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Learn My Way | Learn how to use the internet

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Learn how to use the internet. Learn My Way is a website of free online learning for beginners, helping you develop digital skills.

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ADHDadultUK | The UK's leading adult ADHD charity - Evidence-based information about adult ADHD

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The process of obtaining an ADHD diagnosis can be emotionally draining, take a long time and be ableist at multiple steps. To help you, we have put together some resources.
Routes to an ADHD Diagnosis
There are currently two routes to a diagnosis as an ADHD diagnosis has to be done by a specialist psychiatrist. You can use the NHS services or pay for a diagnosis from a private ADHD clinic. We discuss the relative merits of these options in our videos. The various routes to a diagnosis in the UK are detailed below, and a downloadable version of this is available here.

*any qualified provider is a clinic which has an NHS contract **titration is the process of adjusting your medication until it is at an ideal level Video Resources
We have some video resources about diagnosis on our YouTube channel.
Private Diagnosis
Many people ask about private ADHD diagnoses. there are many private, often online ADHD clinics that will offer you a speedy diagnosis. At the time of writing, most GPs will refuse to sign a document called a 'shared care agreement' to transfer your care to the NHS after you are diagnosed privately, especially if you get diagnosed privately without also being fully titrated into a final dose of medication (even if you don't want to take medication). GPs do not have any legal obligation to sign a shared care agreement document and because they are not experts in ADHD and the prescription of its medication, this is why they will likely refuse to sign. If they do so you will not be able to access NHS services such as medication for your ADHD.

This means it is essential to first check with your GP if they will sign a shared care agreement before you decide to pursue a private diagnosis, as otherwise, it may be an expensive waste of your time.
Right to Choose
There is also currently an NHS scheme only for people registered at a GP practice in England to use called 'Right To Choose' which allows you to ask to be referred to any 'qualified provider which can significantly speed up the waiting time for assessment.
Diagnosis Guides
Obtaining a diagnosis of ADHD can be a difficult and emotional experience. To make this easier, we have prepared some guides to help you talk to your GP, and to better understand what will be required in a diagnostic assessment. These can be found by clicking the images below.

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Diagnosis - ADHDadultUK | The UK's leading adult ADHD charity How to get a Diagnosis The process of obtaining an ADHD diagnosis can be emotionally draining, take a long time and be ableist at multiple steps. To help you, we have put together some resources. Routes to an ADHD Diagnosis There are currently two routes to a diagnosis as an ADHD diagnosis has to be

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How to get a Diagnosis The process of obtaining an ADHD diagnosis can be emotionally draining, take a long time and be ableist at multiple steps. To help you, we have put together some resources.

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ADHDadultUK | The UK's leading adult ADHD charity - Evidence-based information about adult ADHD

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The ADHD Adults Podcast (in)expertly covers issues around ADHD in adults, sharing evidence-based information and personal experiences. Join us for Alex, the round-headed psychoeducation monkey and James's genuinely poor tips for coping as well as regular games, correspondence from absolutely real people and occasionally hearing from more professional guests. Now featuring the Queen of Chaos, Mrs ADHD!

With listeners in over 150 countries, we are (possibly) helping adults with ADHD understand themselves more using evidence-based information, personal reflections and advice.

The ADHD Adults Podcast has the following chart rankings:

Apple Podcasts

Apple Podcasts : Great Britain : Health & Fitness - 26th (November 28th 2022)

Apple Podcasts : Great Britain : Mental Health - 8th (January 21st 2023)

Apple Podcasts : Australia : Mental Health - 15th (November 4th 2022)

Apple Podcasts : Ireland : Mental Health - 8 th (July 18th 2022)

Apple Podcasts : Australia : Health & Fitness 64th (November 4th 2022)

Apple Podcasts : New Zealand : Mental Health 5th (November 11th 2022)

Apple Podcasts : Canada : Mental Health 113th (December 3rd 2022)

Spotify Podcasts

Spotify : Great Britain : Top Podcasts - 158th (January 21st 2023)

Spotify : Great Britain : Health & Fitness - 10th (October 3rd 2022)

Spotify : Australia : Health & Fitness - 27th (December 1st 2022)

Chartable

Chartable : Podcasts : Global : All Podcasts : Reach - 1606th (January 21st 2023)

Chartable : Podcasts : Global : Health & Fitness : Reach - 110th (November 14th 2022)

Chartable : Podcasts : Global : All Podcasts : Trending 113th (January 21st 2023)

Chartable - Global - Health & Fitness - Trending - 14th (August 15th 2022)

You can stream/download from most reputable podcast providers linked below or listen from this page:

Podcast Episodes

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The ADHD Adults Podcast - ADHDadultUK | The UK's leading adult ADHD charity The ADHD Adults Podcast (in)expertly covers issues around ADHD in adults, sharing evidence-based information and personal experiences. Join us for Alex, the round-headed psychoeducation monkey and James's genuinely poor tips for coping as well as regular games, correspondence from absolutely real people and occasionally hearing from more professional guests. Now featuring the Queen of Chaos,

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The ADHD Adults Podcast (in)expertly covers issues around ADHD in adults, sharing evidence-based information and personal experiences. Join us for Alex, the round-headed psychoeducation monkey and James's genuinely poor tips for coping as well as regular games, correspondence from absolutely real people and occasionally hearing from more professional guests.

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Practical but fun strategies for supporting the learning of Spelling and Times tables

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Train the Trainer Webinar Series, Part 3 - Classroom support strategies (Post 16/FE)

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Webinar Training: Teaching for Neurodiversity - British Dyslexia Association

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This webinar training package aims to improve identification and understanding of dyslexia and other SpLD. It is for teachers and support staff, dyslexic...

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Quick checklist for traits of Dyslexia

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Millions of people across the UK could have dyscalculia without even knowing what it is.

The learning difficulty affects a person's ability to understand numbers, tell the time and follow directions.

The Dyscalculia Network estimates more than three million people could have the specific maths difficulty and they say it is often undiagnosed.

BBC Young Reporter Rose explores why so few people have been officially diagnosed with dyscalculia - and how difficult it is to navigate adult life when numbers look like "a foreign language".
Video by Kristian Johnson You can find stories by other young people on the BBC Young Reporter website. And you can hear more from Rose on the BBC Access All podcast with Nikki Fox.

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'Numbers look like a foreign language to me'

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Millions of people across the UK could have dyscalculia without even knowing what it is. The learning difficulty affects a person's ability to understand numbers, tell the time and follow directions. The Dyscalculia Network estimates more than three million people could have the specific maths difficulty and they say it is often undiagnosed.

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Quick checklist for traits of dyspraxia

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ASD Helping Hands is a Registered Not for Profit Charity, located in the UK. Offering Support and training for those working or affected by Autism.

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Diagnosing autism

Diagnosis can be a very emotional time, and getting help from family, friends and professionals is really important to help you through the process.

Many parents have mixed feelings about the process of diagnosis, and everyone's experiences will be different.

It's also important to remember that, although there is no 'cure', getting a diagnosis can be the first step towards making sure your son or daughter will get the support they need to make the most out of life.

When do you notice the signs of autism?

While you might notice some of the signs of autism in the first few years of your child's life, it may only be when they are at school, or even when they are an adult, that a diagnosis is made.

Sometimes an autism diagnosis is delayed because health professionals want to be certain before they make a diagnosis. In other cases, a delayed diagnosis might be because the signs of autism go undetected, especially if they present in a more subtle way (often the case with girls/women, and those with a PDA profile).

More boys than girls are diagnosed with autism, and there is an ongoing debate about whether this is for genetic reasons or because the process of diagnosis tends to pick up autistic traits more common in boys, and the possibility that this is leaving some girls undiagnosed.

Autistic diagnosis

If you think your son or daughter has autism, you should talk to your GP or health visitor about your concerns. You can also ask to be referred to another relevant healthcare professional. This could be a psychologist or psychiatrist or, if your child is young, a paediatrician or Child Development Centre (CDC).

If your child is at school, you could speak to their teacher or to the school's special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) for advice and how to get the right support. Any other professionals working with your child, for example a speech and language therapist or educational psychologist, may also be a good source of advice.

Keeping note

It's a good idea to keep a diary of your child's behaviour and habits which you can show to any professionals you meet. Write down when it happened, what they were doing, the environment they were in at the time and anything notable that happened just before the event took place.

Finding help and support

Each autistic person is different, and the impact their condition has on their life will depend on many factors. These will include the severity of their condition, any additional diagnoses, such as a learning disability or a mental health problem, and whether they display any challenging behaviours.

While some autistic people will need very little extra support, others will need more specialist, even 24 hour, help. Each autistic person is also an individual in their own right, and will have their own likes, dislikes and characteristics just like everyone else, which will also affect the kind of support they want and need. Support and coping strategies need to be tailored to each individual.

For some parents, planning ahead for the future is key, while other families prefer to take life a day at a time. There is no right or wrong way of doing things, the key is to work out what works for your son or daughter, and to help them achieve the things they want from life.

Once your son or daughter has received a diagnosis, the next step is to think about the services and support your family will need for the future.

Useful contacts

Mencap can offer information, advice and services to people with a diagnosis of autism and learning disability.

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Diagnosis can be a very emotional time, and getting help from family, friends and professionals is really important to help you through the process. Many parents have mixed feelings about the process of diagnosis, and everyone's experiences will be different.

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A partnership of autistic people, parents, carers, those with an interest in autism, voluntary and statutory organisations and service providers working together to achieve an autism-friendly Norfolk.

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A partnership of autistic people, parents, carers, those with an interest in autism, voluntary and statutory organisations and service providers working together to achieve an autism-friendly Norfolk.

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Autistic people may act in a different way to other people

Autistic people may:

find it hard to communicate and interact with other people

find it hard to understand how other people think or feel

find things like bright lights or loud noises overwhelming, stressful or uncomfortable

get anxious or upset about unfamiliar situations and social events

take longer to understand information

do or think the same things over and over

If you think you or your child may be autistic, get advice about the signs of autism.

Autism is not an illness

Being autistic does not mean you have an illness or disease. It means your brain works in a different way from other people.

It's something you're born with. Signs of autism might be noticed when you're very young, or not until you're older.

If you're autistic, you're autistic your whole life.

Autism is not a medical condition with treatments or a "cure". But some people need support to help them with certain things.

Autistic people can live a full life

Being autistic does not have to stop you having a good life.

Like everyone, autistic people have things they're good at as well as things they struggle with.

Being autistic does not mean you can never make friends, have relationships or get a job. But you might need extra help with these things.

Autism is different for everyone

Autism is a spectrum. This means everybody with autism is different.

Some autistic people need little or no support. Others may need help from a parent or carer every day.

Some people use other names for autism

There are other names for autism used by some people, such as:

autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the medical name for autism

Asperger's (or Asperger syndrome) is used by some people to describe autistic people with average or above average intelligence

More about Asperger's

People with Asperger's do not have the same learning disabilities that many people with autism have, but they might have a specific learning difficulty.

Some people call this "high-functioning" autism.

Doctors do not diagnose people with Asperger's anymore because it's now thought of as part of autism spectrum disorder. But if you were diagnosed with it before, this will stay as your diagnosis.

It's not clear what causes autism

Nobody knows what causes autism, or if it has a cause.

It can affect people in the same family. So it may sometimes be passed on to a child by their parents.

Autism is:

not caused by bad parenting

not caused by vaccines, such as the MMR vaccine

not linked to diet

not an infection you can spread to other people

Autistic people can have any level of intelligence

Some autistic people have average or above average intelligence.

Some autistic people have a learning disability. This means they may find it hard to look after themselves and need help with daily life.

Autistic people may have other conditions

Autistic people often have other conditions, such as:

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

dyslexia

anxiety

depression

epilepsy

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Find out what autism is and how it affects people.

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How to guide

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Use Immersive Reader in Word desktop

1. Open your Word document.

2. Select the View tab, then select Immersive Reader . Immersive Reader will launch a full screen experience.

3. Choose the Immersive Reader options that work for you from the ribbon.

Read Aloud highlights each word as it reads your document to you.

Tip: Get directly to Read Aloud by right clicking anywhere in your document and selecting Read Aloud.

Close Immersive Reader

Select the View tab, then select Immersive Reader, then select Close Immersive Reader.

Use Immersive Reader in Word for the web

Select the View, then Immersive reader. Your document will open in a full screen format.

Using Immersive Reader

Once your document opens within Immersive Reader, you can do one or more of the following, depending on how you want to focus on the content in your document:

Voice Options

Select the gear icon to open Voice Settings.

The Voice Speed slider controls the playback speed of the reader.

Text options

You can change the appearance of your document by using Text options. The choices you make in text options can help remove visual distraction and improve text readability.

The Text Options menu lets you:

Parts of Speech

Parts of Speech controls grammar highlighting and helps readers understand complex sentences.

Reading preferences

Line Focus enables readers to narrow the focus of their reading experience by highlighting sets of one, three, or five lines within their chosen material in Immersive Reader.

Picture Dictionary gives you the ability to click on any single word and view visual support. You can also hear the word read aloud.

Translate allows you to view a selected word or the entire document in your preferred language.

Use the toggles to adjust your reading preferences.

Shortcut keys for Immersive Reader

Use keyboard shortcuts to navigate.

Close Immersive Reader

Select the back arrow or tap Esc on your keyboard to exit Immersive Reader.

Use Immersive Reader in Word for iPad

Some Immersive Reader tools are available in Word for iPad. To turn on Immersive Reader while reading or editing a Word document:

2. Select Immersive Reader

3. Choose from the following tools to make your document more comfortable to read and edit.

Language support

Languages and products supported by Immersive Reader

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Use Learning Tools to help pronounce words correctly, read accurately, and understand what you read.

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Free Download

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ColorVeil: Reduce eye strain, help with Dyslexia and Visual Stress

A screen color filter over any application you are using

Helps users with Dyslexia and Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome

Reduce eye strain along with screen brightness

Easily customize the color and opacity of the filter

Match the prescription from the optometrist

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Dim screen brightness, reduce eye strain, and save energy. It helps with eye strain, Dyslexia, Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome, or Visual Stress.

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On this page you can find links to accessibility help articles that are written for people who use screen readers with Microsoft OneNote. To find information on how to create OneNote notebooks that are accessible to people with disabilities, see Make your OneNote notebooks accessible to people with disabilities.

OneNote is a note-taking app that is available with Microsoft 365 and as a free stand-alone app.

On this page you can find links to accessibility help articles that are written for people who use screen readers with Microsoft OneNote. To find information on how to create OneNote notebooks that are accessible to people with disabilities, see Make your OneNote notebooks accessible to people with disabilities.

On this page you can find links to accessibility help articles that are written for people who use screen readers with Microsoft OneNote. To find information on how to create OneNote notebooks that are accessible to people with disabilities, see Make your OneNote notebooks accessible to people with disabilities.

On this page you can find links to accessibility help articles that are written for people who use screen readers with Microsoft OneNote. To find information on how to create OneNote notebooks that are accessible to people with disabilities, see Make your OneNote notebooks accessible to people with disabilities.

On this page you can find links to accessibility help articles that are written for people who use screen readers with Microsoft OneNote. To find information on how to create OneNote notebooks that are accessible to people with disabilities, see Make your OneNote notebooks accessible to people with disabilities.

On this page you can find links to accessibility help articles that are written for people who use screen readers with Microsoft OneNote. To find information on how to create OneNote notebooks that are accessible to people with disabilities, see Make your OneNote notebooks accessible to people with disabilities.

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On this page you can find links to accessibility help articles that are written for people who use screen readers with Microsoft OneNote. To find information on how to create OneNote notebooks that are accessible to people with disabilities, see Make your OneNote notebooks accessible to people with disabilities.

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To use a color filter:

1. To go to the Accessibility settings on your computer, press the Windows logo key+U or select Start > Settings > Accessibility .

2. Select Color filters .

3. Turn the Color filters switch on.

4. Select a color filter from the list. Try each filter to see which one suits you best.

Go to Color filters

To use a color filter:

1. Switch on the toggle under Turn on color filters.

2. Then, select a color filter from the menu. Try each filter to see which one suits you best.

Note: To get to color filter settings in previous versions of Windows 10, select Start > Settings > Ease of Access > Color & high contrast.

Go to Color filters

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To use a color filter: To go to the Accessibility settings on your computer, press the Windows logo key+U or select Start > Settings > Accessibility . Select Color filters . Turn the Color filters switch on. Select a color filter from the list. Try each filter to see which one suits you best.

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Use Accessibility checker for emails and more

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Use Accessibility checker for emails and more

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In this topic

Use the Accessibility Checker

1. On the ribbon, select the Review tab. If you're using Outlook, note that you'll only see the Review tab when writing or replying to messages.

2. Select Check Accessibility.

3. Review your results. You'll see a list of errors, warnings, and tips with how-to-fix recommendations for each. See Rules for the Accessibility Checker for more information.

Fix recommendations with ease

To easily address accessibility errors and warnings, select an issue to open the Recommended Actions list. You can apply a one-click fix by selecting an action, or select the arrow button next to an action for more options.

Check accessibility while you work in Outlook

In Outlook, the Accessibility Checker runs automatically when composing an email, and a MailTip will provide a convenient nudge to correct accessibility issues before sending your email.

Select File > Options > Ease of Access and select if you want to see accessibility notifications through a MailTip while you work, in certain scenarios, or only when you manually open the Accessibility Checker pane.

The default option is to show accessibility notifications in certain scenarios, and if any accessibility issues are detected, a MailTip appears to guide you to review suggestions and fix the issue.

Show me accessibility warnings while I work

Show me accessibility warnings when:

At least one recipient prefers accessible content

Using a dark background to compose a message. If you're composing in Black Theme with dark mode enabled, which is the default for this theme, the Accessibility Checker runs but shows notifications only when text contrast is insufficient. Any other issues will still appear in the Accessibility Checker pane, but they won't cause the MailTip to appear.

Composing a message to a large audience

At least one recipient is outside my organization

Composing a message with high importance

Show me accessibility warnings only when I open the accessibility checker

Check accessibility while you work in Word, Excel and PowerPoint

To be notified of accessibility issues in your Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents as you continue working on them, tick the Keep accessibility checker running while I work checkbox.

This adds the Accessibility button to your status bar, and keeps track of accessibility issues in real time. You can open the Accessibility Checker whenever you want by selecting the status bar button.

Note: The Keep accessibility checker running while I work checkbox does not exist in Outlook. Instead, the accessibility checker runs automatically in the background. Instead of an Accessibility button on your status bar, an accessibility MailTip will be shown in the message window, letting you review any accessibility issues before sending a message.

Don't see Accessibility Checker?

If you don't see the Check Accessibility button on the Review tab, you might have an older version of the app. Follow these steps to open the Accessibility Checker.

1. Select File > Info.

2. Select the Check for Issues button.

Tip: To the right of the Check Accessibility button, under the Inspect heading, is a list of any potential issues.

3. In the Check for Issues drop-down menu, select Check for Issues.

4. The Accessibility Checker task pane appears next to your content and shows the inspection results.

5. To see information on why and how to fix an issue, under Inspection Results, select an issue. Results appear under Additional Information, and you're directed to the inaccessible content in your file.

See also

Everything you need to know to write effective alt text

Use a screen reader with the Accessibility Checker

Office Accessibility Center

Make your content accessible to everyone with the Accessibility Checker

Use the Accessibility Checker

On the ribbon, select one of the following options, depending on which app you are using:

1. In Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, select Review > Check Accessibility.

In OneNote, select View > Check Accessibility.

In Outlook, while writing or replying to an email message, select Options > Check Accessibility.

Tip: In Outlook, you can also access the Accessibility Checker from a MailTip at the top of the message window. The accessibility MailTip appears if one of your message recipients has set up a preference for receiving accessible email.

2. Review your results. You'll see a list of errors, warnings, and tips with how-to-fix recommendations for each. See Rules for the Accessibility Checker for more information.

3. Select a specific issue to see why you should fix the issue and steps to take to change the content.

See also

Everything you need to know to write effective alt text

Use a screen reader with the Accessibility Checker

Office Accessibility Center

Make your content accessible to everyone with the Accessibility Checker

Use the Accessibility Checker

1. On the ribbon, select the Review tab.

2. Select Check Accessibility.

In Outlook Online, the Check for accessibility issues button is located in the ... (More options) menu, which is available on the top and bottom toolbars when writing or replying to messages.

Tip: In Outlook Online, you can also access the Accessibility Checker from a MailTip at the top of the message window. The accessibility MailTip appears if one of your message recipients has set up a preference for receiving accessible email.

3. Review your results. You'll see a list of errors, warnings, and tips. See Rules for the Accessibility Checker for more information.

4. Click on an entry in the accessibility issues list to highlight the corresponding part of your document.

See also

Everything you need to know to write effective alt text

Use a screen reader with the Accessibility Checker

Office Accessibility Center

Make your content accessible to everyone with the Accessibility Checker

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Improve accessibility with the Accessibility Checker

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In this topic On the ribbon, select the Review tab. If you're using Outlook, note that you'll only see the Review tab when writing or replying to messages. Select Check Accessibility. Review your results. You'll see a list of errors, warnings, and tips with how-to-fix recommendations for each.

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Microsoft's links, resources and information for educators

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Educator Center Overview - Microsoft Learn Educator Center

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Microsoft Learn for Educators takes the best of Microsoft Learn online learning paths and helps you to bring instructor-led training materials from Microsoft into your courses. This program provides members with access to Microsoft ready-to-teach curriculum and teaching materials aligned to industry-recognized Microsoft Certifications.

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In this interactive guide, you'll see how inclusive math features from Microsoft provide a toolbox of free capabilities to empower students of all abilities and learning styles, improve comprehension of written problems and their solutions, and enable students to work independently at their own pace.

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Online teaching: five things to consider before you start

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1. Should I be teaching online at all? Depending on the year group, topic and point in a sequence of learning, live input from you may not be the best approach. Consider using parents, providing reading, or suggesting videos that pupils can access instead.

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Comprehensive reference for SPLD

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REST provide support for mental health and have free lending libraries for mental health and self support books.

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We are REST

REST is a partnership project that brings together mental health support, local services and a place where everyone can feel welcome.

REST stands for Recover, Eat, Support, and Talk, reflecting the different ways we can be more connected in our community.

At the moment, we are offering support face to face, online and we will soon be announcing the opening date of our central Norwich REST hub.

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REST is a partnership project that brings together mental health support, local services and a place where everyone can feel welcome. REST stands for Recover, Eat, Support, and Talk, reflecting the different ways we can be more connected in our community.

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Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)

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Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)

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RNIB homepage

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How we can help

RNIB is committed to helping blind and partially sighted people

If you're blind or partially sighted, you've come to the right place for products that help you live independently and enjoy everyday activities. Not sure where to start? Why not have a look at our best sellers, our new products, or our special offers.

We are leading the creation of an accessible world. A world where everyone can participate equally is a better world for everyone.

Our impact

RNIB is dedicated to making a difference

We provided employment advice and information to more than 2,400 people, and supported more than 800 people to stay in work.

Find employment advice

Our Eye Care Liaison Officers (ECLOs) provided vital emotional support to over 60,000 eye clinic patients, their friends, and their families.

Find out more about ECLOs

With the help of our supporters, we raised £61.5 million this year to support and empower blind and partially sighted people.

Get involved

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The homepage of the Royal National Institute for Blind People. Discover how the RNIB supports blind people and those with visual impairments.

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RAD homepage

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Remember all visual impairments are individual.  This is a quick reference guide

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Narrator is a screen-reading app that's built into Windows 10, so there's nothing you need to download or install. This guide describes how to use Narrator with Windows so that you can start using apps, browsing the web, and more.

Below the table of contents, there's a section about what's new in Narrator.

Note: This guide is available as a Word doc and a PDF (in English only). You can download a version of this guide in braille (US English non-UEB grade 2 braille). To obtain additional languages or formats, contact the Disability Answer Desk.

Want to learn how to use Narrator to do things in Office apps, like Outlook and Word? Check out the articles on this page: Use a screen reader and keyboard shortcuts with Office apps.

Table of contents

What's new

Version released in 2020

This release is all about helping you get things done faster. To give Microsoft feedback, press Narrator (Caps lock) + Alt + F while Narrator is running.

Email improvements in Outlook and Windows Mail

Use Scan Mode to read emails

Scan Mode turns on automatically when you open an email. Use the arrow keys and other Scan Mode commands-just like you would on the web-to navigate around.

Emails are read automatically

When you open an email, Narrator will start reading-no commands required.

Get the important info, skip the noise

In Outlook, Narrator will read an email's status (unread, forwarded, etc.), who sent it, the subject line, and any other characteristics of the email that are important or unique (for example, Narrator will read if an email is flagged, but it won't read if an email is unflagged).

Narrator won't read any unnecessary table info, like if there are 5 empty columns, and column headers won't be read by default. Turn column header reading in Outlook on or off by pressing Narrator + H.

Web improvements

No more unhelpful hyperlinks

Narrator will give you the title of the webpage for a link. Press Narrator + Ctrl + D, and Narrator will take the URL of the hyperlink you are on and send it to an online service that will provide the page title to Narrator . And when focus is on an image, the Narrator + Ctrl + D command provides a description of the image. If you would like to disable all online services used by Narrator, you can turn this feature off in Narrator settings.

Get a quick summary of a webpage

Hear a webpage summary that includes the number of links, landmarks, and headings by pressing Narrator + S.

Popular links and full webpage summary

Press Narrator + S twice quickly to pull up a dialog box on the screen with the following info: the number of links, landmarks, and headings on a page, and a list of popular links for a page (popular links are the links on the page that get the most engagement).

Webpages are read automatically

Narrator automatically reads webpages starting at the top of the page.

Sound improvements

New sounds for common actions

Narrator sounds are now more functional and responsive. For example, sounds now play for common actions, such as when you land on a link or when you turn on or off Scan Mode. To manage sounds for common actions, go to Narrator settings. To hear the Narrator sounds, refer to Appendix E: Narrator Sounds.

Hear capital letters and words

By default, Narrator reads capital letters the same as lowercase ones. This means "Word," "WORD," and "word" all sound the same (even though different letters are capitalized in each).

If you'd like to hear when a letter is capitalized, Narrator can say "cap" before it, or read the word or letter in a higher pitch. To change how Narrator handles capitalization, go to the section "Change what you hear when reading and interacting" in Narrator settings.

Read with Magnifier

Magnifier, the screen-magnifying feature that comes with Windows 10, will now read text aloud. This might be useful if you are a low vision user who would like text read aloud on-demand. For more information, refer to reading with Magnifier .

New or notable commands

Narrator + Ctrl + D: Get the webpage source of a link

Narrator + S: Get a webpage summary

Narrator + S twice quickly: Get the webpage summary and popular links dialog box

Narrator + H: Turn on or off Outlook column header reading

Narrator + Alt + F: Give feedback on Narrator

Windows logo key+ Plus sign (+): Open Magnifier

Other capabilities that are new to Narrator over the last few releases

Narrator Home

Every time you turn on Narrator, you'll go to Narrator Home, which gives you one place where you can find everything you need, from changing your Narrator settings to learning the basics of Narrator with QuickStart. Also, when minimized Narrator Home goes into your system tray, so you won't need to navigate around it when using Alt + Tab to switch between things.

Read by sentence

Narrator can now read next, current, and previous sentences. Read by sentence is available whenever you use a keyboard, touch, or braille.

"Sentence" is also its own Narrator view. Press Narrator + Page up or Narrator + Page down to get to the sentence view, then press Narrator + Left arrow to move to the previous sentence and Narrator + Right arrow to move to the next sentence.

You can use these new commands on Braille displays by pressing dots 2-3-4 or 2-3-4-7 in command input mode.

New verbosity levels

Narrator provides five verbosity levels that impact the amount of information you hear when Narrator reads text, such as web sites, and when you interact with controls. Each level is documented in Chapter 4 with a brief description of how you might want to use it.

Use scan mode in your favorite browser

Scan mode turns on automatically in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.

Standard keyboard layout

We wanted to make it easier for you to learn and use Narrator, so we've introduced a new Standard keyboard layout. The updated layout is more like the keyboard layout you may have experienced in other screen readers.

When keyboard commands are mentioned in this guide, they're for the new standard keyboard layout. Some of the new commands include updates to Narrator's page, paragraph, line, word, and character commands. You'll also notice new commands like Narrator Find, list of links, list of headings, and list of landmarks. For some commands, you can now use the numeric keypad.

You can explore all the new and updated commands in Appendix B: Narrator keyboard commands and touch gestures. Find scan mode commands in Chapter 3: Using scan mode.

Note: Your keyboard will default to the Standard layout. If you want to change this, go to Settings > Ease of Access > Narrator, and choose the Legacy layout. You can also get to your Narrator settings by pressing Windows logo key + Ctrl + N. New Narrator commands will not be available in the Legacy keyboard layout if keystrokes for legacy commands conflict with those used in new Narrator features.
Open Narrator settings

Narrator key

You can now choose what modifier key you want to use in Narrator commands. Both the Caps Lock and Insert keys serve as your Narrator key by default. You can use either of these keys in any command that uses the Narrator key. The Narrator key is referred to as simply "Narrator" in commands. You can change your Narrator key in Narrator settings.

Updated Change View commands

Change View commands are now mapped to the Narrator + Page up and Page down keys. You can also use Change View by pressing Narrator + Ctrl + Up arrow and Down arrow.

Improvements to scan mode

Scan mode's Primary and Secondary Action commands have changed. A Primary Action can be executed by pressing Enter or Spacebar. You can complete a Secondary Action by adding a Shift key to each of those keys ( Shift + Enter or Shift + Spacebar). You'll notice this change regardless of the keyboard layout you select.

Additionally, several new scan mode keyboard commands have been added that allow you to select text. You can learn more about them in Chapter 3: Using scan mode.

Give feedback

Your feedback helps make Narrator better. When Narrator is turned on, press Narrator + Alt + F to open the Feedback Hub to provide feedback about Narrator. You can also leave comments on the Microsoft Accessibility User Voice website. Additionally, for technical support for Narrator or other Microsoft assistive technology, contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk.

If you want to provide Microsoft with additional diagnostic and performance data, press Windows logo key + Ctrl + N to open Narrator settings, turn on the toggle under Help make Narrator better, and then restart Narrator.
Open Narrator settings

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Narrator is a screen-reading app that's built into Windows 10, so there's nothing you need to download or install. This guide describes how to use Narrator with Windows so that you can start using apps, browsing the web, and more. Below the table of contents, there's a section about what's new in Narrator.

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The user has sent too many requests
in a given amount of time.

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Information and guidance on the Equality Act 2010, including age discrimination and the Public Sector Equality Duty.

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Equality and Human Rights Commission Guidance

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Equality and Human Rights Commission Guidance

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Equality Act guidance | Equality and Human Rights Commission

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Links to all current Equality Act guidance for private and public sector organisations, employers and employees and education providers.

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International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, known more commonly as ICF, is a classification of health and health-related domains.

As the functioning and disability of an individual occurs in a context, ICF also includes a list of environmental factors.

ICF is the WHO framework for measuring health and disability at both individual and population levels.

ICF was officially endorsed by all 191 WHO Member States in the Fifty-fourth World Health Assembly on 22 May 2001(resolution WHA 54.21) as the international standard to describe and measure health and disability.

ICF is based on the same foundation as ICD and ICHI and share the same set of extension codes that enable documentation at a higher level of detail.

Browse online

List of official ICF updates

Official updates to the ICF are available as annual lists of changes.

These updates are approved annually at the October meeting of the WHO Family of International Classifications (WHO-FIC) Network.

The provision of a link from the WHO website to other sites does not indicate endorsement of those sites by WHO, and WHO accepts no responsibility for the validity or accuracy of their content.

Licensing or translating ICF

To license ICF, the same rules apply for ICF as for ICD.

If you are interested in translating ICF into a language not currently available, please contact icf at who.int.

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and Youth (ICF-CY) has been fully merged back into the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF).

The ICF-CY should no longer be used and is no longer supported.

The below document outlines that decision and provides additional detail about the process.

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International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)

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The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, known more commonly as ICF, is a classification of health and health-related domains. As the functioning and disability of an individual occurs in a context, ICF also includes a list of environmental factors.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Disability etiquette is a set of guidelines dealing specifically with how to approach a person with a disability.

There is no consensus on when this phrase first came into use, although it most likely grew out of the Disability Rights Movement that began in the early 1970s.[citation needed ] The concept may have started as a cynical play on existing rule sheets, written for audiences without a disability, that were seen as patronizing by civil rights activists.[citation needed ]

Most disability etiquette guidelines seem to be predicated on a simple dictate: "Do not assume ..." They are written to address real and perceived shortcomings in how society as a whole treats disabled people.

These guidelines can be broken down into the several broad categories.

" Do not assume ...":

"... a person with a disability either wants or requires assistance."

"... rejection of aid is meant as a personal affront."

"... upon acceptance of your help, that you know, without being told, what service to perform."

"... a person who appears to have one kind of disability also has others."

"... a disabled person is dissatisfied with their quality of life, and is thus seeking pity."

"... a person with a disability is easily offended."

"... that a person who does not appear disabled, or who uses assistive devices intermittently instead of all of the time, is faking or imagining their disability." (See invisible disability.)

"... companions accompanying a person with a disability are there strictly to render service."

"... a person with a disability will be receptive to personal questions, particularly in a public setting."

"... that when a person with a disability is in a public place, that they are being escorted by a caretaker, instead of traveling alone."

Each category encompasses specific "rules". For example, the last two of these would include guidelines such as:

"Ask questions of the person with a disability, and not of their companions."

"Hand grocery or other receipts to the individual who is paying the bill."

"Only ask questions about the person's disability if you know that person."

People writing on specific disabilities have given rise to their own unique guidelines. Wheelchair users may, for example, include the rule, "do not grab the push handles of a person's wheelchair without permission." Visually impaired people often list a request to, "identify yourself when you enter a room."

Like many other minority groups, disabled people do not always agree on what constitutes politically correct language, and many may have contradicting views on what they prefer. Some may prefer being referred to as 'a person with a disability' rather than as a disabled person - that preference is people-first language. The language someone uses to refer to their disability can signify whether they believe in a medical model of disability or a social model of disability.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Disability etiquette is a set of guidelines dealing specifically with how to approach a person with a disability.

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Disability and Equality Awareness Training

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Disability and Equality Awareness Training

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Disability and Equality

- Terms liable to cause offence awareness on disability and equality issues, discrimination, accessibility, visual impairments and hearing impairments in addition to the not so obvious issues i.e. dyslexia - also general awareness on issues of older people and parents with young children. Generally, people and organisations are not aware of disability equality issues, they do not have an understanding of general disability needs or the concept of inclusive awareness. The course will also introduce the need for individual respect due to disabled people.
- Introduction
- Disability Etiquette Introduction
Disability and Equality Awareness Training is a tool for enabling companies, employees and others to understand the needs of those with disabilities. A disability and equality training session can be tailored to your specific needs providing
Please send an e-mail to info@access4u2.com or please press the Contact Details link on the left of this text and this will provide you with the opportunity to communicate via e-mail.
We look forward to hearing from you regarding your disability awareness training needs.

- Course Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Inclusive Terminology and Language

Terms which are generally acceptable:

Noted below are the general aims and outcomes of a Disability and Equality Awareness Training Course. The course can be tailored to the specific needs of the organisation and time available to provide the training.

Introduce the historical background behind current approaches and attitudes to disability and Equality.

Outline the social model of disability as the preferred model of support for disabled people.

Describe definitions, classification systems and terminology in relation to disability (as shown below under terminology).

Terms liable to cause offence:
Identify sources of statistical data on disabled people in the .
Use physically impaired or physically disabled.
Identify media stereotypes in the portrayal of disability.
Use deaf without speech or a person with a hearing impairment or a deaf person, or sign language user. Use person with epilepsy, diabetes etc.
Recognise the difference between the social and medical models of disability and how they might be implemented on an organisational basis.

Use the correct terminology when communicating about disabled people.
Use person with .
Identify sources of help for disabled people.

Many terms used by the general public are not acceptable to people with a disability. Even among people with a disability, there is not always agreement regarding what is acceptable.Some of the more commonly used terms - both acceptable and unacceptable - are described below.In the unacceptable case, the preferred alternative is underlined.Please note that terminology changes frequently so care needs to be taken in order not to cause offence. If you find that you can add to this list or find one of the terms used not acceptable - please advise. Acceptable language is constantly evolving and we welcome any additions or alterations that are considered appropriate.

Awareness Training
Learning Difficulties - Sometimes used in the same way as learning disabilities; but there can be some confusion as the term learning difficulties is used in some quarters to describe anyone who - for whatever reason - learns slowly or with difficulty.

Learning Disabilities - Refers to an impairment of a function of the brain; with mental disability and learning difficulty, it is commonly used as a preferred alternative to mental handicap .

Non-disabled Persons - Often preferred to able-bodied, as it is neutral and does not claim a monopoly on ability or fitness.

sensory disability. Sensory Impairment - Refers to limitation of a sensory function, i.e. hearing, sight, taste, smell, touch; sometimes called

Confined to a wheelchair - This and similar terms, such as wheelchair bound , place excessive emphasis on the wheelchair, to the detriment of the person in the wheelchair.

Deaf and dumb - Very few hearing-impaired people are physically unable to speak; also the word dumb implies lack of intelligence.

Mad - Old-fashioned and imprecise.

Mentally handicapped - Unacceptable for reasons given earlier.

Many problems are the result of ignorance, fear or embarrassment on the part of non-disabled people.Observing the following simple rules should help overcome these:

Always look at the person, not the disability/wheelchair/escort.

When talking for some time to someone who is using a wheelchair, try to ensure that your eye levels correspond; don't lean on the wheelchair, as this can be annoying for the user and cause it to move.

When guiding a blind person, try not to push or pull the person, ask how he/she wishes to take hold of you; warn of hazards, steps etc as they occur.

No two people have identical needs.We are all different and our perceptions of other people vary and are often based on very limited information.Never make assumptions about disability or the capabilities of individual disabled people.

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Accessibility for Everyone - Access 4 U 2

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Disability and Equality - Terms liable to cause offence awareness on disability and equality issues, discrimination, accessibility, visual impairments and hearing impairments in addition to the not so obvious issues i.e. dyslexia - also general awareness on issues of older people and parents with young children.

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Please make a note of the following information in relation to disability etiquette.

Definitions and General Approaches

Tutors often worry about what problems and difficulties disabled people will present and may well underestimate the student's abilities. Yet the reality is that most disabled students can manage well provided a little forethought and understanding is given to one's teaching. Tutors and trainers do not need to be highly trained disability experts in order to achieve positive results. They need only take a common sense approach and know where to go for additional help if necessary.

The disabled person is usually the best person to start with when one is trying to establish what their needs are and what possible solutions exist or might be created. After all, a disabled student who has achieved the entry standard for Higher Education has the experience of living with their disability and overcoming their problems, they will also know what enables them to learn effectively. The important starting point is not the individual's impairment (or its cause), but what that person needs in order to be able to show and develop their skills to the same extent as others.

Another important point to remember is that people with similar impairments do not necessarily have similar needs. One student with a visual impairment might work well within a lab situation, whilst another might find that situation particularly difficult. Two students with mobility problems could also have very different needs - one might use a wheelchair, another crutches. The specific details of the impairment, personality, age, preferences, experience, motivation and length of time with the disability all have a significant impact on performance.

Disability Etiquette

Language and Disability

Disabled people are quite naturally sensitive to the negative connotations of some expressions. Some non-disabled individuals may inappropriately regard this concern for language as political correctness, however, language conveys powerful messages and can lead to inaccurate labelling that dehumanises or belittles. It is helpful to observe care in one's choice of words and to encourage all students to be sensitive to their use of language too. The list below is dynamic and changes in response to the suggestions and beliefs of disabled individuals:

Use the following terms:

disabled people

non disabled people

blind

partially sighted

people with visual impairments

deaf/hard of hearing

Deaf people who use sign language

mental health difficulties

wheelchair users

Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD)

Do not use the following terms:

handicapped people

'the impaired', 'the visually impaired' or 'the physially impaired'

spastic

any word ending in "...ic" which replaces the identify of the invidual(s) e.g. "the epileptic" or 'dyslexics'

ESN (Educationally Subnormal)

EBD (Emotionally and Behaviourally Disturbed)

cripples

wheelchair bound

a victim of...

suffering from...

deformed

retarded

invalid

dumb

the special needs child/student

Common Courtesies

Avoid attaching labels to people with or without impairments. Do not make assumptions about the presence or absence of impairment, some people have hidden disabilities such as epilepsy or asthma. Medical labels are undesirable and misleading as no two people are alike. Medical labels say nothing about the individual and tend to reinforce stereotypes of disabled people as patients, powerless and wholly dependent on the medical profession.

It is dehumanising to talk of people in terms of a condition. Do not talk about a dyslexic or an epileptic - it is far preferable to say she/he has dyslexia / she/he has epilepsy.

Do not use the word disabled as a noun (the disabled), it implies a homogenous group separate from the rest of society. Everyone is an individual, people with disabilities do not constitute a group apart.

Treat adults in a manner befitting adults, do not patronise disabled learners.

Do offer assistance to a disabled person, as appropriate, but wait until your offer has been accepted before you help. Do not assume that you know the best way of helping, listen to any instructions.

Do not be embarrassed about using common expressions such as I see what you mean which may relate to a person's impairment.

Make eye contact and talk directly to the disabled person rather than through a companion.

Make appropriate physical contact with disabled people according to the situation in the same way you would with anyone else.

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Please make a note of the following information in relation to disability etiquette. Definitions and General Approaches Tutors often worry about what problems and difficulties disabled people will present and may well underestimate the student's abilities. Yet the reality is that most disabled students can manage well provided a little forethought and understanding is given to one's teaching.

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Resources | Neurodiversity Celebration Week

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Skip to main content

Neurodiversity-smart businesses are better businesses.

Welcome to BDF's Neurodiversity Toolkit, kindly sponsored by Microsoft. The resources in this toolkit are available to all Business Disability Forum Members and Partners. To find out if your organisation is a Business Disability Forum Member visit our membership page.

This toolkit contains resources, blogs, case studies and videos to help shape and deliver your organisation's neurodiversity strategy. We also share examples of what some of our Members and Partners are doing in our case studies section. Content is organised into five different sections.
View a contents page listing the resources, or you can navigate the resources below.
Currently the following resources are available free to access for non-Members:

Our sincere thanks to all those who contributed their time, expertise and content to help us create this toolkit:

BBC Cape

Santander

PwC

HSBC

Oracle

Do-IT Profiler

Genius Within

Willis Towers Watson

Lexxic

The resources we provide are designed to sit on our Knowledge Hub, so please direct your employees to use our site. However, we understand that in some instances organisations might find it more useful to host the content on their own intranets or learning management systems, please email publications@businessdisabilityforum.org.uk to discuss options to suit your needs.
© This resource and the information therein are subject to copyright and remain the property of the Business Disability Forum. They are for reference only and must not be copied or distributed without prior permission.

Explore the toolkit

You can navigate through all the resources or you can filter by one of the categories. Once you've selected the category or categories you want to view, click apply.

Serving neurodiverse customers clients and service users Deeper dive for HR and D&I professionals Case studies blogs and podcasts Neurodiversity and business What people managers need to know Apply

Resource tags

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Skip to main content Neurodiversity-smart businesses are better businesses. Welcome to BDF's Neurodiversity Toolkit, kindly sponsored by Microsoft. The resources in this toolkit are available to all Business Disability Forum Members and Partners. To find out if your organisation is a Business Disability Forum Member visit our membership page.

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Issues surrounding diagnosis and presentation of Autism in girls and women.

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Brilliant app with lots of functions for making writing more readable.

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With "Fixation" you define the expression of the letter combinations. Choose a value from 1 to 5. 3 is defined as the base value.

With "Saccade" you define the visual jumps from Fixation to Fixation. Choose a value from 10 to 50. 10 is defined as the base value.

With "Letters" you define your personal selection of Fixation and Saccade. Your defined settings for Fixation and Saccade are used by the Bionic Reading® algorithm.

With "Syllables" the syllables of the word are used as a basis for the Fixation. For monosyllabic words, your Fixation setting is taken into account.

With "Advanced Settings" you decide which part of speech the Bionic Reading® algorithm should consider. Maybe you only want to read nouns, verbs and adjectives with Bionic Reading®. It's your decision.

With "Opacity" you define the visibility of your Fixation. You can also adjust the visibility of the remaining letters individually to your needs. Choose a value from 100 to 0. 100 is defined as the base.

With "Details" you refine your individual Bionic Reading reading mode. Choose your preferred "Font" and "Font Size" and adjust the "Line Height". With "Letter Spacing" you change the space between the letters and with "Column Width" you give your text the right frame.

With "Display" you can change the color and opacity for the text and background of your Bionic Reading® Reader. Of course you can choose between light mode and dark mode. Just try it.

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6 Apps. Free or Premium. Bionic Reading® for Apple iOS and macOS, Google Android, Microsoft Windows, Google Chrome and Web. We offer you the free version "Discover" and the subscriptions "Premium" and "Premium Plus".

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ABOUT DYSLEXIA

Tools are essential and offer various solutions, however sustainable progress starts with knowledge, understanding and recognition. We work hard to increase the awareness of dyslexia and to spread knowledge - as well as in areas where dyslexia is relatively unknown. We like to approach dyslexia with a positive twist and therefore emphasize the upside of dyslexia; a side that we would love to help you discover.

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Dyslexie Font - An award winning Dyslexia font

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Being challenged by dyslexia? Dyslexie font motivates you to start reading more. With the innovative tools, we clear the way through the letter jungle.

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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects people's behaviour. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse.

Symptoms of ADHD tend to be noticed at an early age and may become more noticeable when a child's circumstances change, such as when they start school.

Most cases are diagnosed when children are under 12 years old, but sometimes it's diagnosed later in childhood.

Sometimes ADHD was not recognised when someone was a child, and they are diagnosed later as an adult.

The symptoms of ADHD may improve with age, but many adults who were diagnosed with the condition at a young age continue to experience problems.

People with ADHD may also have additional problems, such as sleep and anxiety disorders.

Getting help

Many children go through phases where they're restless or inattentive. This is often completely normal and does not necessarily mean they have ADHD.

But you should discuss your concerns with your child's teacher, their school's special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) or a GP if you think their behaviour may be different from most children their age.

It's also a good idea to speak to a GP if you're an adult and think you may have ADHD, but were not diagnosed with the condition as a child.

What causes attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?

The exact cause of ADHD is unknown, but the condition has been shown to run in families.

Research has also identified a number of possible differences in the brains of people with ADHD when compared with those without the condition.

Other factors suggested as potentially having a role in ADHD include:

being born prematurely (before the 37th week of pregnancy)

having a low birthweight

smoking or alcohol or drug abuse during pregnancy

ADHD can occur in people of any intellectual ability, although it's more common in people with learning difficulties.

How attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is treated

For children with ADHD, although there's no cure, it can be managed with appropriate educational support, advice and support for parents and affected children, alongside medicine, if necessary.

For adults with ADHD, medicine is often the first treatment offered, although psychological therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) may also help.

Living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Parents of children with ADHD

Looking after a child with ADHD can be challenging, but it's important to remember that they cannot help their behaviour.

Some day-to-day activities might be more difficult for you and your child, including:

getting your child to sleep at night

getting ready for school on time

listening to and carrying out instructions

being organised

social occasions

shopping

Adults with ADHD

Adults with ADHD may find they have problems with:

organisation and time management

following instructions

focusing and completing tasks

coping with stress

feeling restless or impatient

impulsiveness and risk taking

Some adults may also have issues with relationships or social interaction.

Page last reviewed: 24 December 2021
Next review due: 24 December 2024

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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

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Read about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a condition that affects people's behaviour.

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Here you will find a selection of events across Norfolk for those with Autism and their Parents and Carers. From regular support and social groups to one day events! The Norfolk Autism Partnership cannot be held responsible for events that it does not directly organise itself.

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This blog is a joint collaboration Emeritus Professor in Educational Psychology, and InnerDrive's lead psychologist Bradley Busch. We at InnerDrive are incredibly grateful for Paul's time, effort and generosity in working with us on this. Paul Kirschner

How do we know if our students are actually learning? What at first sight may appear as learning may actually be an illusion. A mirage. Instead, what we may be witnessing is more akin to "achievement". Though the difference between the two may seem to be subtle, the chasm between them is actually quite stark, with far reaching consequences.

So let's explore in a bit more detail how "learning" and "achievement" actually differ....

Learning is a long-term change in memory, achievement is a short-term performance

Learning is best though of as a "change in long-term memory". Whereas on the flip side, achievement is a short-term change in knowledge or behaviour. If you teach students some new content and then answer a question on it correctly straight after, it's tempting to assume that they've learnt. But these memories fade quickly. And change.

Answering correctly in the short term is simply evidence that the student momentarily knows the correct answer. It doesn't mean that they've fully understood why it's correct or can use it at a later moment. So, "getting" the right answer doesn't necessarily mean that it has been consolidated in their long-term memory (though is a decent barometer of checking for understandingin the short-term).

Learning is stable but achievement is fragile

Learning is stable and fades slowly so that if something is forgotten, it's easily relearned. Achievement is fragile and fades quickly. One illustration of this is when a student studies for a test, does it, gets a decent grade, and then forgets everything they studied after a few days. Teachers notice this constantly. The next time it needs to be learnt, it's often as if it was never learnt in the first place.

Of course, forgetting is normal (and a key part of the learning process). But the key part about learning is that it is cumulative Prior knowledge, that is what the learner has in their long-term memory helps students gain new knowledge. Learning is stable because students can build upon it by continually securing information in their long-term memory.

Achievement isn't cumulative. Previous achievement doesn't necessarily beget future achievement as it hasn't been incorporated in one's long-term memory. As such, it's temporary and fragile.

Learning requires deep cognitive processing, achievement requires shallow ones

To learn something new, students need to store it in their memory as well as retrieve it. Both these things require students to think hard about new information, which takes a lot of cognitive effort. One-off achievements, by their nature, requires a more shallow process, as it can accomplished by parroting back information verbatim.

The Learning Conundrum

Learning is harder to measure than achievement.Due to learning being a change in long-term memory, which involves deeper processes, it can be more difficult to measure, especially compared to achievement. So how can we try to tell if students have learnt anything? Two possible strategies, that if desired could be used in tandem, offer some potential:

Assess students on multiple occasions

Giving students regular assessments allows you to track their progress by seeing where they have improved and what needs more practice, as this gives a more reliable depiction of students' learning than a one-off test. This also gives an indication into their rate of forgetting too.

If the assessments are cumulative, where both "old" and "new" knowledge is assessed, students may also benefit from Successive Relearning, which is a technique that combines Spacing and Retrieval Practice. So, the more that students study for regular assessments, the more opportunities there are for successive relearning.

Get students to apply their learning

Arguably one of the best measures of learning is whether students can do something with the material they have learnt. Can they explain it? Apply it? Adapt it? Transfer it to different settings? Doing so can help us to see if they have learnt the material on a deep and meaningful level. For a more detailed look at this area, you may like our blog, 8 Ways to Check if You Really Know Something.

Final thoughts

At first glance, the distinctions between learning and achieving may appear subtle and inconsequential. The truth is that the chasm between them is vast and the implications for spotting the two numerous.

Paradoxically, by focusing less on achievement and more on learning, we increase the likelihood of higher achievement in the future. It is why focusing on learning strategies like Retrieval Practice and Spacing are so important.

Achievement may give a brief snapshot in time, but learning provides the firm foundation that everything in the future is built upon.

*If you would like to read more about this sort of thing, we strongly recommend following Paul on Twitter here.

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Are students learning or are they just achieving?

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This blog is a joint collaboration Emeritus Professor in Educational Psychology, and InnerDrive's lead psychologist Bradley Busch. We at InnerDrive are incredibly grateful for Paul's time, effort and generosity in working with us on this. Paul Kirschner How do we know if our students are actually learning?

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Accessibility Features That Make Windows 10 Easier to Use!

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Accessibility for iPhone - 10 Ways It Could Help YOU!

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Meares-Irlen Syndrome

Meares - Irlen Syndrome is a form of visual stress which leads to difficulties with fine vision tasks such as reading. This eye condition was identified in 1980 by an American psychologist and although the condition is not yet fully understood, it is known to affect reading ability.

The condition affects about 50% of dyslexics, as well as epileptics, migraine sufferers, people with ME and MS, and others. Like dyslexia, it is not curable but can be treated, and significant improvements can be made. For dyslexics, Meares - Irlen can often be the cause of reading difficulty.

The symptoms will have been present throughout your life butsome people experience symptoms after a minute of reading, others find the symptoms take longer to appear. The degree of symptoms can also vary from person to person with more marked symptoms creating barriers to successful reading.

General Problems May Include

Strain working under bright lighting

Difficulty finding comfortable lighting

Glare from bright objects

Eye strain

Headaches from reading, working at a computer, watching TV, supermarket lighting.

Symptoms Resulting from Reading may include:

Poor comprehension

Skips words or lines

Reads slowly or hesitantly

Loses place

Eye Strain

When reading you may see the words:

Jumping off the page

Spinning

Moving around

Not staying where they are supposed to

Symptoms Judging Distances may include:

Clumsiness

Accident Prone

Bumps into things

Difficulty catching small balls

If you have any of the above symptoms, it is advisable to have a standard vision test at your local Optician. If, after the eye test and the appropriate treatment, the symptoms remain, you ought to be tested for Meares - Irlen syndrome.

Treatment for Meares - Irlen
There are a number of treatments for Meares - Irlen syndrome and different people will have different outcomes from treatment. Some can gain significant improvements, some no more than a 5-10% correction. However, some improvement is better than none at all. Treatment for Meares - Irlen will not cure dyslexia, but may improve the ability to read.

Treatment involves the use of colour and simple eye exercises. Coloured overlays and glasses have been shown to lessen the effects of visual stress. Likewise, regular simple exercises to train the eye and increase coordination have had some success as well.

It is important to have an assessment with a licensed Orthoptist and have a course of treatment set that is appropriate. Treatment is highly specialised and needs to be set specifically for you

Where to Go to Be Tested for Meares - Irlen Syndrome

The at Glasgow Caledonian University carries out a range of clinics examining the vision of people with dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties.

The specialised facility, which is the only one of its kind in Scotland, treats problems in children and adults using a variety of techniques to improve their reading, writing and spelling.

The Clinic has carried out award winning research into Meares-Irlen syndrome and has successfully diagnosed and treated many people.

Consultations can be organised in two ways. Firstly, to access the service on the NHS, a referral is required from a GP or Educational Psychologist and they are almost certainly will be a waiting list.

As the clinic is separate from the NHS you can simply make a self-referral consultation. However, you will still incur a waiting time of some months prior to being seen. As of November 2017, cost of the initial consultation is £60 and a follow-up is £40
Contact
GCU Vision Centre

Glasgow Caledonian University
70 Cowcaddens Road
Glasgow
G4 0BA

Tel: 0141 331 3377

Website: www.gcu.ac.uk/visioncentre/

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Meares - Irlen Syndrome is a form of visual stress which leads to difficulties with fine vision tasks such as reading. This eye condition was identified in 1980 by an American psychologist and although the condition is not yet fully understood, it is known to affect reading ability.

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0:00 / 1:24•Watch full video

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How to set up Speak Selection on Mac — Apple Support

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Text to Speech Speak items Under Pointer for MacBook

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How to have your iPhone or iPad read text to you | Apple Support

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Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder. People with dystonia experience involuntary muscle spasms and contractions. Movements are often repetitive and cause unusual, awkward and sometimes painful postures. Tremor (shaking) is often associated with some types of dystonia. Dystonia can be a condition on its own (primary dystonia).

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Find out how you could use a free directory enquiries service if you are blind or partially sighted.

The 195 service

If you are unable to read or hold a telephone directory because of your sight loss or other disability, you can make use of a free directory enquiries service. You can use this service whether or not BT is your telephone company.

Once you have successfully signed up for the service, all you do is dial 195 and you can speak to an operator who will find the number you require. If you ask to be connected to the number you require, you will then be charged for the call you make according to the call package that you have with your provider.

How to sign up for the service

You need to fill out a simple application form. Call for free on 0800 587 0195 to ask for your form. As well as filling out details about yourself, you will also need someone like a doctor, nurse or another medical practitioner who knows you to countersign the form before you send it off.

We're here for you

If you have a question about living with sight loss we're here to offer support.

Call 0303 123 9999

"Alexa, call RNIB Helpline" on Alexa-enabled devices

Living with sight loss

RNIB's free, informal, community-based courses provide information, advice, support and practical solutions for people adjusting to sight loss and those close to them.

RNIB Sight Loss Advice Service can provide emotional and mental health support to help you deal with the uncertainty of living with sight loss.

Royal Mail operate a scheme called Articles for the Blind (AFB) which allows blind and partially sighted people to send certain items of post free of charge.

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Find out how you could use a free directory enquiries service if you are blind or partially sighted. If you are unable to read or hold a telephone directory because of your sight loss or other disability, you can make use of a free directory enquiries service.

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Fibromyalgia, also called fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), is a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body.

Symptoms of fibromyalgia

As well as widespread pain, other symptoms of fibromyalgia include:

increased sensitivity to pain

muscle stiffness

difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep, which can make you feel very tired (fatigue)

problems with mental processes (known as "fibro-fog"), such as difficulty concentrating or remembering things

irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a digestive condition that causes stomach pain and bloating

feelings of frustration, worry or low mood

The symptoms of fibromyalgia are changeable - for example, they can sometimes suddenly improve or get worse.

See a GP if you think you have fibromyalgia. Treatment can ease some of the symptoms, although they're unlikely to disappear completely.

How fibromyalgia is treated

Although there's currently no cure for fibromyalgia, there are treatments to help relieve some of the symptoms and make the condition easier to live with.

Treatment tends to be a combination of:

In particular, exercise has a number of important benefits for people with fibromyalgia, including helping to reduce pain.

What causes fibromyalgia?

The exact cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, but it's thought to be related to abnormal levels of certain chemicals in the brain and changes in the way the central nervous system (the brain, spinal cord and nerves) processes pain messages carried around the body.

It's also suggested that some people are more likely to develop fibromyalgia because of genes inherited from their parents.

In many cases, the condition appears to be triggered by things that are physical or emotional like an injury, an infection or stress.

Who's affected

Anyone can develop fibromyalgia, but it's more common in women than men.

The condition typically develops between the ages of 25 and 55, but people of any age can get it, including children and older people.

It's not clear exactly how many people are affected by fibromyalgia, although research has suggested it could be a relatively common condition.

Some estimates suggest nearly 1 in 20 people may be affected by fibromyalgia to some degree.

One of the main reasons it's not clear how many people are affected is because fibromyalgia can be a difficult condition to diagnose.

There's no specific test for the condition, and the symptoms can be similar to a number of other conditions.

Support groups

If you have fibromyalgia, support groups can provide an important network for talking to others living with the condition.

Fibromyalgia Action UK is a charity that offers information and support to people with fibromyalgia.

If you have any questions about fibromyalgia, call the charity's helpline on 0300 999 3333.

Fibromyalgia Action UK also has a number of regional co-ordinators who can put you in touch with a support group near you.

Another organisation you may find useful is UK Fibromyalgia.

Help us improve our website

Can you answer some questions about your visit today?

Page last reviewed: 12 October 2022
Next review due: 12 October 2025

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Fibromyalgia, also called fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), is a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body.

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marsmaths maths "mars maths" "functional skills maths level 2" "level 2 functional skills maths" "maths functional skills level 2" "functional skills maths l...

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I am a maths teacher with over 10 years of experience. 'This is the best GCSE maths lesson we've ever seen' said OFSTED when they visited my class in 2019'. That was when I got the courage and confidence to share my skills with the world.

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Brilliant app with lots of functions for making writing more readable.

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With "Fixation" you define the expression of the letter combinations. Choose a value from 1 to 5. 3 is defined as the base value.

With "Saccade" you define the visual jumps from Fixation to Fixation. Choose a value from 10 to 50. 10 is defined as the base value.

With "Letters" you define your personal selection of Fixation and Saccade. Your defined settings for Fixation and Saccade are used by the Bionic Reading® algorithm.

With "Syllables" the syllables of the word are used as a basis for the Fixation. For monosyllabic words, your Fixation setting is taken into account.

With "Advanced Settings" you decide which part of speech the Bionic Reading® algorithm should consider. Maybe you only want to read nouns, verbs and adjectives with Bionic Reading®. It's your decision.

With "Opacity" you define the visibility of your Fixation. You can also adjust the visibility of the remaining letters individually to your needs. Choose a value from 100 to 0. 100 is defined as the base.

With "Details" you refine your individual Bionic Reading reading mode. Choose your preferred "Font" and "Font Size" and adjust the "Line Height". With "Letter Spacing" you change the space between the letters and with "Column Width" you give your text the right frame.

With "Display" you can change the color and opacity for the text and background of your Bionic Reading® Reader. Of course you can choose between light mode and dark mode. Just try it.

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6 Apps. Free or Premium. Bionic Reading® for Apple iOS and macOS, Google Android, Microsoft Windows, Google Chrome and Web. We offer you the free version "Discover" and the subscriptions "Premium" and "Premium Plus".

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Dragon Naturally Speaking Tutorial #1 (Professional Individual version 15)

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Using technology to help elderly or disabled relatives from afar

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Useful article on supporting adults to read

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Many students above third or fourth grade struggle with reading. Evidence suggests a large contributing factor has been overlooked-and there may be a fairly simple way to address it.

One question that hasn't gotten enough attention is whether students are able to make the transition from deciphering, or "decoding," simple words to decoding the words with multiple syllables they encounter at higher grade levels.

"If kids have learned to read the word cat," says literacy expert Rebecca Kockler, "they'll try to read education but pronounce the 'cat' in the word as cat. They all know the word education, so it's not a vocabulary issue."

Kockler made her name, at least among education policy geeks, as a key official in the Louisiana Department of Education under former Superintendent John White. Alongside White, Kockler helped shift the state to significantly better foundational reading skills instruction and the widespread adoption of knowledge-building elementary curricula.

But Kockler says that while she and her colleagues saw "growth in every metric" in the elementary grades, "we would often see a peak in fourth grade and then a decline. I couldn't understand that."

The four-to-five-year, $40-million project is being carried out under the aegis of AERDF (Advanced Education Research and Development Fund) and is now about halfway through its lifespan. AERDF is simultaneously shepherding two other research initiatives and is about to launch a fourth. Its key funders are the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and the Walton Family Foundation.

In theory, students' reading comprehension ability should improve as they advance to higher grade levels-and it often does. But the researchers found that if students are above fourth grade-past the point where they're likely to get decoding instruction-and their decoding ability is below a certain level, they're "extremely unlikely [to] make significant progress in reading comprehension in the following years." The studies, which were conducted in a high-poverty, largely African-American district, found that almost 40% of fifth-graders and 20% of tenth-graders included in the sample fell below the decoding threshold.

The link between decoding ability and comprehension has to do with limits on the mind's ability to take in new information. If students are expending too much cognitive effort on decoding words, they don't have enough capacity left for comprehending the text. In cognitive science terms, they're experiencing too much "cognitive load." Decoding needs to become more or less automatic for students to be able to focus on meaning.

The solution is to provide students with decoding instruction at higher grade levels-but not, Kockler says, the same kind that the evidence indicates works in K-2. At those lower grade levels, children need to practice the phonics patterns they've learned using simple "decodable" texts (think, "The cat sat on the mat"). For older students, Kockler says, "you have to do this simultaneously with building knowledge" and other kinds of instruction-for example, morphology (understanding prefixes and suffixes). And, she says, "you have to do it in the context of meaningful text."

Another new initiative I've recently become aware of seems to align with that description. Called Readable English, it was developed by a former reading specialist, Ann Fitts. Fitts was struck by the "sheer amount of memorization" necessary to learn to decode English, a language in which many letters are capable of producing more than one sound.

A key part of the approach is to use technology to mark up text in a way that makes complex words easier to read. A dot appears between syllables, silent letters are greyed out, and diacritical marks-or "glyphs"-are inserted over certain letters to indicate they're making a particular sound.

The word technique, for example, would be marked up like this:

In the first phase of the intervention, students learn phonics patterns, but they also learn 21 glyphs that represent non-standard letter sounds. The next phase has students practice reading marked-up text and converting text from standard English to the Readable English version, using either texts of their own choice or those assigned by a teacher.

Students are able to turn the mark-up function on or off for individual words. The intervention also includes comprehension, writing, and vocabulary-building activities. Eventually, students should be able to use the Readable English tool as needed to read grade-level texts that are part of the core curriculum.

At least three peer-reviewed studies of Readable English have been published-one with older elementary students, one with middle school students, and one with high school students. The studies were done in high-poverty rural schools and conducted during the pandemic. All found statistically significant and meaningful positive results on various measures, including reading comprehension.

In the middle school study, students who got Readable English grew an average of two grade levels in reading comprehension in less than six months-a result researchers called "surprising"-while the control group experienced a one-month loss. In the elementary study, the Readable English students gained about nine months in reading comprehension after 45 to 60 hours of instruction; the control group gained three months.

The assessments used regular English text rather than a marked-up version, indicating that students were able to successfully transition from one mode to the other. In one of the studies, researchers compared using the Readable English mark-up to learning to ride a bike using training wheels. At a certain point, the "wheels" can come off, and students can transfer their word-reading knowledge to regular text.

In both the elementary and middle school studies, the control group was getting a knowledge-building curriculum that also teaches foundational skills systematically at lower grade levels (Amplify CKLA and Amplify ELA). Teachers in the study were trained in the Amplify curricula and had been using it for at least three years. That suggests that even if students get a high-quality literacy curriculum, many may need additional help to become proficient readers of complex text.

The researchers found that Readable English was cost-effective and easy for teachers to implement. Unlike most reading interventions, it doesn't require that students miss regular class time, and it enables them to read grade-level text relatively quickly.

Perhaps the most impressive of the studies is the one involving high school students. Although the sample was small-just 25 students, including both the treatment and control groups-the results were dramatic, especially considering that few interventions work at the high school level.

The students in the study were in alternative high schools, which are likely to enroll the most disaffected and discouraged teenagers. All had been identified as having a reading disability, and they were over four grade levels behind where they should have been, on average.

The schools used a "credit recovery" platform as the curriculum. Credit recovery, the researchers wrote, has become the "de facto education solution for students in alternative school settings in which one teacher is supposed to support instruction for four grade levels and all core courses." The program used by schools in the study was "text-heavy" and challenging, including authors such as Shakespeare. Often, the researchers observed, students in alternative schools are simply "warehoused until they can drop out."

The control group got tutoring in phonics and "sight words," which don't conform to typical phonics patterns, while the students who got the Readable English intervention used its software to mark up the credit recovery text. The latter group experienced meaningful improvements in various aspects of reading, including growing more than one grade level in reading comprehension-which, the researchers wrote, "is remarkable considering three months of learning loss [were] sustained by the control group."

An important feature of Readable English, the researchers observed, is that it allowed students to choose passages that corresponded to their interests. It was apparent, they said, that despite their struggles these students had "a wealth of vocabulary knowledge learned both from core courses (e.g., earth science, math, history, etc.) and from individual interests." Anecdotally, their behavior also improved considerably, with one student who had been given to regular physical and verbal outbursts "transformed into a calmer, happier person."

In addition, 13 of the 14 students in the Readable English group passed their end-of-year state tests in December, and the remaining student was able to pass the test in May. In the control group, only one of 11 students was expected to pass in May.

Australian cognitive psychologist John Sweller, the father of cognitive load theory, has endorsed Readable English as an effective way of modulating the burden that decoding imposes on students' working memory. "Based on theory and data," he has written, "I can recommend Readable English in the strongest possible terms. It has the potential to transform the teaching of English."

The difficulties posed by English spelling have been a source of complaint for centuries. Would-be reformers have noted that the word fish could be spelled ghoti, using the pronunciation of gh in tough, o as in women, and ti as in nation.

Of course, English is actually more predictable than that; if you find gh at the beginning of an English word, for example, it won't be pronounced as f. Still, it's clear that students in English-speaking countries face greater challenges than students in, say, Spanish-speaking countries, where the spelling system is more phonetic.

Given that it's unlikely English spelling will be rationalized anytime soon, a method like Readable English holds promise for the many older students who struggle to read multisyllabic words. We do need more research on it, especially with more diverse student populations, and it's surely not the only thing students need to be academically successful. But it could be a necessary and even transformative intervention for a group of students who have been left to experience failure for too long, damaging their self-concept and life prospects.
This post originally appeared on Forbes.com. It has been updated to correct an assertion that no English words begin with "gh."

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How to Help Older Students Who Struggle to Read

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Many students above third grade need help deciphering words with multiple syllables

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Bank of health related resources and organisations in Norfolk follow the link: Health Information Leaflet Service (norfolkslivingwell.org.uk)

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Learn My Way | Learn how to use the internet

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Learn how to use the internet. Learn My Way is a website of free online learning for beginners, helping you develop digital skills.

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Autism Anglia enhances the lives of those affected by autism in East Anglia

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Welcome to Norfolk SEND Partnership. Norfolk SEND Partnership offer information and advice to children, young people and parents/carers about special

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New online learning to help you understand your development and feelings.

Understanding your brain

Understanding your feelings

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Health advice and information for 11 to 24 year olds across Norfolk & Waveney, with trusted advice from NHS clinicians.

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To improve the confidence, skills and social engagement of vision impaired people of all ages in Norfolk by delivering high-quality services and practical and emotional support which enable them to live independent and fulfilled lives.

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This programme is in partnership with...

The training is named after Oliver McGowan. Oliver was a young man whose death shone a light on the need for health and social care staff to have better skills, knowledge and understanding of the needs for autistic people and people with a learning disability.

The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is the government's preferred and recommended training for health and social care staff.

Oliver's training is delivered in 2 Tiers. Staff need to complete either Tier 1 or Tier 2.

Both tiers consist of 2 parts.

The first part of both Tier 1 and Tier 2 is this elearning.
Everyone will need the elearning regardless of where they work and the Tier of training they require.  It is free to access.

The second part of the training is either a live 1 hour online interactive session for those needing Tier 1, or, a 1-day face to face training for people who require Tier 2.

About the training

Tier 1

Tier 1 of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is for people who require general awareness of the support autistic people or people with a learning disability may need.

Tier 2

Tier 2 of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is for people who may need to provide care and support for autistic people or people with a learning disability.

How to complete the training

The training is standardised and to complete it individuals must:

Complete this elearning package and:

Tier 1 - the 1 hour online interactive session co-delivered by experts by experience and a subject matter expert facilitator; or

Tier 2 - the 1 day face to face training co-delivered by experts by experience and a subject matter expert facilitator

When to complete the training

Your employer should inform you:

when you need to complete and how to access the elearning

whether you should complete Tier 1 or Tier 2 and when

how to book on to the following part of your training.

It is important to follow your employer's instructions to make sure your training is properly recorded.

If you do this elearning now and you need it to count towards your mandatory training, you will need to ensure it is recorded in line with your employer's processes.

Important information

Tier 1 training covers all the Tier 1 capabilities of the Core Capabilities Frameworks.

Tier 2 training covers only a selected number of Tier 2 capability learning outcomes from of the Core Capabilities Frameworks.

Tier 2 training includes Tier 1 material, so individuals only need to do one training package, either Tier 1 or Tier 2, whichever is most relevant to their role.

Employers need to continue to review the training needs of their staff and provide relevant training for each role.

The online interactive session and face to face training that you attend needs to be the standardised Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism package.

Updates on part 2, the online interactive sessions and face to face training can be found on the Health Education England webpage.

elearning content

More information

The Government has introduced a requirement for Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered service providers to ensure their employees receive learning disability and autism training appropriate to their role. This is to ensure the health and social care workforce has the right skills and knowledge to provide safe, compassionate and informed care to autistic people and people with a learning disability. This requirement is set out in the Health and Care Act 2022.

The Health and Care Act code of practice is currently in development and should be published in 2023. Further recommendations made in this may change some elements of the way this training is delivered in the future.

You can visit The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism webpage for further information and updates.

Primary and secondary audiences

Health workforce

Social care workforce

Family, parent, sibling carers and personal assistants of people with a learning disability and autistic people

Any person who requires a general awareness of people with a learning disability and autistic people

Acknowledgements

Thank you to the following organisations and individuals for their outstanding contributions.

Paula McGowan OBE, Oliver's mum and ambassador for Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism

Tom McGowan, Oliver's dad

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, with special thanks to:

Kate Allez - Consultant Clinical Psychologist for Learning Disabilities
Hannah Shilling - Clinical Psychologist
Simon Eddy - Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Learning Disabilities and Autism
Rozz McDonald - Project Lead, Occupational Therapist and Mental Health & Learning Disability Education Team Lead
Karin Parker - Project Administrator

Family Partnerships Solutions CIC, with special thanks to:

Jacky Martel - Family Carer, and her son, Tomas Green
Dawn Rooke - Director/Family Carer with lived experience of autism
Rosie Mockford - Director/ Learning Disability Nurse and sibling of neurodiverse people
Greg Mockford - raising autism and learning disability awareness

Inclusion Gloucestershire, with special thanks to:

Hayden Price - Expert by Experience
Kayleigh Connors - Expert by Experience
Tim Heaven - Expert by Experience
Sammy Roberts - Expert by Experience
Olivia Watkins - Expert by Experience
Michelle Shaw - Expert by Experience
Wendy Beresford - Coordinator
Dawn Crawford - Coordinator
Vicci Livingstone-Thompson - Chief Executive Officer
Karen Clayton - Deputy Project Lead

Gloucestershire County Council, with special thanks to:

Nicky Allen - Project Administrator
Angela Willis - Multi-Agency Workforce Development Manager

And

Andrew Cotterill - Expert by Experience and Co-chair of the County Autism Partnership Board
Dylan - for contributions to the communication section
Nikki Price - Learning Disability Nurse, Gloucestershire Royal Hospital

Meet the team

Rozz McDonald - Supporting TEL Relationship Manager, HEE Technology Enhanced Learning
Tim Devanney - Learning Disability and Autism Programme Lead, DEQ Quality Transformation
Claire Carr - Programme Manager, National Learning Disabilities and Autism Programme, DEQ Quality Transformation

How to access

To access any elfh programme, you will need an elfh account. If you do not have one, then you can register by selecting the Register button below.
Register >
To view the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism elearning programme, select the View button below. If you already have an account with elfh, you will also be able to login and enrol on the programme from the View button.
View >
If you already have an account with elfh, then you can enrol on to the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism programme by logging in to the elfh Hub, selecting My Account > Enrolment and selecting the programme. You can then access the programme immediately in the My e-Learning section.

NHS healthcare staff in England - ESR

The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism programme is also available to NHS healthcare staff via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). Accessing this e-learning via ESR means that your completions will transfer with you throughout your NHS career.

Not an NHS organisation?

If you are not an NHS health or care organisation and therefore do not qualify for free access to the Learning Hub, you may be able to access the service if you have an existing OpenAthens account. Please go to elfh and sign in with your existing credentials.

If you do not have an existing OpenAthens account, please contact elfh directly to check whether you may be eligible for access.

Staff in social care should contact elfh directly to request access to this programme.

Registering large numbers of users

If you are a HR, IT or Practice Manager and would like to register and enrol large numbers of staff within your organisation for access onto the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism programme, please contact elfh directly.

Organisations wishing to use their own LMS

For HR departments wanting to know more about gaining access to courses using an existing Learning Management System please contact elfh directly to express interest.

More information

Please select the following link for more information on how to use the elfh Hub.

Select here for more information on the authorisations process to run reports on the learning activity of staff.

Select the following link for more information about CPD points.

elfh is a NHS England programme in partnership with the NHS and professional bodies

© elearning for healthcare 2023

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The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism - elearning for healthcare

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The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism