenu beside it shows the option “Show live captions”. The small DATTN logo appears in the top right corner of most of the slides that follow.] So just from an accessibility standpoint, to turn on live notifications in Teams, you go to the top toolbar, click on more than, go to language and speech, select show live captions and then the captions will appear on the screen to support accessibility throughout this presentation. [Slide 3: “Training Network Members”. Twelve organisation logos are arranged in four rows of three. Row one: Acquired Brain Injury Ireland, Corlann, Enable Ireland. Row two: Independent Living Movement Ireland, MS Ireland, Muiríosa Foundation. Row three: Parkinson’s Ireland, Rehab Group, St John of God Community Services. Row four: St Michael’s House, Sunbeam House Services, Vision Ireland.] The digital assistive technology training network is made-up of 12 organisations in total. • Acquired Brain Injury • Corlann • Enable Ireland • The Independent Living Movement Ireland • MS Ireland • Marisa Foundation • Parkinson Ireland • St John of God • St Michael’s House • Sunbeam Services • Vision Ireland [Slide 4: “Agenda”. An illustration of a woman in a powered wheelchair using a laptop is on the left. The agenda reads: Welcome and Introduction; Windows Accessibility Features, Dorian Salzmann, Vision Ireland; Microsoft Accessibility Tools/OneNote, Mary Relihan, Enable Ireland; Driving Simulation and Paul’s Story, Ronan Fox, Rehab Group/National Learning Network (NLN); Digi Coaches: Supporting Digital Skills within NLN, Ronan Fox, Rehab Group/NLN; Q&A; Closing.] Today’s session is the third webinar in the Digital Assistive Technology Training Network series and today we will be focusing on assistive technology for education. During the session, we will explore how digital assistive technologies can support students to access information, take part in learning, build confidence and develop greater independence. We have a number of presenters joining us today and I just want to welcome them in. First is Dorian Salzman from Vision Ireland who will begin by looking at Windows accessibility features and and how built in tools can support access and participation. Mary Reelahan from Enable Ireland will then discuss Microsoft accessibility tools and OneNote, including practical supports that can help students with reading, organisation, note taking and learning. As I said, my name is Ronan Fox and my work within National Learning Network focuses on supporting the use of digital tools, emergent technologies and assistive technologies across teaching and learning. I’ll be sharing Paul’s story, an example of how driving simulation supported a past NLN student to build confidence, develop practical skills, and progress towards real world driving. I’ll also speak briefly about the work of the DIGI coaches within NLN, where students are developing digital skills and becoming peer supports for both students and staff. This project was is created by Saint John of God Community Services and I just want to say a massive thank you to Saint John of God for including us in this project. It’s been a massive benefit to the students of NLN and also to the the instructors and staff within our organisation. I do want to let everyone know that the Q&A section is open. If anyone has a question, don’t be afraid to put it either in the chat or in the Q&A section. But I will say that we will get to the the questions at the very end of this presentation. [Slide 5: “What is assistive technology?” An illustration of a bearded man in a suit holding a tablet is on the left. Three points are listed: “A product or system that helps improve a person’s functioning and independence”; “Assistive technology should be person-centred”; “The right solution depends on your preferences, abilities, and lifestyle”.] So before we look at specific tools and examples in today’s session, it is useful to start with a simple question. What is assistive technology? So assistive technology can be any product, system, tool or piece of equipment that helps a person improve their functioning, independence, and participation in education. This might mean supporting a student to read digital content, take notes, communicate, stay organised, access learning materials or participate more fully in class. Assistive technology can be something very simple like captions, a reading support tool, a visual timer or a pair of headphones. It can also be something more advanced like a screen reader, voice control, specialist software or simulation technology. The key point is that assistive technology should be person centred. It is not about giving everyone the same tool, it is about understanding the person, their goals, their strengths and the barriers they’re experiencing. The right solution depends on the students preferences, abilities, learning environment and what they want to achieve. This is why today’s webinar includes a range of examples from built in accessibility features in Windows and Microsoft 365 to OneNote driving simulation and student LED digital support through Digi coaches. [Slide 6: “What is digital assistive technology?” An illustration of a woman with a white cane, holding a smartphone, is on the left. Three points are listed: “Digital assistive technology includes tools that run on phones, tablets, computers or smart devices”; “Digital tools need to be easy to use, reliable and supported”; “Empowerment through the right tools and support”.] Now that we have looked at assistive technology more broadly, it is useful to think specifically about digital assistive technology. Digital assistive technology includes tools that run on phones, tablets, computers, laptops or smart devices. These can be built in accessibility features like we’ll hear about today, apps, software or digital systems that support people to access information, communicate, stay organised, learn and participate more independently in an educational setting. This could include tools like text to speech, screen magnification, voice control captions, digital planning tools, reading supports or apps that help students manage coursework and daily routines. However, digital tools only work when they are easy to use, reliable and supported. It is not enough to simply introduce a tool and expect it to solve everything. Students and staff often need time to explore the technology, practise using it and decide whether it is the right fit for the person and their learning environment. The key message is that digital assistive technology should empower the learner. It should help them build confidence, access, learning in a way that works for them and become more independent. It is not about using technology for the sake of it, it’s about finding the right tool for the right person with the right support. With that in mind, I’m going to hand you over to Dorian Salzman from Vision Ireland who will take us through the Windows accessibility features and how these built in tools can support access and participation in learning. Thank you, Dorian.

Windows Accessibility

[Slide 7: “Windows Accessibility”. Text reads “Dorian Salzmann, Technology Trainer, Vision Ireland”. A cartoon of a person in a green t-shirt and shorts, holding a phone, is on the left.] Dorian Salzmann: Thank you very much Ronan. So hi everyone, my name is Dorian. I’m a middle-aged male with dark blonde hair wearing a blue and grey collared shirt. So I’m part of the technology training team here at Vision Island and we support people who are blind or visually impaired to achieve greater independence with technology. Today I’m going to be talking about some of the Windows accessibility features that could possibly aid someone to make their computer more accessible. [Slide 8: “The Process”. On the left is the Vision Ireland logo: “Vision” in orange and “Ireland” in white on a dark blue square. On the right is a circular cycle diagram of five coloured boxes joined by arrows, running clockwise: “Person” (red), “Need” (green), “Barrier” (navy), “Adjustment” (light blue) and “Outcome” (orange), with the cycle looping back to “Person”.] But before I do that, similar to what Ronan touched on, I wanted to talk about the approach we would take when working with someone. I don’t start by prescribing an accessibility feature, I start by asking what it is the person is trying to do and then what type of barrier they are facing. I then suggest an adjustment and together we look at the outcome, deciding if that made the computer more accessible, returning to the beginning of the process if needed. [Slide 9: “Windows Accessibility at a glance”. Below the title is the keyboard shortcut “Windows Key + U”. An illustration of a woman in a powered wheelchair using a laptop that displays “Hi” is on the left.] Windows accessibility at a glance. In times gone by, the individual would have to buy and install specialist software to make their computer more accessible. This created its own barriers, especially if it was an Enterprise or a workplace computer, But now Windows accessibility options are built in and free. There is a wealth of Windows accessibility options in Windows 11, categorised in three ways, Vision, Hearing, and Interaction. I will be focusing mostly on the Vision section today. A way to access Windows accessibility options without having to find them in the settings menu is to hold down the Windows key and the letter U key together. Then releasing those keys will open the Windows accessibility menu. [Slide 10: “Windows Accessibility at a glance”. A screen recording shows the Windows Accessibility menu, with its options grouped under the headings Vision, Hearing and Interaction.] So what we have on screen is a video of the menu showing the various options available. If you can see the screen, there are many options in the menu such as Visual Effects, Text Size, Display Size, Windows Magnifier, Windows Narrator, and others, taking note of the categorizations of vision, hearing, and interaction. [Slide 11: “Display Size”. An illustration of a blonde woman holding a baby is on the left.] Display size. Display size is all about objects and buttons on the screen. This can be especially useful for the size of menu items if you find them too small. [Slide 12: A screenshot of the Windows Settings page “Accessibility > Text size”. It shows a “Text size preview” panel, a “Text size” slider with an Apply button, and related settings including “Display”.] This would be under the text size and then the display options in the Windows accessibility menu. To enable this and scale up everything on your screen, select the value to a larger percentage than 100%. You can create a custom scale in these settings, but personally I do not recommend it. [Slide 13: “Display Size 3”. Four orange squares increase in size from top to bottom, each labelled with its dimensions and scaling: 2 x 2 at 100%; 2.5 x 2.5 at 125%; 3 x 3 at 150%; 4 x 4 at 200%.] So for example, if you had a button on your screen that was normally 2 centimetres by two centimetres, you could increase it with 200% scaling to 4 centimetres by 4 centimetres and sort of everything in between that. [Slide 14: “Windows Magnifier”. A cartoon of a person in a green t-shirt and shorts is on the left.] Moving on Windows Magnifier, there are three types of Windows Magnifier available to you in Microsoft Windows. Full Screen mode, Lens mode and Docked mode on the screen. [Slide 15: A screenshot of the Windows Accessibility menu. The options listed under Vision are Text size, Visual effects, Mouse pointer and touch, Text cursor, Magnifier, Colour filters, Screen tint, Contrast themes and Narrator. A yellow mouse pointer rests over “Magnifier”.] Now a computer is showing that the Windows Magnifier is found in the Windows and New menu and also the Windows Magnifier menu item. The keyboard shortcut to enable Windows Magnifier is holding down the Windows key and then pressing in succession the Plus key to enable Magnifier and then pressing the Windows key and the minus key to zoom out on the screen. [Slide 16: A screenshot of a Microsoft Word report shown in full screen magnification. Only a small part of the page is visible, in very large text, including the blue heading “2. Key Findings” and the start of the paragraph beneath it, which begins “A total of 86 participants”.] Now is an example of the Windows Magnifier showing in a large version of a Microsoft Word document. This is called Full Screen Magnification. The keyboard shortcut to enable Windows Magnifier again is to hold down the Windows key and pressing the Plus key. Full screen mode is the default option, so you will have to change this in the magnifier settings to use one of the other options such as. [Slide 17: “Lens Mode”. A screenshot of the same Word report at normal size. A black rectangle, like a magnifying lens, sits over part of the page. Inside it the words “Key Findings” (in gold) and “total of 86 participa” (in white) are shown enlarged.] Another type of Windows Magnifier is called the Lens mode. It shows a boxed and magnified version of the mouse pointer and surrounds as if you had an optical magnifier held up in front of the screen. [Slide 18: Two screenshots of the Word report side by side. One shows the Word window at normal size. The other shows a magnified strip of the same page, with “2. Key Findings” and “A total of 86 participants” in large text and a yellow mouse pointer over it, as it appears in docked mode.] The last version of Windows Magnifier is the docked mode. The docked mode enables an adjustable section of the screen to be reserved as a magnifier. This section can be dragged and placed on any of the four screen edges of a user’s working area. [Slide 19: “Windows Magnifier, A hidden feature”. Text reads “CTRL + ALT + Left Mouse Click”. An illustration of a bearded man in a suit holding a tablet is on the left.] Now I wanted to tell you about and show you an often overlooked feature of Windows Magnifier, a hidden gem I think called the Reading Shortcut. Using this requires that the Windows Magnifier programme is open and running. [Slide 20: “A Hidden Feature”. Text on the left reads “CTRL + ALT + Left Mouse Click”. On the right is a screenshot of the Windows Accessibility menu with the mouse pointer near “Magnifier”.] This is called the Reading Shortcut. By default the shortcut is activated by holding down the control plus the alt and then clicking the left mouse on a section of text on the screen. This, however, can be done anywhere the computer displays text and it doesn’t accidentally activate a section, say if it was a clickable button. On the next screen I will have a website displaying some texts and by using this gesture I can have the text read out to me. Any key pressed will stop the reading. [Slide 21: “A Hidden Feature”. A screen recording shows a website. As the user holds CTRL and ALT and clicks on text, the computer reads that text aloud.] TTS Voice: Seeing your career employment campaign This campaign publishes a suite of resources to raise awareness at the barriers face. Change your view As COVID-19 restrictions ease, a summer of outdoor activities is what is ahead and we need to ensure every nationwide eye clinic liaison officer ECLO service. [Slide 22: “Contrast Themes”. An illustration of a woman with long hair and a pink top, holding a smartphone and a white cane, is on the left.] Dorian Salzmann: Contrast Themes Contrast Themes is a feature in Windows that replaces and simplifies all of the colours used by the operating system, applications and websites. As it replaces all contrasts across all applications and websites, it would generally provide a more persistent experience for the user. For example, people with different forms of low vision often rely on having sufficient contrasts to read text and see important user interface elements. Another example might be people with light sensitivity due to migraines or traumatic brain injury or other reasons may find a dark contrast theme easier to look at for longer periods of time On Screen. [Slide 23: “Contrast Themes”. A screen recording starts from the Windows Accessibility menu, with the mouse pointer near “Contrast themes”, and shows the user choosing between different contrast themes.] Now is an example of a user choosing some different contrast modes in the Windows Accessibility and Contrast Themes menu, thereafter selecting the appropriate theme for the user. [Slide 24: “Windows Narrator”. Text reads “Windows Key + CTRL + Enter”. An illustration of a woman in a powered wheelchair using a laptop that displays “Hi” is on the left.] Windows Narrator Narrator is a built in screen reader that speaks out loud what is on your screen. Windows narrator is a huge area of tech and is often used by people with no vision as the main way that they could interact with the computer. The screen reader, like all screen readers, is a way that a person can interact with their device rather than with their eyes, but with their hands and their ears. To turn on Windows Narrator, press and hold the control key, the Windows key and the Enter key together. By today’s standards, Windows Narrator is very modern and flexible and but can be completely customised by the user. Windows Narrator users can customise features like voice speed and pitch the Windows key plus the control key will remember will activate.. Windows Narrator Voice: settings Window narrator toggle switch on show more settings space. Show more settings button expanded. Start narrator before signing tick box unchecked. Start narrator after signing tick box unchecked. Dorian Salzmann: I was meant to say can you hear the screen really at work? But you can hear it. [Slide 25: “Windows Narrator”. A screen recording shows a fictional Microsoft Word report, “Introduction”, being read aloud by Narrator as the user moves through it with the arrow keys. The user then starts typing a new entry and Narrator announces each key pressed.] A screen reader has many other uses outside of the blind or visually impaired community. Maybe someone who is dyslexic could also use the screen reader to proofread their work for them. There is a video on screen which demonstrates someone moving through a fictional Microsoft Word document with their arrow keys. See if you can hear it Windows Narrator Voice: one dot. Introduction This report provides an overview of the Greenfield Community Services Digital Access programme during the first half of 2026. The programme was established to help local residents access information, communicate with public services and develop confidence when using everyday technology. Cap T. [Slide 26: “Shortcuts”. Five keyboard shortcuts are shown in white text on dark navy bars: “Windows Key + U”; “Windows Key + Plus”; “Windows Key + Minus”; “CTRL + ALT + Left Mouse Click”; “Windows Key + CTRL + Enter”.] Dorian Salzmann: So to summarise, here are some top tier Windows keyboard shortcuts to make your computer more accessible. The Windows key and U key together opens the Windows accessibility menu. The Windows key and the plus key together to magnify the screen. The Windows key and the minus key to demagnify the control plus the Alt key together and then a left mouse Click to read text under your mouse cursor. And then the Windows key, the control key and the Enter key to turn on and off Windows narrator. I hope this presentation makes Microsoft Windows more accessible to you or someone you know. Thank you for your time. And over to you Mary.

Microsoft 365 Support Tools

[Slide 27: “Microsoft 365, Accessibility Features”. Text reads “Mary Relihan, Assessor and Trainer, Enable Ireland”. A cartoon of a person in a green t-shirt and shorts is on the left.] Mary Relihan: Great. Thanks so much Dorian. So hi everyone. My name is Mary and I am part of the national AT team with Enabler Ireland, working as an AT assessor and a trainer. [Mary Relihan is a middle-aged woman with dark hair, wearing a wine-coloured top.] So now that the computer has been personalised with the accessibility features that Dorian has just demonstrated for us. I would like to turn your attention to some of the powerful tools available within Microsoft 365 South. [Slide 28: “Microsoft 365 Tools”. An image of a laptop displaying the Microsoft 365 logo, with app icons including PowerPoint, Word and OneNote floating above the screen.] Microsoft 365 is a cloud based platform and it includes many of the applications that we are all probably very familiar with such as Word, OneNote, Teams, Outlook, PowerPoint and many, many more. What makes Microsoft 365 particularly valuable is its range of built in accessibility features. These are designed to support diverse learning needs and help all students engage more effectively in their education. Because it is a cloud based system, students can access their applications and their files and any of their resources anytime, anywhere and on any device, which is pretty useful. I just want to mention that there are three main Microsoft account types. There is a personal account for individual use. There is a work account for employees within organisations and then I suppose particularly for us today, there is the school account and this is for students and educators. The reason I am mentioning that is because each account type provides access to different features and services. So as part of a digital technology approach, the Microsoft 365 suite and its accessibility features, they can really help our students by promoting greater inclusion, independence, participation, support with literacy, support with organisation and digital skills. Lots of inbuilt free features such as dictation, Immersive reader, Reading coach, live captioning and again many more can help remove those barriers to learning by providing multiple ways for the students to access information, engage with the curriculum and demonstrate their knowledge and their understanding. [Slide 29: “Microsoft 365 Tools”. A list reads “Microsoft Accessibility Tools”, “OneNote” and “Maths Assistant”. The laptop and app icons image appears on the right.] Because there are so many features to explore today, I will just focus on 4 features. All of the demonstrations will take place in OneNote, but all these features are available across other applications unless I state otherwise. I am using OneNote because I feel OneNote is a great application for students because it can act as a digital notebook. It allows students to keep their notes and their assignments and all their learning resources organised in just one place. They can interact with their notes by being able to type onto the note, hand write with a stylus onto the note, or they can insert images, record audio and just organise the information using different sections and pages which they can colour code. These features help students improve organisation, helps them to again to develop that independence, to be able to access the learning materials more effectively and demonstrate their knowledge in ways that suit their individual strengths and their learning preferences. I’m going to begin with a lesser known feature called Math Assistant, which is available only in OneNote. I suppose what we do find is finding digital tools for maths can sometimes be a challenge, but Math Assistant is a really nice little tool for independent learning. So students can enter the maths problem either by typing it or by writing it with a stylus. The tool then works through the problem step by step, showing exactly how the solution is reached rather than simply providing the answer for the student. So this can really help the student to develop their understanding, build their confidence and strengthen that problem solving skill. So to show how Math Assistant works in practise, I have created a short video demonstration and I am going to play that video. [Slide 30: A video demonstration, recorded from OneNote. The page contains the typed equation 2x + 4 = 12. The Math Assistant panel opens beside it.] Now I am in a page in OneNote and I am going to demonstrate Math Assistant. I already have an equation typed in two X + 4 = 12 and I want to know the value of X. First I select the equation. I then go to the insert tab and I look for Math Assistant. Once selected this pops my math equation into the side panel underneath. Now I have a drop down menu with a couple of options. I can have the equation graphed, a nice feature for students who are more visual learners, or I can get it to solve X for me. Once selected it gives me the answer that X is equals to 4. But as a student I want to know how it got to that. So underneath again here I now have another drop down menu which gives me an option of steps for solving the equation. When I select that, I get a step by step on how we got to that answer. On the top right of this box I have access to Mercerfreater so I can have the steps read out to me. And underneath I have an option to generate a practise quiz and this will just generate some more equations for me to solve. So that’s just a quick demonstration of Math Assistant, which is a free tool within the OneNote application. So that’s just a quick demo there of math assistant. So I’d say to you try it out if you get a chance. [Slide 31: “Microsoft 365 Tools”. A list reads “Microsoft Accessibility Tools”: “Immersive reader”, “Reading Coach” and “Dictation”. The laptop and app icons image appears on the right.] So the final three tools I’d like to highlight now are immersive reader, reading coach and dictation. These features, I’ve grouped them together because I feel they can be particularly beneficial for students who experience challenges with reading and writing. I’m going to talk first a little about Immersive Reader. It’s designed to make text more accessible by reducing distractions and allowing the student to be able to customise how the text is displayed on the page for them. So students can adjust text spacing, they can change the background colour, they can use focus line to focus in on specific lines of text and they can have the words broken down into syllables. This tool can also read the text aloud while highlighting each word as it is spoken. So this is really helpful because it can support both reading fluency and comprehension. I suppose these features individually are together can really help reduce down the cognitive load of reading for the student. It can help improve their concentration. Again we are talking about building their confidence and it enables the student to engage more independently with reading materials and hopefully come to enjoy reading. The second feature I want to talk about is a reading coach and this is relatively new and this is an AI powered reading too and how this works. It helps the student to prove and develop their reading fluency, pronunciation and confidence through personalised reading practise. So how it works? The student records themselves reading a piece of text. Reading Coach then gives real time feedback on pronunciation and accuracy and it identifies words that students find challenging and offers extra practise then on those words. There is a version of this built into OneNote called Reading Practise, and although it gives you visual prompts and verbal encouragement more suitable for a younger student, I suppose it is important to note that you can add your own text into it. So it can still be a valuable tool for an older student to practise pronouncing words or reading independently in a private space. And I’d just like to mention that you can get a free reading coach account. You can set up a free account yourself. And finally, I just want to mention dictation. I know we’re all very familiar with dictation. It’s a speech to text feature, and I suppose I just want to mention it because I feel it’s really useful for students because they can speak their ideas instead of typing them, and this can reduce down those barriers associated with spelling, with handwriting, or even indeed with keyboard use. It just makes it easier for students to express their thoughts in writing. It just reduces down the physical and the cognitive demand of writing, and it allows the students to focus more on the content of their work and less on the mechanics of getting their ideas onto the page. [Slide 32: The slide contains the text “How Microsoft 365 tools supports a student in real life” and a video.] So now I’m going to introduce you to Niamh. Niamh is a nursing student and she has been using digital and assistive technology for many years to support her with her education. Niamh is currently using Microsoft 365 Education account, so she has access to all the features that I’ve described today, as well as many more features. And here, Niamh will demonstrate how she uses immersive reader dictation and reading practise to support her in her studies. I’m going to play Niamh’s video now. [Niamh’s video: a screen recording of Microsoft OneNote, narrated by Niamh. It shows a block of text about the cardiovascular system being changed in Immersive Reader, a Reading Practice exercise, and Dictation adding spoken words to a document.] Niamh: Hi, my name is Niamh and I am a nursing student. In fourth class, I was diagnosed with dyslexia, so that means that I have difficulty with reading and writing. So today I’m going to show you a few tools that help me when preparing for assignments or studying for exams. So I’m going to show you OneNote, which is in Microsoft 365. So I use OneNote because it helps me to organise my different modules into subject folders. Here I’m going to show you Immersive Reader. I can change the block of text to suit me by changing the background colour and fonts and then having it read to me. Here’s a block of text on the cardiovascular system. To change the style of the document, I go to the View tab and I select Immersive Reader. So the first thing I do is I change the background colour, so I change it to blue as this helps me to focus on the text. And then as you can see I have the syllables on which helps to break the words up for me, especially when they’re big words like cardiovascular. And then I have the option for it to read the text for me. Immersive Reader Voice: The cardiovascular system is a complex organ system responsible for the circulation of blood throughout the. So another tool, the reading practise. So when you click this on here, it gives me the option of the microphone. So if I click on the microphone, it helps me to practise and pronouncing and being able to read the words correctly. I’m going to click and start reading. So there’s a little countdown. The cardiovascular system is a complex organ system, so it tells me that my accuracy was 100% and then I have one word to practise. So I click on practise words to here I have one word that I need to practise so it’s cardiovascular. So I click on that. In this I have the option of hearing the word [cardiovascular], I have the option of stretching the word, and then I have the option to say the word “cardiovascular” Immersive Reader Voice: Great reading today. Another tool I use is dictation. It types into the document what I’d like to say instead of typing. So I go into home and I click dictate. Presentation due the 7th of September 2026. So these are some of the tools that I use with Microsoft 365 and mainly during my nursing studies. So there are just four of the features that I explore today and they are just a small sample of the many tools within Microsoft 365 that can help create more accessible, inclusive, and engaging learning experiences for all students. So I’m going to pass you back now to Ronan. Thank you.

Learning through doing – Simulation

[Slide 33: “Simulation as Assistive Technology”. The text reads: “When we think of Assistive Technology, we often think of tools such as screen readers, accessibility apps, captions, or reading supports. But Assistive Technology can also include simulation-based learning. Simulation can give learners a safe and supported space to:” followed by a list: “Practice real-world skills”; “Build confidence”; “Make mistakes safely”; “Reduce anxiety”; “Prepare for independence”. A photograph shows a young man in a green and black top seated at a driving simulator, with a steering wheel in front of him and a large screen showing a road.] Ronan Fox: Thank you very much, Mary and Dorian. Some fantastic features that we’ve seen there. When we think about assistive technology we often first we often think first of tools that support reading, writing, communication or access to digital content. These are all really important and we’ve already seen some great examples of these built in tools today. But assistive technology can also be broader than this. It can include technology that helps somebody practise a scale, build confidence and prepare for real world situations. Simulation is a good example of this. It gives learners a safe and supportive environment where they can practise real world skills before they have to use those skills in real life. And just to define simulation in education, it is an interactive teaching method that recreates a real world scenario, task or environment so students can practise skills and make decisions in a safe, controlled environment. This can be especially for use. Useful for learners who may need more time, repetition or a low pressure way to build confidence. It also allows people to make mistakes safely and learn from them without the same risks that might exist in the real world. In that case, simulation can support independence, access and participation, which are all key aims of assistive technology. Paul’s story is a strong example of this in practise. It shows how a relatively simple simulation setup supported one student to build confidence and move towards a very meaningful personal goal. [Slide 34: “Paul’s Journey: From Simulator to Independence”. Text on the left reads: “Paul’s goal: To learn how to drive so he could help on the family farm. The setup: Logitech G29 steering wheel; PlayStation 5; Assetto Corsa. The outcome: Paul now drives, helps on the family farm, and is in full-time employment.” On the right is a photograph of a red tractor in a grassy field, carrying a large round bale on its front.] So Paul is a past student of NLN who lives on a farm and when I met Paul one of his first one of his personal goals was to learn how to drive so that he could drive the tractor and help out on the family farm. To support this we used a very accessible and relatively inexpensive simulation setup. This included the actual steering wheel and pedals called a Logitech G29A PlayStation Five and a driving simulator application called Assetto Corsa. The simulator gave Paul a safe and controlled space to practise the basics of driving before moving into a real world setting. It allowed him to become familiar with steering, Rd positioning, observation, decision making and responding to different driving situations. What was important here was that Paul could practise without the same pressure or risk that comes with being on a road straight away. He could build confidence gradually and repeat skills as often as he needed. So the outcome has been really positive. Paul now drives and helps out on the family farm, which was one of his personal goals. And I actually talked to Paul last week to ask him, could I present his story today? And he told me that he is now in full time employment. And so he’s actually not with National Learning Network anymore. He’s he’s in full time employment, which is a fantastic outcome. So for me, this shows that the wider, this shows the wider impact of using technology in a meaning, meaningful and person centred way. It was not just about learning how to drive. It supported Paul’s confidence, independence, practical skills and progression beyond the classroom. [Slide 35: “From Simulation to Real-World Independence”. The slide contains a video.] So on this slide, I want to let Paul’s story speak for itself. In the first part of the video, Paul speaks about using the driving simulator and how it supported him in building confidence and practising driving skills in a safe environment. What is important here is that the simulator was not being used as a game or an activity. It was being used as a meaningful support linked to Paul’s own goal of learning to drive and helping out on the family farm. And we’ll then see the transition from Paul using the simulator to Paul driving the tractor in a real world setting. So I’m going to play the video now. [Paul’s video: Ronan Fox interviews Paul about using the driving simulator.] Ronan Fox: So Paul, how are you keeping? Paul: I’m not too bad. Ronan: How are you keeping? Paul: Well, I’m keeping very well. Ronan: So I wanted to ask you a few questions about the simulator, if that’s OK. So how do you like the simulator? Paul: It’s good. I’m feeling confident. Ronan: You feel confident using it. And before we got the simulator, how did you feel about driving the tractor? Paul: Not confidence. Ronan: You’re weren’t confidence. Paul: Not confidence. Ronan: And we had to build your confidence up, didn’t we? And we, The simulator helped you build your confidence, didn’t it? How does the simulator feel, Paul? Paul: I feel good, I think. Feel confident Yeah. It’s difficult at first starting and things are now used to. Ronan: Now you’re used to it. It was difficult at the start. Paul: A while? Ronan: Took a while for you to get used to it. Paul: Yeah. Ronan: And on the farm, what do you do? On the track, in the tractor, on the farm? Paul: I go easy Ronan: Yeah. And what jobs do you do? Paul: Jobs. drawing bails and roller rolling. That’s it. Drawing hay. That’s it. Ronan: So the what do you roll for? Paul: Grass roll the grass for going for Summer, for Spring. Ronan: Perfect. [The video continues without speech, showing Paul moving from the driving simulator to driving a tractor in a real-world setting.] Ronan Fox: So that was Paul’s story. Just a fantastic young man and has done some fantastic, has, has achieved some fantastic things. And yeah, he’s, he’s doing really well now. And like I said, he’s in full time employment and also helps out on the the family farm and his, his family let me know that he’s an absolute expert driving the tractor now and he doesn’t allow anyone else to, to drive it. So a really great outcome there. So the key message from Paul’s story, the technology supported a real outcome. It helped Paul move from practise to confidence to real world independence. This shows how simulation can be used as a form of assistive technology. When it is person centred and linked to a meaningful goal. In Paul’s case, it supported practical skills, independence, confidence and progression beyond the classroom.

Digi-Coach

[Slide 36: “Digi Coaches: Students as Digital Leaders”. Four points are listed: “Students building digital confidence”; “Peer-to-peer support for students and staff”; “Practical help with everyday technology”; “Developing independence, leadership and inclusion”. On the right is a graphic titled “Digi Coaches and Assistive Technology: Students supporting digital confidence across NLN”. It shows two young people, Ben and Jessica, each labelled “Digi Coach” with an “I’m here to help!” badge. Between them is a panel called “How they help” with four points: “Explore assistive technology”; “Support students and staff”; “Build confidence and independence”; “Share practical digital skills”. A banner along the bottom reads “Students becoming digital leaders”.] So now just a little piece on the Digi coaches within NLN. So this initiative was has is a project created by Saint John of God Community Services. So I want to acknowledge and say a huge thank you to them for involving us in this project and and including our our students and creating digicoaches within our organisation. So the idea behind Digicoaches is very powerful because it puts students at the centre of digital support. Rather than technology always being something delivered to students. This approach gives students the opportunity to become the experts. Students can build their own digital confidence and then use those skills to support others. This could include helping other students with everyday digital tasks, supporting access to learning platforms, explaining how to use assistive technology, or helping staff understand what works from a student’s perspective. What I really like about this model is that it promotes independence, confidence, peer learning and also leadership. It shows students that they are not just users of technology, they’re becoming digital leaders within their own centre. This links strongly with assistive technology because support does not always come from a device or app alone. Sometimes the most effective support comes from the people understanding the technology, being able to explain it clearly, and helping others to use it in a way that works for them. The Digi Coaches model is a great example of student students supporting students, students supporting staff, and technology becoming part of everyday learning rather than something separate. For me, this connects closely to the wider message of today’s webinar. Assistive technology is not just about tools. It’s about confidence, access, independence, and giving learners the skills to participate more fully.

Webinar Close

[Slide 37: “Thanks for listening! Any questions?” An illustration of a blonde woman holding a baby is on the right. Along the bottom are the logos of The Wheel, the DATTN network, and the Training Links programme funding credit from the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.] We’ve come to the end of today’s webinar, and I just want to say a huge thank you to Mary and Dorian for their input today. A massive thank you to Ella, our interpreter, who has done fantastic, and also Rachel is in the background doing all the admin and Rachel will maybe mention if there’s any questions in the chat that we want covered. And a massive thank you to all of you for taking your time today to join us, and I hope you have a lovely day. Rachael: Thanks so much, Ronan, and thank you, Mary and Dorian as well for the excellent presentations. I also want to thank our sign language interpreter Ella today for doing such a wonderful job.