Successful inclusion is the responsibility of not only the teacher but the entire school and community. Inclusion can be a difficult task considering the differences in assistance required by children with additional needs. Some students with additional needs may require very little adjustment to successfully integrate into mainstream classrooms, where other students may require much additional assistance and resources. The use of assistive technologies (AT) can significantly increase the opportunities for many students with additional needs. There is a range of AT available to cater for a range of additional needs. However, it takes a considerable amount of research and collaborative consultation to identify appropriate …show more content…
The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians is the basis for which the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), develops the curriculum and educational standards for Australia. This means that all schools must ensure discrimination free, high quality education for all children, as well as cater to individual educational needs (Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, [MCEECDYA] 2008, p.7.). Adapting curriculum, pedagogy and teaching strategies alone may not provide enough support for some children with additional needs. AT can be described as any technology that can be used by people with additional needs to improve and enhance their learning outcomes, however, the identification and assessment of appropriate technology can be an arduous task (Foreman & Arthur-Kelly, 2014). There are many key considerations that must be carefully researched and negotiated in a collaborative consultation with colleagues, specialists, parents and in some circumstances, government agencies and local support …show more content…
There is a wealth of knowledge to be found in the IEP teams alone, however, more support is available to facilitate the acquisition of AT. The Department of Education and Training (DET) shows the services available to assist with funding AT for students verified under the Education Adjustment Program (EAP). One community resource is the Schools and Parents & Citizens' Associations (P&Cs) who can aid with grant applications and may, in some scenarios, be capable of accessing various funding sources. There are government bodies who may also grant one off payments or subsidies for the purchase of specialised equipment but most schools may provide a wide range of specialised equipment should it support the education program. Alternatively, if the equipment is not already available the school may loan equipment from the Disability Services Support Unit (DSSU) subject to availability (DET, 2015). There are generally six different categories of AT and each category has advantages and