Echuca Twin Rivers gains new tools for non-verbal kids

State Schools' Relief chief executive Sue Karzis said that providing non-verbal children with an iPad enabled them to have their own voice at all times.

“This came about four years ago when I went to a specialist school and spoke with their principal about a gap that we were perhaps missing,” she said.

“The principal told me that there were 40 non-verbal students at the school who whilst they’re at the schools, they are given the tools and they can communicate, whether it’s an iPad or something similar, but when the students go home, if the parents can’t afford the tools, they don’t have a voice.

“I thought that was very sad that they can’t communicate outside of the school, and so we started to fundraise.”

State Schools’ Relief partnered with Bank First and the Australian Schools Canteen Association, which will be providing 423 iPads to specialist schools across Victoria, including those at Echuca Twin Rivers Specialist School.

“We provide the iPads to the specialist schools, and the schools then load their different communications apps on to them,” Ms Karzis said.

“They have images on screen that students choose whatever they want to say, and that projects through the iPad like a voice.”

Learning specialist Prue Hosking said the iPads assisted the students to have their needs met in the classroom.

“I think having the iPads and the device there to give an alternate speech is just amazing,” she said.

“For a lot of our kids, they know what they want to say, but they don’t have the verbal skills to say it. The devices just give them that.

“The classroom environment for the kids is definitely less frustrating, because their needs are being met.

“They are able to tell you what they want, it makes a huge difference.”