The VITAL South West focus group has been meeting since Summer 2008 and incorporates professionals working in schools and services in Avon, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset and Cornwall.
Forthcoming meeting
The group intended to meet on Thursday 16th May 2013 at RNIB in Bristol to focus on
Supporting children with degenerative conditions
This meeting has now been postponed until further notice.
If you are interested in the details below, please contact
vital@rnib.org.uk or telephone 0113 386 2815 and we will reconvene the meeting if there is sufficient interest.
Educational support, strategies and best practice for children losing sight and hearing, and children experiencing the loss of a broader range of skills and abilities.
This meeting, which was to be shared with the VITAL South Wales group, intended to provide a follow-up to the VITAL Convention held in November 2012 in London. There was strong feedback at the Convention that further training and opportunities for discussion on this topic for education professionals would be welcome. This meeting would provide an opportunity for more in-depth examination and discussion of this theme and will have relevance to people who attended the Convention but also to those who did not.
The presenters are Gail Deuce (Principal Consultant, SENSE) and Anna Gill OBE (Parent, Trustee of Together for Short Lives and former Co-Chair of Norfolk Children's Learning Difficulty and Disability Board.)
Previous meetings
10th November 2011
The group met in Taunton to hear a presentation from Sense about working with children with multi-sensory impairments. In the afternoon there was a digest of approaches and resources available to children with cortical visual impairment.
13 May 2011
This meeting included a presentation on the Routes for learning assessment tool for use with pupils with profound and multiple learning disabilities, as well as a session on the Visual Impairment and Autism project and the new VI and Autism resource pack. In the afternoon the session focussed on policy and protocols for multi-sensory rooms, with members sharing and discussing protocols relating to their school or service.
22 November 2010
The group met at the Holway Centre in Taunton. The meeting focused on the latest technology for learners with visual impairment and/or complex needs presented by Roger Bates, from Inclusive Technology. This was followed by a presentation from Lindsey Brewis of Scope who presented on the web based assessment tool 'Celebrate Every Step' for children with Cerebral Palsy. In the afternoon, attendees shared and discussed assessment tools.
24 May 2010
The group previously met on 24 May 2010 at the Holway Centre in Taunton. The focus of the day was visual impairment in children with Down's Syndrome, with a presentation by Doctor Maggie Woodhouse, from Cardiff University. This was followed by a question and answer session. In the afternoon the group discussed and shared age-appropriate resources for children and young people with complex needs.
22 January 2010
The group met at the Holway Centre in Taunton and enjoyed a session on the clinical vision assessment of children with complex needs, presented by Stevie Johnson, RNIB Eye Clinic Impact Team Manager.
12 June 2009
The group met at Claremont School, Redland Green Campus in Bristol. The day focussed on transitions to adulthood for young people with visual impairment and complex needs.
During the day, the group took part in the following sessions:
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'Getting a result' - a new resource for parents covering the transition process for young people who are deaf-blind or who have multi-sensory impairments. Eileen Boothroyd from Sense introduced the booklet and showed extracts from a new 'Getting a result' DVD which looks at transition from the perspective of young people themselves. Further details are available from Sense, or you can email eileen.boothroyd@sense.org.uk
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A tour of Claremont School's sensory studio. This impressive and spacious studio gives students at the school access to a wide range of state-of-the-art technology and equipment relating to sensory stimulation. The pupils at the mainstream school that shares Claremont's campus also have access to these facilities.
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The afternoon session looked at the transition work undertaken at Claremont School to make the move to the next stage of life a positive and informed experience. Jenny Bryant, the Post-16 Co-ordinator, explained how they researched provision for young adults with complex needs in the immediate area and wider South West region, and how they are now working with parents and young people themselves to identify next steps.
Contact information
For more information or to join this group, please contact
vital@rnib.org.uk or telephone 0113 386 2815.