Enabling Technology for Inclusion

`To sum up, the book is well written and is definitely one that was missing from the area of special needs education. The possibilities of technology are changing and the requirements of good practice in responding to a diversity of needs are becoming more demanding than ever. In a period of too much "theorizing" in the area, I was overwhelmed by the range of information, hints, tips and useful advice contained in this book which could be of direct help to those on the "front line". I would strongly recommend the book to teachers, ICT co-ordinators, classroom assistants, therapists as well as parents' - British Journal of Educational Psychology `If you feel in need of quite a generalized "annual" as a starting point to cover the use of technology with special needs learners then this book may well be of interest' - Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning `Mike Blamires has edited a useful volume of papers written by colleagues and others engaged in using technology to meet special educational needs.... Overall, this book is well aimed at special needs teachers, ICT coordinators and teachers in mainstream schools and I recommend it' - Computers and Education What is enabling technology?; How can enabling technology become a powerful tool for inclusion?; What is inclusion anyway? These are the questions that this book addresses. Enabling Technology for Inclusion is about the leading edge of the best practice. It updates the debate on inclusive education, placing enabling technology within the context of universal design for learning, and innovative thinking about social, physical and cognitive inclusion. This book describes practice as it is now, and what needs to be considered in planning to meet the needs of learners, securing access to appropriate IT, and training those who will be using it. Its message is that technology can enable people to be included within their communities and educational institutions. Technology can provide a temporary or permanent support for learners to establish their voice and achieve things that they could not have done otherwise.Technology can have a powerful role in re-shaping the curriculum. The contributors have extensive expertise in the use of Information Communications Technology as a tool for inclusion in partnership with people with a large diversity of strengths and learning needs. They use this knowledge to enable readers to enhance their own understandings and critical frameworks for the use of these potentially powerful tools for learning and inclusion.