| The ACE Centre is the leader of workpackage 1: User involvement. | |
The Work of the ACE Centre
The Department for Education and Employment and The Gatsby
Foundation fund The ACE Centre Advisory Trust as a service
delivery centre to provide assessment, advice and information
relating to the field of assistive technology and
communication/physical disabilities. Since 1984, the Centre has
been involved, through its interdisciplinary teams of teachers and
therapists, in meeting the needs of a wide range of children and
young people whom have communication, writing and recording
impairments.
Individual Assistive Technology Assessment
The Centre specialises in advising on the appropriate use of
technology for enabling communication and learning to develop
within the context of the disabled individual's overall
environment. Above all, people with complex and on-going special
needs, which affect their communication and educational access, are
welcomed.
Research & Development
Applied research & development are integral to the service
delivery activities of the ACE Centre. The work is largely focused
on extending and enriching computer-aided access for severely
physically disabled children, young people, and adults. The Centre
is at the leading edge of assistive technology developments and has
gained international recognition for its pioneering applied
research & development. The ACE has been involved in and
managed a number of major national/international software assistive
technology R&D projects including some funded by the European
Union via TIDE (Comspec, PCAD). All these R&D projects have
been end user focused with the emphasis on meeting clearly
identified user needs.
Training
The ACE Centre is also concerned with the training of teachers,
therapists, carers, and parents in the field of assistive
technology. Intensive courses and training days are held both at
the Centre and away from it. Various specialised areas of assistive
technology are addressed. These include; Alternative and
Augmentative Communication, alternative access to writing and
recording, and access to multimedia environments and the Internet.
Specific training requests are also catered for via a consultation
service for those interested in technology to assist the particular
needs of a disabled individual.
