Schoolchildren with sight loss in Scotland will get a chance to try out the latest equipment and technology that can help them in the classroom, thanks to a new loan scheme.
The scheme - the Technology Education Loan Library (TELL) - is being run by the Royal National Institute of Blind People Scotland.
The charity has put together a £42,000 package of funding from a range of trusts to build up a stock of equipment such as magnifying aides and screen-reading software.
These can now be loaned free to any school in Scotland for up to six weeks. The idea is that blind or partially sighted pupils, and their teachers, can try out items to discover if they are suitable for their particular needs.
The majority of the estimated 1,500 young people in Scotland with sight loss are now educated in mainstream schools.
"Equipment such as handheld or large desktop magnifiers, and screen-reading software such as Zoom text and Supernova, can be expensive to buy, especially if schools are unsure if they are actually the most appropriate aide for an individual pupil," explained Mary Dallas, education and family services manager at RNIB Scotland.
"Our scheme allows schools to borrow such items for long enough to test there usefulness in the classroom and, if the pupil wants, at home. Some children can be very self-conscious about anything that draws attention to their sight loss, so this will let them weigh up the advantages in private.
"It also allows schools to make a more informed case to their local authority about buying a particularly expensive item - a large magnifier, for instance, can cost up to £4,000. If teachers can point to a product's proven worth over a trial period, the case for buying their own model is that much stronger."
Already RNIB Scotland has had requests from schools across the country, she says. However, she emphasises, the TELL scheme is not intended to replace any statutory responsibility for schools to provide necessary equipment.
"It gives schools a chance to find the optimum aides for pupils with sight loss, to test out what works best and what doesn't."
Barbara Mulhearn, peripatetic teacher for the visually impaired based in Dumbarton Academy, said: "The TELL service has been invaluable in enabling one of our pupils to trial the Onyx CCTV. This short-term loan has proven to be a great success. Our pupil has quickly acquired skills and is now adept in using the CCTV system. We shall certainly apply again."
The TELL scheme has been made possible by funding from the North British Hotels Trust, the Margaret Murdoch Charitable Trust, the Martin Connell Charitable Trust, the Souter Charitable Trust and Mrs AM Garnett's Charitable Trust.
* For further information on TELL, contact Sally McGreevy on sally.mcgreevy@rnib.org.uk, telephone 0131 652 3145.