Education supported by new technology: the great liberator, the pathway in the modern world to opportunity and the gateway to prosperity, not just for some, but for all
Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, 31st January 2007

A photo of a pile of text books with a red apple resting on the top

The Project

Our project is formally called the "Accessible Resources Pilot Project". It is funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). The Dolphin Inclusive Consortium won the tender for the project. The project will run throughout the 2009/2010 school year, and a final report of findings and recommendations will be submitted to the DCSF at the end of 2010.

The project is testing a model for the provision of textbooks and other curriculum materials in electronic files for pupils who struggle to read books in their standard format due to problems with sight or reading e.g. Dyslexia.

40 pupils aged 11 to 14 across 9 schools are being given laptops and software so that they can adapt and read the files in a format best suited to their own particular circumstances. If they find adapting the books themselves difficult, then arrangements will be made for the books to be prepared in their preferred format for them. It will be possible to read the books using audio including text to speech and Daisy Talking Books, different presentations of text including larger fonts and highlighting, and where appropriate, hard copy Braille.

At present, many children are not able to access the full curriculum because materials are not made available to them in a format that they can use and at the time that they need them. It is hoped that these trials will lead to a sustainable model that can be extended throughout schools to meet the needs of many more pupils who are disadvantaged by the lack of curriculum materials in formats that they can readily access. We also aspire to providing pupils with valuable skills and tools that they will be able to use throughout the rest of their education and lives.

Want to know more? Visit the FAQs page for more details about the project.