Umer Fathany and Abhineet Rathore, Year 12 students from Ravenswood School in Bromley, spent a week as IPACT Youth Ambassadors at GDI Hub. At the end of the week, they were asked to reflect on their experience. They wrote their reflections individually and combined them into this blog post.
Day 1: Understanding the Challenges and Creating Effective Communication
On my first day of work experience at UCL, I was introduced to the university’s aims and goals focused on improving assistive technology for individuals with disabilities. This initiative involves exploring the unique needs and challenges faced by people with disabilities and designing technology to enhance their quality of life.
My first task involved gathering information on how SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) departments address the challenges faced by their students. I conducted secondary research using government websites, examining standards and legal documents critical for the operation of SEND departments. This research was instrumental in developing a series of interview questions for SEND department teachers.
Throughout this process, I kept effective communication with my project partner, ensuring that our questions were well-informed and relevant. This collaborative effort fostered a positive atmosphere, enhancing my experience of working in a professional environment. The successful creation of these questions not only increased my motivation but also allowed me to consistently produce high-quality work. Additionally, this task improved my understanding of how to formulate both open and closed questions, a skill crucial for conducting insightful interviews.
Day 2: Designing AI Assistive Technology for Visual Impairments
On the second day, I took part in research aimed at designing AI assistive technology for individuals with visual impairments. My tasks included photographing the ongoing workshop to confirm the primary data collected and typing up important notes from discussions with visually impaired participants.
Working in a fast-paced environment under pressure provided valuable experience. The insights shared by the visually impaired individuals were particularly fascinating, offering a variety of perspectives on the challenges they face and potential solutions. One idea that stood out was the concept of equipping train stations with sensor nodes. These nodes would emit signals detectable by an AI assistant app, guiding users through the station with ease.
This experience deepened my understanding of the practical applications of AI in assistive technology and the innovative ways it can be used to improve accessibility. The feedback and ideas from the participants highlighted the importance of user-centered design in creating effective assistive solutions.
Day 3: Interview and reflection
Me and my partner both performed an Interview for a Teacher in a secondary school based on the questions that we had prepared the previous day. Here are some of questions:
Are there Items/products that are inclusive to SEND students such as braille textbooks to even out the playing field?
This allowed me to get insight on the schools' situation on academic resources to make the gap between SEND students and non-SEND student shorter.
Is there enough funding in the SEND department and where do they allocate most of their resources?
This question has been at the back of my mind as this is a quite important question to ask as it would give me a decent idea of the financial state of the SEND department across Mainstream schools in the borough.
Is the assistive technology in school are up to date with the latest technology and it is suited to their needs?
This question is necessary to ask due to it allowing us to know if the technology they are using are of standard and if they are actually catered to their preferences as this is important.
I found this interview particularly interesting due to the depth she went into describing the current situation of the funding of SEND as she said it was going down as well as her describing the mainstream and specialized school's characteristics. The reason for specialized schools shutting down was due to a cut in the budget of the borough which indirectly affected SEND department funds and they can't fully accommodate all the SEND students' needs which made some students leave and migrate to a different type of schools; which were mainstream schools/grammar schools/private schools. Few of the students went to different specialized schools, which could further accommodate all their needs. She told us that the is high proportion of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and ASD (autism spectrum disorder) which interests me, I why am that and asked her and she told me that there aren't enough resources to help others which is why they have mostly cognitive disorders instead of motor or neural disorders.
In conclusion, the interview was a success, we had received high quality answers for all our questions and were satisfied by this. From this, we were able to develop our communication skills as well as our active listening, while note taking the important pieces of intel down. This shows that I capable in a professional work environment and I can work in a group as me and my partner have carried out this task
Day 4: Survey and Blog write up
Creating the survey was a critical task, designed to gather valuable feedback from a broader demographic of SEND teachers. This would enable us to understand their unique needs better and find areas where assistive technology could make a significant impact. Here are some Questions from our survey:
What types of assessments do you use to determine the specific needs of students? (Select all that apply)
Distinctive assessments (specific assessments)
Summative assessment (grouping students)
Formative assessment (finds out what the students' needs)
Observational checklists
Other (please specify): _______________
What are some of the biggest challenges you face in supporting students with SEND, and how do you address them?
What types of special educational needs and disabilities do you encounter in your role? (Select all that apply)
Learning disabilities
Physical disabilities
Sensory impairments
Speech and language difficulties
Social, emotional, and mental health needs
Other (please specify): _______________
Reflecting on the past few days, I found the experience remarkably enriching. Diving deeper into the field of disabilities and exploring the development of assistive technology has been eye-opening. It has broadened my perspective, enhancing my understanding and empathy towards the needs of individuals with disabilities. This experience underscored the importance of developing technologies that cater to these needs.
Throughout this work experience, we have developed and honed several valuable skills:
Working in a Professional Environment: Engaging in structured tasks and collaborating with professionals offered a realistic insight into the professional world, enhancing my readiness for future career opportunities.
Effective Communication: Keeping clear and consistent communication with team members and participants was crucial for the success of our projects. This experience has strengthened my ability to convey ideas and information effectively.
Data Collection: Conducting research, gathering information, and creating surveys required attention to detail. These activities have improved my data collection and analysis skills.
Active Listening: Engaging with visually impaired participants and SEND department teachers highlighted the importance of active listening. Understanding their perspectives and needs was essential for developing relevant and effective questions and solutions.
These past few days at UCL have been incredibly insightful. The opportunity to work on projects aimed at improving assistive technology for people with disabilities has deepened my appreciation for the field. I now feel more open-minded and empathetic towards the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities and am inspired to contribute to creating inclusive solutions.
The skills and experiences gained during this work experience will undoubtedly be beneficial in my future endeavors. I am grateful for the opportunity to have been part of such meaningful work and look forward to continuing my journey in this field.
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