The increasing integration of pupils with a variety of special educational needs into mainstream schools, along with the increasing categories of pupils that are being recognised as needing special intervention, is creating challenges for school staffs and the wider support structures. Strategies and systems to meet these challenges are gradually evolving.

Legislation is part of this developing process. The Government of Ireland Education Act, 1998, requires that schools identify the educational needs of pupils with disabilities and that the School Plan states the school's objectives in relation to equality of participation and promotion of equal opportunity for these pupils. The Equal Status Act, 2000, creates other obligations. (Refer to The Education and Equal Status Acts)

While provision does not appear to be strictly related to need under these Acts, as the school must operate within the resources available and there is no obligation to provide additional resources to schools, the Board of Management must state the measures it is taking to achieve participation for pupils with disabilities. The school should, therefore, be able to meet the objectives and procedures that it states in the School Plan.

In other jurisdictions, where the legislation strongly ties provision with formally identified and documented needs, provision is made from the 'statementing'4 of pupils' needs and the development of Individual Education Plans (IEPs).5 The IEP documents how the statement of the pupil's individual educational needs will be met, along with the related services and accommodations that will be required. The IEP might outline the current education level of the pupil, the long-term objectives, the interim stages to be achieved, and procedures for review and adjustment. Such planning focuses the role of assistive technology within the broader education provision in order to meet realistic aims in a gradual and progressive manner.

A detailed process such as 'Statementing' and formal IEP development may not be practical within the time and other resources available, nor should such a process become an expensive and time-consuming bureaucratic necessity. However, it does offer a broad model plan of how the management of provision might be approached. AT provision should, preferably, come within the School PlanÕs broader management structures for identifying and meeting the range of special needs that will arise within the school.6

Such structures will vary a lot between schools. In a small primary school, it might be the role of the class-teacher, principal or shared resource-teacher. On the other hand, a large secondary school may have a variety of specialists available such as Resource, Learning-support and IT teachers. In many cases, the responsibility will be allocated under a Special Duties post and aspects may come within the remit of other Special Duties posts, such as ICT co-ordinator. The most important thing is that responsibility for the co-ordination of special provision is clearly allocated, understood and formalised within the School Plan. The expertise and input of staff, along with outside agencies, can then be co-ordinated.

Such planning for individual pupils will initially consider the variety of possible approaches. These could include:

	the pupil being integrated fully and adopting mainstream subjects and timetable
	the pupil largely following the mainstream curriculum and timetable, but with some modifications, and withdrawal for resource or learning-support teaching
	the pupil mainly relying on learning support or resource teaching, but with some participation in mainstream classes

The technology planning must not dictate this approach, but should subsequently fit into it. Such planning is especially important when a school enrolls a pupil who will have significant assistive technology needs over a number of years, and where the hardware and/or software will be outside the scope of teachers with basic computer literacy. The level of computer literacy of relevant school staff may be important in deciding on the complexity limits of the technology that will be used. In such cases, it is preferable that arrangements be made to enable a teacher to gain enough expertise in the relevant technology, so that the pupil can be supported on a long-term basis rather than having an over-reliance on outside agencies.

It is equally necessary to realise that technology may provide an alternative form of literacy for some pupils and that computer knowledge and skills will need to be taught with the same degree of planning and rigour as is applied to conventional forms of literacy.

Following consideration of these factors, along with decisions about the relevance of each of the 'factors to consider', plans can be made While plans require flexibility, vague and ambiguous statements are not helpful in this regard. The detail of such plans will largely depend on the availability of the various necessary resources and on how they can be managed.

Responsibility for the co-ordination of special provision should be allocated and understood, and formalised within the School Plan.

Staff training and professional development will have to be considered where a pupil will have long-term specialised technology needs.

AT provision and the development of associated skills are sometimes best implemented on an incremental basis, with consolidation and review at each stage.