The Anguilla Community Foundation, in keeping with its mandate, has contributed Ipads to the Special Needs Department of the Orealia Kelly Primary School to be used by children with certain challenges.
The presentation was made on Wednesday, on behalf of the Foundation, by Mr Perin Bradley a member of the Board of Directors. “This is the sort of thing that the Community Foundation exists to do and to support,” he explained. “When we got this request it was very easy for us to arrive at a decision to make this contribution. We hope that the children will make the most efficient use of them.” The technological equipment was purchased in the United States.
Mrs Jacqueline Connor, Education Officer, Multi-Professional Support Services, said that the Department of Education was endeavouring to meet the needs of all students, whether they were the most able students or the most challenged students.
“In meeting these needs, the Department engages the assistance of community partners and stakeholders so that the final result creates success for our students,” she stated. “In this particular case our Speech and Language Pathologist, Teacher Cislyn, advocated for some well-needed resources – ipads and an ipod Touch to further facilitate the learning of those students with communication challenges. A proposal was submitted earlier this year to the Community Foundation to fund the ipads and an ipod Touch. Within no time, the Department received a positive response and the purchasing process began.
“Today is significant in that the Community Foundation is happy to handover such well-needed resources for our children in Special Needs. I would like to extend a warm thank you to the Foundation for caring to meet the needs of these little ones.”
Ms Cislyn Richardson, the Speech and Language Pathologist, said that the equipment would greatly enhance the speech and language programme. “These machines will allow us to augment communication for many more children, to help them to learn to communicate more quickly and effectively – that is both expressively and receptively. The devices will enable children to use them as augmentative and alternative communication tools which will result in improved learning and narrative skills, speech sound production and general motivation.”
Ms Richardson added that with the use of the equipment, student outcomes would be improved leading to overall better education.
