Former student to develop digital tool for students with SpLDs
Tue, 17 Nov 2015 13:56:00 GMT
A previous dyslexic student, who completed a PGCE in Lifelong Learning and a Post Graduate Certificate in Multimedia and eLearning, is part of a team who won a major national competition to come up with ideas to make digital learning tools accessible to all.
Gemma Holtam, and her team, will receive £5,000 funding and practical support as part of the Accessible by Design competition run by digital technologies charity Jisc. The competition explores new ways of furthering accessibility and inclusion to break down barriers to education technology for learners with disabilities.
Gemma and her team impressed the competition judges with their idea which involves creating an eBook that, through the digital stories of students with SpLDs, will document the different study skills strategies that these students can use to develop their academic skills. The eBook is different to anything currently on the market as it is a study skills book created for students with SpLDs, by students with SpLDs, as Gemma has now gone on to study an MA in Dyslexia Practice and Research at the University of Chester. Furthermore, creating the resource as an eBook means a number of accessibility measures can be implemented, such as embedding video interviews and graphic case studies to ensure that the book isn’t text heavy. In addition to this, the video interviews and graphic material will create a multisensory environment which support students with SpLDs to retain information. Creating the eBook in an accessible way means that as well as supporting students the resource can also be used as an example of best practice for how teaching staff can create accessible resources.
Gemma first became interested in supporting students with SpLDs during her PGCE when she was diagnosed with dyslexia and received specialists study skills tuition at the university. This experience had such a positive effect on Gemma’s studies that she decided to become a specialist dyslexia tutor and now runs her own company, Dyslexia Sheffield.
Gemma and her team are planning to launch the eBook during next year’s Dyslexia Awareness week.
