“Laura has complex needs but still deserves the same opportunities as other young people. Instead of allowing Laura’s disability to define her, the College worked with external partners to offer a course appropriate to her cognitive ability,” he explained.
Stephen continued: “Northern Regional College is student-focused, and we put our students first in everything we do. Thanks to our partnership with the Northern Trust, Laura was able to enrol on a full-time course with a carer to look after her personal care and a support worker to help in class.”
He admitted that getting the necessary support in place before Laura started was a steep learning curve for everyone involved, but the hard work has paid off.
Laura’s parents, John and Martina, are delighted at how well Laura settled into her new environment. Martina explained that before starting the Transition2College course last September, Laura was very apprehensive, but even with the lockdown and transition to online learning, she has had a really positive experience at Northern Regional College.
“It’s very friendly and family orientated, and Laura enjoys the personal interaction with other students and staff. When classes went online during lockdown, Laura missed their company, so was delighted to get back into the College again when face-to-face classes started back at the beginning of March.”
Laura uses a Grid Pad 12” tablet, Tobii eye gaze camera and Grid 3 eye gaze software, which is attached to her wheelchair, allowing her to participate fully in class activities.
“Laura uses her eyes to navigate and control her computer in the same way that other people would use a mouse. The eye gaze assistive technology uses lights and cameras that are constantly sending and receiving information, following Laura’s eye movements to see what she is looking at on the screen,” explained John.
He continued: “The camera picks up light reflections from her pupils and translates this movement into mouse cursor movements. The computer’s powerful processor means that it happens almost seamlessly so she can keep up conversations going on around her. The assistive technology means that Laura can use her computer, for speech, to send e-mail, surf the net, listen to music, play games or watch YouTube videos.”
Acknowledging the support in place for Laura at the College, John said:
“We’re very appreciative of how Student Services and the Inclusive Learning Team worked with the Northern Trust and the Cedar Foundation to make sure that Laura found somewhere she liked and felt safe.”
Jennifer McFadden, Curriculum Learning Manager for Inclusive Learning explained how the College works closely with the Cedar Foundation to give young people with disabilities an opportunity to access training and education that many of their peers take for granted.
“Young people with disabilities often face challenges to get suitable training when they leave full-time education. Transition2College, which will be offered at our campuses in Magherafelt, Ballymoney, Ballymena and Newtownabbey from September, is a full-time course for young people aged 16 – 24 years with additional needs.
“The course allows students to build on existing skills and learn new skills and is an ideal option for anyone with disabilities who would like to continue their education after leaving school.”