ICTS Trainers and Administrators : Profiles
 Trish Davidson
Email address:
trish.davidson@inclusive.net
Advisory Teacher, CENMAC
"I have been teaching since September 1977, starting out as
an Infant teacher. I worked in both rural and inner city schools. My first
brush with a computer was when my class was timetabled for access to a 480Z for
one week each term.
In 1985, I began work at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in the
Tuition Unit. At this point, I started to work with pupils who required extra
support and took my first post as the IT co-ordinator in the days of the Nimbus
186. I worked within the Dept. of Child Psychiatry, supporting pupils who
required specialist teaching and help with building up their self-confidence.
They were given intensive classes on the use of the supportive software
available at the time to build up their IT skills. In the last year of the
ILEA, I completed a one-year course run by ILECC on the use of IT to support
Special Needs (Speccal). I moved to Richard Cloudesley School in September 89
working as the communication teacher with mainly the switch users. This is when
I began my links with CENMAC.
In September 1992, I began work in CENMAC as an Advisory
Teacher. I work with pupils in mainstream schools who require the use an
augmentative writing aid. I also work in the majority of special schools in the
Inner London area with pupils who are starting out with simple communication
aids and or switches to access the curriculum. My work includes, assessment,
reviews of the pupil's progress, training the staff who work with the pupils on
the equipment and how to develop the use of switches. Over the past years, I
have arranged and delivered training at day conferences on social
communication, symbol use and supportive software in particular switch
accessible and symbol software.
I have recently written material for the Becta Inclusion
website on the development of switch access and also been involved in the
testing of the site.
My strengths are that I have worked in schools with pupils
who require varying degrees of support, understanding the difficulties faced by
both the staff and the pupils. I now continue to work in schools as an advisory
teacher to encourage good practice and access for all.
I continue my links with people with disabilities,
volunteering as a waterski instructor and British waterski judge at the British
Disabled Waterski Association's national site."
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