Noel is the current CEO of Dolphin Computer Access Ltd, having retired and re-joined. He has a business degree from NUI Galway and is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland. Prior to his time at Dolphin, he ran an accounting and consulting practice in Worcester. Noel Currently sits on the board of ATIA (Assistive Technology Industry Association) and is a member of APPGAT (All Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology). Noel has close ties to several other organizations relating to the special needs sector. In 2022, Noel was awarded the RNIB Lifetime Achievement Award. Noel was nominated for this award for his work over the last 30 years to improve accessibility for blind and partially sighted schoolchildren and students.
Software for people with disabilities
How assistive technology removes barriers to reading and learning
The UK Government recently reported that 17% of pupils in England have a Special Education Need. This session explores how assistive technology can help to remove accessibility barriers throughout your school and empower pupils with Special Education Needs to read and learn in a way that is accessible for them.
The session will begin by exploring some of the challenges that educators face in making curriculum resources accessible for pupils with Special Education Needs. We will explore:
How schools can benefit from signing up to the RNIB Bookshare Education Collection – a free service for educators that provides over a million accessible versions of textbooks and learning resources for pupils with Special Education Needs.
How Dolphin EasyReader helps to support pupils with a diverse range of accessibility needs to read in a way that is accessible for them at school and at home.
The session will continue to focus on how assistive technology helps to support for pupils with low vision to read and learn independently. We will introduce SuperNova Connect & Learn - a complete assistive technology kit for students with low vision - and explore how pupils can:
Magnify and read print-based classroom resources.
View the interactive whiteboard on their own screen with their preferred magnification and colours.
Benefit from magnification and speech to explore complete their work alongside their sighted peers.
