Dave Wood

Independent Special Needs Consultant

For the last 28 years Dave has worked with children with some of the most complex learning difficulties including MDVI, and MSI. In 1992 he became co-ordinator of Forest House Assessments, based at RNIB Rushton Hall School where he held the post of Deputy Headteacher. This service developed new interactive techniques for assessing the educational abilities and needs of children with visual impairments and associated additional, often multiple disabilities. It also developed a new approach which over three or four days gave children the opportunity to settle, relax, and gain confidence in their own skills. ICT was an integral part of some of the solutions to communication and learning needs, and often was the only way in which cognitive abilities could be revealed.

To date 80 children have been assessed, and the service continues with Dave as an independent consultant leading the multi-disciplinary team.

He has always been involved in staff development, and in 1980 helped develop the Distance Learning materials for the course for Teachers of the Visually Impaired at the University of Birmingham. He has continued as a regional tutor and teaching practice supervisor for this course and the newer course for teachers of children with Multi-Sensory Impairments.

He was a member of the Sense team which undertook staff training in several consortium areas as part of the Gest Funding for children with MSI, and has continued to provide tailor made training for groups of LEA staff across the country.

Very recently he has been asked to be secretary to the "revitalised" VITAL group, which is one of RNIB's Curriculum Study Groups, and also acts as link person a network of MSI teachers in the East Midlands.

At present he is joint tutor for an RNIB "Teamworks" course for LSA's in Leicester City, and keeps his teaching practice up to date as a member of a Pre-School Visiting Teacher Service. This involves 1 to 1 work with young children with learning difficulties in Leicester City.

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