As experts in the education and development of children who are blind or partially sighted with significant learning difficulties and disabilities, RNIB School and College staff have published articles providing comment and guidance for fellow professionals in this specialist area. These include:
Maths and complex needs
Lucinda Church-Jones, Teacher at RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning, shares her maths planning ideas for pupils in Key Stage 4.
Insight magazine: Curriculum Bitesize, Issue 39, May-June 2012
Speech and language therapy for children with complex needs
Jennifer Marriott provides thoughts on working with children with learning disabilities and complex needs.
Jennifer Marriott, Speech and Language Therapist, RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning, "Opinion: If you don't ask you don't get?" in Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists Bulletin, April 2012
New space for living at RNIB Pears Centre
What difference can a living environment make to a young person with complex needs?
Lucy Naish, Consultant in Sensory Impairment and Complex Needs with Andy Mercer, Carol Cantillon, Elaine Jakeman and John Jobling social care workers at RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning in Insight magazine, issue 37, January-February 2012
What do you need to be a TA for children with complex needs?
Jackie Seaman, Head of education at Sunshine House, tells Insight what she is looking for when she is recruiting a new Teaching Assistance (TA) including what the job entails and the skills and abilities required for the role.
Jackie Seaman, Head of Education, RNIB Sunshine House School and Children's Home in Insight magazine, Issue 37, January-February 2012
An integrated approach to vision assessment and recording
Judy Bell, Lucy Naish and Louise Stalker report on a project to integrate the medical and functional assessment of vision with an electronic system of reporting. The project team includes professionals from healthcare, education and social care from RNIB Pears Centre and RNIB Sunshine House.
Judy Bell, Consultant in Special Education (visual impairment), Lucy Naish, Consultant in Special Education (multi-sensory impairment) and Louise Stalker, Clinical Lead Optometrist: Low Vision Services, Action for Blind People in Insight magazine Issue 35, September-October 2011
Oral care and children with complex needs
Children and young people with complex needs present a particular challenge to oral health services. Ginny Tyler offers strategies for supporting children through this aspect of personal care.
Ginny Tyler, Principal Manager: Care and Wellbeing, RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning in insight magazine Issue 34, July-August 2011
The best of both: working together to support children with Visual Impairment and Speech and Language Therapy Support
A series of leaflets exploring the ways the QTVI and other professionals can achieve an effective working relationship together and ensure the best outcome for children with special requirements.
Judy Bell, QTVI and Independent Consultant and Ian Bell, Lead Speech and Language Therapist, Rushton School and Children's Home (now known as RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning): April 2011. Available at: www.rnib.org.uk/bestofboth.
The best of both: working together to support children with Visual Impairment and Specific Medical Needs
A series of leaflets exploring the ways the QTVI and other professionals can achieve an effective working relationship together and ensure the best outcome for children with special requirements.
Catherine Southwell, QTVI, Wolverhampton and Fiona Minion, Registered Nurse Learning Disabilities, Rushton School and Children's Home (now known as RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning): April 2011. Available at: www.rnib.org.uk/bestofboth.
New ways of working - Successful school collaboration
A collaboration between RNIB Sunshine House School and Children's Home, and Grangewood School, is bringing tangible benefits to both. Jackie Seaman describes how this new model of sharing good practice and provision is working.
Jackie Seaman, Head of Education, RNIB Sunshine House School and Children's Home in Insight magazine, Issue 32, March-April 2011.
Learning styles for children and young people with visual impairment and complex needs.
Lucy Naish explores how to use individual learning styles to maximise learning opportunities for students with visual impairment and complex needs, by sharing examples at RNIB Rushton School and Children's Home (now known as RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning).
Lucy Naish, Consultant in Sensory Impairment and Complex Needs in Insight magazine, Issue 31, Jan-Feb 2011
Reducing self-injurious behaviour through communication
Beverley Samways and Ian Bell argue that building relationships, using a flexible model of communication, supports the reduction of self-injurious behaviour in young people with visual impairment and complex needs.
Beverley Samways, Unit Leader, RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning (now known as RNIB Rushton School and Children's Home) and Ian Bell, Lead Speech and Language Therapist, RNIB Rushton School and Children's Home (now known as RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning) in RCSLT Bulletin November 2010.
Achieving the Duke of Edinburgh Award
Amanda explains how her sixth form students attained the high standards demanded by the most prestigious youth award in the UK.
Amanda Parr, Head of Sixth Form Development, RNIB Rushton School and Children's Home (now known as RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning) in Insight Magazine, Issue 29, Sept-Oct 2010
Good Practice: Preparing blind children for their new residence
A residential school has formed a close relationship with a construction firm to help ease the transition for its children and young people, who are all blind and have complex needs, from their old school and home to a new purpose-built school next door. Read this article at: Communitycare.co.uk
Brenda Smith, former Head of Care, and Beverley Samways, Unit Leader, RNIB Rushton School and Children's Home (now known as RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning) in Community Care, 23 September 2010
Listening to the learner voice
In 2010 RNIB College Loughborough decided to approach its annual learner survey in a different way. Learners had the chance to make their voices heard through signing, symbols and video. So how did the learners assess the College, and what difference did it make to their lives?
Angela Ketteringham, Speech and Language Therapist, Claire Watkin, Marketing and Admissions Officer, RNIB College Loughborough in Insight magazine, Issue 28, July-Aug 2010