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Assessment Centre pioneers assistive technology

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The first centre in Sussex to offer students with disabilities the opportunity to discover how best to cope with a degreee course will be launched at the University today. The Assistive Technology Centre has been set up to promote access to higher education for people of all ages through the pioneering use of information technology to assess their needs and support their learning.

In order to qualify for assistance under the Disabled Student Allowance (DSA), students are assessed and may become eligible for support in the form of specialised equipment and training although up until now, there has been no provision for assessment in either East or West Sussex. However, all that has changed thanks to gifts from the Alumni Society and a gift of £20,000 to commemorate Sally Marriott, the University's long-serving Deputy Personnel Officer who died last year of cancer. Sally was always a passionate champion of students with disabilities and the gift in her memory will enable the new centre to provide specialist computer hardware and software packages which give students access to text and graphics through a variety of means.

National statistics suggest that ten per cent of the population are affected by some form of disability. Although only a relatively small number may be classified as severely disabled, persons suffering from conditions such as dyslexia or arthritis, for example, also need extensive learning, teaching and examinations support. According to E.A. Draffan, the Centre's Manager, "Devices or equipment may be high tech, using sophisticated electronics, for example, or low tech. The key to the service is to understand the limitations imposed by the disability and find the appropriate human support and technical assistance necessary to enable the student to learn."

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Friday June 20th 1997