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ACCESS & Alternate Format Materials

The Assistance, Collaboration, Consultation & Evaluation Support Services (ACCESS) Program provides consultation, professional development and alternate format materials. The focus is on assisting school divisions and early childhood intervention programs in meeting the needs of students with low incidence disabilities.

ACCESS support is offered to assist school divisions and early childhood intervention programs with students who are identified with:

Visual disabilities
Hearing disabilities.

Consultations/Professional Development

The ACCESS personnel available for consultation for 2008/2009 include:

Susan Carney, consultant for students with visual disabilities,
Wendy White, consultant for students with hearing disabilities,
Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) and,
Saskatchewan Pediatric Auditory Rehabilitation Centre (SPARC)

The Response to Intervention (RtI) model will be utilized to guide interventions for students with visual and hearing disabilities. The RtI model ensures that classroom teachers empower students to reach their full potential through assistive technology, differentiated instruction, inclusive practices, and early intervention. For students not reaching their full potential through these interventions, targeted interventions through ACCESS may be required. The process is as follows:

After the school division/program team has identified the specific need for services from Susan Carney, Wendy White, CNIB, or SPARC, the 2008/2009 ACCESS referral form can be completed (see related documents below).
A Program Manager from Children’s Services will send the approved referral to the ACCESS consultant.
The ACCESS consultant will complete an initial phone call to the school/program to gather information on the classroom adaptations and interventions currently in place.
ACCESS consultants will complete consultations with staff who work with students with visual or hearing disabilities.
Where on-going support services are identified, the ACCESS consultant will develop a plan in collaboration with the school level team members.

Alternate Format Materials

Alternate format materials (Braille, Large Print, Kits, E-Text, and Audio) are loaned and borrowed through library services and produced, when requested (see related links below).

Further Information

For further information, please contact Children's Services Branch.

		Publications

The Alternate Format Resources Catalogue contains kits, audiobooks, e-text, large print and braille books held in the Ministry of Education Alternate Format Library. These materials may be borrowed for the length of the school year for students with perceptual disabilities. These would be students who have a visual disability or other physical disability which makes using standard print difficult. For copyright reasons, disability must be verified to the Alternate Format Library by a special education teacher or vision teacher.

It is strongly recommended that the student have a learning media assessment by a vision teacher. Such verification may be required before the Ministry of Education approves the production or purchase of expensive alternate format materials for the student. Such an assessment by a vision teacher will clarify the format in which the student should be receiving materials, suggest if Braille instruction is necessary, or if there is a technology or simple classroom adaptation which will serve the student better

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Home/About Education/MInistry Overview/Children’s Services/ACCESS & Alternate Format Materials

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ACCESS & Alternate Format Materials