About the SOLAS Project

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History and Background

SOLAS is an education research project aimed at meeting some of the special educational needs of students with physical and sensory impairments, especially in mainstream education.

It originated as a school-based project in Boherbue Comprehensive School in 1997 in response to the perceived needs of pupils with physical impairments then enrolled. It was especially interested in how the isolation of pupils in mainstream settings might be overcome, and how curricular balance and relevance might be achieved through ICT-based learning. It addressed these issues by the development and delivery of a web-based specialised educational programme, aimed at supplementing and differentiating the mainstream curriculum. Further information on this is available from the paper above - Pedadogy and Disability: Insights from Action Research.

From this work, SOLAS identified the need for a flexible and regional system of assistive technology assessment, provision and support as one of the key necessary elements to support the aspiration of an inclusive educational experience for pupils with disabilities. In 1999, SOLAS SIP (Schools Integration Project) began piloting a regional assistive technology support service for school in the South West Region. SOLAS SIP is being funded by Department of Education and Science through the Schools IT2000 initiative, and specifically through the Schools Integration Project (SIP) of the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE). SIP projects are intended to help determine models of good practice for the use of ICTs across the Irish education system. The SOLAS SIP project specifically aims to:

• Pilot a regionally-based assessment, provision and support structure.
• Raise awareness of the potential of the technologies .
• Demonstrate efficiencies through the flexible regional supply, maintenance and re-use of equipment.
• Be proactive in identifying pupils that would benefit from provision of the technologies.
• Provide training for schools that have pupils with long-term assistive technology needs.
• Explore a relationship between a regional and central support structure.
• Liase with other education structures and service providers in developing assistive technologies as part of an integrated service.
• Transfer the burden of application for, and maintenance of, equipment from schools to a dedicated service.
• Examine possibilities for an integrated assistive technology and learning software service.
• Advise on the future development of AT provision.

For further information, please contact:

Tom Daly,
SOLAS Project Co-ordinator,
BoherbueComprehensive School,
Mallow,
Co. Cork,
Ireland

Phone:+ 353 (0) 29 76032
M obile: 087 2931422
E-Mail: solasproject@eircom.net