Special Needs Inclusion Consultancy & Training

07/12/2018

Hi Everyone, I just wanted to bring to your attention a couple of easy tweaks to make it easier for those members of staff who may have complex needs.

In windows 10's latest round of updates we see the following:

1. Sticky Notes with improved colours, this means that someone who is dyslexic or has Irlen Syndrome can use these to help them stay more organised as well as customise the background and text colour to help the text from' moving around'. This is part of the new Dark Mode for windows.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-insider/at-home/whats-new-apps -notes

2. Better screen brightness controls, this can help anyone suffering from either sensory difficulties or visual stress.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-insider/at-home/whats-new-wip-at-home -your-action-center-experience-build-18277

3. Some of you may have noticed that on higher resolution monitors, that some of your apps are a bit blurry, well there is now a new fix for that. Whilst blurry apps may be annoying for the rest of us, for those with visual stress this can cause great discomfort and even headaches.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-insider/at-home/whats-new-wip-at-home -dpi-improvements-build-18277

If you have any staff who have complex needs and you would like some advice please feel free to get in touch with us to see who we can help them.

New Windows apps given to Windows Insiders

23/11/2018

A great move forward in improving mental health in schools...

Pilot project aims to improve mental health among young people

13/11/2018

Delighted to see Purple Tuesday in the UK today to better promote accessible shopping for invisible disabilities

17/10/2018

Here's a great article on how business leaders/owners can support their staff with dyslexia and not only get the best out of them but utilise the way they think as a strength.

“We all need to think like dyslexics,” says Matt Hancock. What does that means and how can business leaders tap into the potential of dyslexic employees?

24/05/2018

With the Manchester Parklife 2018 festival looming on the weekend of June 8th to 10th, as local residents, we find ourselves once again dreading the event.

No, we aren’t old codgers, to be honest the music itself is quite good. Even the environmental impact is managed quite well by the event staff and the local authorities, to be fair.

We are parents of 3 children with complex needs, such as Autism Spectrum Condition, Anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder & in this case most importantly Sensory Processing Difficulties.

What that means for our family is that the volume of music is not just aggravating to our children, but also painful to process. Our only solutions are for our children to wear noise cancelling headphones, and for us to keep our doors and windows closed on what is normally a very warm day. This also makes it much more difficult for those young people with exams in following days, it means they may not be able to revise as well and their general level of anxiety and sensory overload will mean that they are unable to perform as well.

We have of course tried speaking to the Parklife Community Impact Team, who measure the noise levels and report back to us that it is within normal levels. However NORMAL levels mean that they are not making any kind of reasonable adjustments for those with sensory processing difficulties.

I’m not suggesting the festival shouldn’t happen, just that it should be quieter. Not only are Parklife excluding anyone with these difficulties.

So, this year we thought we should put the power of social media to the test. If you or anyone in your family local to the Heaton Park area wants to chime in on this comment or better yet message the Parklife Community Impact team either on:

Facebook Parklife 2018 or
[email protected] or
0161 883 1962.

Remember this isn’t about complaining as much as showing the event organisers how many people in the area this issue affects with the hope that we can encourage them to make some reasonable adjustments to resolve this problem for the people who live here all year round, while still being able to run a successful event.

10/07/2017

We had a real challenge recently. Our 8 year old son who is Autistic, ADHD & off the charts sensory processing difficulties really finds going to the cinema a challenge, but he loves films and tries very hard. We normally go for an early Sunday morning show with less people, but still the volume is too much for him.
We have tried ear defenders, but have you ever tried wearing those for extended periods.

We eventually found the prefect solution. We bought him a pair of noise cancelling headphones, these are much more comfy than ear defenders and blocks out most of the sound, we then plugged them into an induction loop listener, this picks up the sound, but then allows him to set the volume through his headphones.

Yesterday was the first time he has managed to sit through a whole film and was much more relaxed at the end than previously.

Now just think about someone like that who has to work in a busy office environment, with the chatter of other people, the radio playing in the background, the hum of fluorescent lights overhead, now with a simple bit of kit (costs less then £100 altogether) they can relax at their desk and focus better, meaning a more productive employee. All as a result of some reasonable adjustments that don’t really impact on anyone else in the office.

For more personalised advice, get in touch.

04/05/2017

May the 4th be with you!

So we know that stormtroopers are synonymous with terrible aim, is it possible they are just un-diagnosed dyspraxic?

Who works in your business like that? Could they do with a little help?

Chewbacca has a communication disorder & tends to get very aggressive when things don't go his way, could he be Autistic?

Han Solo is impulsive, but often comes up with crazy ideas that just might work - ADHD perhaps?

Remember a little understanding and correct handling and you can turn anyone with these difficulties into a productive member of your workforce, don't go to the dark side, ask us at SNICT how we can help you maximise your special needs workforce

02/05/2017

Why not try and call us for some advice and guidance on our new number 0161 720 7200

26/04/2017

Communication is the key when it comes to dealing with anxiety. Make sure your staff know what is planned for the day/what is expected of them from a project. This can help reduce the level of anxiety and lead to better productivity, and better mental health of your staff.

25/04/2017

Did you know something as simple as changing the colour of the background of the page in Microsoft Word, could help your dyslexic member of staff work better and more comfortably.

21/04/2017

Did you know replacing your light bulbs with LED ones removes the flicker and noise that many people with sensory issues struggle with. It also saves you money on your electricity bills!

20/04/2017

Just remember if you have a staff member with ADHD who always fiddles with stuff in a meeting, let them do it, in fact encourage it, it probably helps them to concentrate. e.g. blue tac or doodling etc.