[senit] Equipment loan bank

CENMAC too has an extensive loan bank that is part of our assessment and

Good point Paul.? I am interested to know how other assessment centres do this.

Trish

-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Hawes (Sensory Software) <paul at sensorysoftware.com>
To: senit at lists.becta.org.uk
Sent: Tue, 11 Sep 2007 6.07pm
Subject: Re: [senit] Equipment loan bank

Interest declared

Trish, as all high end AAC devices are now PCs, it has become much easier to 
maintain a 
comprehensive loan/assessment kit at minimal cost.

A couple of general purpose tablet PCs and a selection of your favourite AAC 
software could 
set a centre up to assess almost anyone.  Precise selection of rugged equipment 
can be 
made later - at the time of purchasing for an individual.

Paul

On 11 Sep 2007 at 10:39, cenmac4 at aol.com wrote:

To:                 senit at lists.becta.org.uk
Date sent:          Tue, 11 Sep 2007 10:39:56 -0400
From:               cenmac4 at aol.com
Subject:            [senit] Equipment loan bank
Send reply to:      senit at lists.becta.org.uk
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> CENMAC too has an extensive loan bank that is part of our assessment and 
review service to subscribing LEAs in the London area. We loan for as long as 
the pupil requires the equipment or until an upgrade is needed.? When equipment 
is returned from a pupil, it is cleared, cleaned and made ready to go out 
again.? Many pieces of equipment have been used for many years.? However, there 
is a high write off every year as equipment breaks, is no longer viable or just 
too old fashioned.? Some things are requested again and again.? These are 
usually low tech devices that have proven to be excellent in the build up of 
switch skills and symbol recognition.
> Portable computers do have a very short life expectancy but with falling 
prices are now used in more cases where specialist software or access devices 
are required.? 
> 
> However, we do not provide the loan of high tech communication aids for pupils 
(although we would like to) purely due to finanical contraints of the budget and 
will pass pupils/schools on to the appropriate services.? CENMAC can provide 
'start out' machines to start?building up the communication?skills.? In 
mainstream schools, this works well as you can gently break the staff in to the 
world of communication and AAC.? 
> 
> A loan bank does work but the CENMAC loan bank has been going for many years.
> 
> I am happy to talk to anyone off list if they want to contact me about how we 
manage this amount of equipment.? We presently have 3,400 items and work in 
approx. 240 schools.
> I could go on and on about Access but perhaps that is enough information for 
now.
> 
> Trish 
> CENMAC
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