4 SOUTHWARK COLLEGE VOICE
MARCH 2010: ISSUE 10 Website: www.southwark.ac.uk Telephone: 02078151600
Help removes
HARD WORK
REWARDED: Learners
Diane King and Dennis
Stoddart with
(centre) Vivienne
any obstacles
Maguire, Administrator
for the School of
Inclusive Learning
to learning
AS LAUREN Roberts goes
By JOHN EDDEN
about her day at Southwark
College you would never know
equipped with a computer
that she is visually-impaired.
using Magnification and
She is a confident learner, both
Speech software as well as a
in the classroom during her
hand-held CCTV reading
studies and socially.
device that enlarges documents
She is progressing well on a
to help her with reading and
mainstream Business Studies
understanding.
course, is on track for a high
Lauren’s Learning Support
grade at the end of her studies
Assistant, Josephine Gyasi,
and is even a Student
aids her in all her lessons,
Ambassador for the
helping her to read off the
Camberwell Centre.
board and understand visual
That is not to say, however,
documents. This has enabled
that Lauren suffers no
Lauren to shine in her
problems in her learning but
classroom and become a vital
such is the support she has
member of her classes. It puts
received from the College, any
her at the same level as her
potential obstacles to her
peers and means any potential
Putting policy
learning have been removed.
social problems are eliminated.
Southwark College is one of
Lauren explained: “I never
the pioneers in the integration
find people are wary of me or
of visually-impaired learners
unable to communicate with
onto a wide range of courses.
me because I am visually
We work very closely with our
impaired - it just isn’t an issue
impaired learners to help
with anybody. In fact, as I am of equality
them achieve their maximum
the Student Representative for
potential. For Lauren, this
Camberwell, people do come up
means not only having special
to me with concerns and
equipment available to assist
improvements they would like
in lessons but also the presence
to see in the College. I think
of a Learning Support
with the help I have received
Assistant on hand at all times
from Southwark College, I
into practice
to assist her with her studies.
have really had my confidence
Lauren said: “When I first
boosted and am equal to
contacted Southwark College,
everybody, in the classroom
they sat down with me and we
and out.”
discussed the kind of support
Michael Lambert, Southwark
that I would need in order
College’s co-ordinator of the
to progress on a mainstream
Support Service for the
at College
business course. They have
Visually-Impaired is proud of
been really helpful, investing
the way Lauren has fitted into
in new technology for me to use
the College. It is his role to
SOUTHWARK College “Most deaf learners in
and aiding my learning in a
By PAUL BLAIR
support all visually-impaired
personal and direct manner.”
prides itself on providing
mainstream courses need some
learners in every aspect of
Lauren has a host of new
College life, helping them to
an education for everyone
communicate effectively and
kind of help. Some are more
technology to assist her with
succeed and deliver on their
irrespective of age, race,
have few or no friends.
skilled in practical work but
her studies. After coming from
potential. By working closely
nationality or disability.
The College acts as a bridge
struggle with the language in
a specialist College, she
and working with the School of
the classroom - it’s the same
with visually-impaired learn- Therefore, if a learner chooses
already knew the equipment
Inclusive Learning, the learners
with anyone from a non-English
ers, Learning Support to further their education at one
she would need in order to
acquire English vocabulary
community,” she said.
Assistants and tutors, Michael of its three centres they will be
succeed at Southwark College.
through the use of sign
“One way we support deaf
has co-ordinated a system provided with all the necessary
As a result, she has been
language, said Penny Beschizza,
learners is to give lecturers deaf
where the learner in question
help and support to successfully
learning support officer for the
awareness information and
receives all the help they could
tackle the course. A group of
deaf and hearing-impaired.
interpreters are available where
possibly need.
eight deaf learners on an ESOL
The learners attend College
necessary. We also give them
“As a College we put in place
(English for Speakers of Other
three days a week and study
information about events
a lot of measures to welcome
Languages) course provide an
English, Communication, outside of College and introduce
visually-impaired learners and
excellent example of how the
Cookery, Information Technology them to a strong work-related
do all we can to integrate them
policy of equality is put into
and Maths to improve social network for the deaf community
in the College and help them
practice at Southwark.
skills and boost confidence. The in London.
succeed in their studies.
Most of these learners have
aim is to instil in them enough “The whole employment
Ultimately though, we need
received no formal schooling
survival skills to cope with the market is now much more
someone who is keen and eager
because of a lack of opportunity
change when they move in to difficult than 10 years ago when
to do well and these are the
in their home country. They feel mainstream courses and then on people with low qualifications
very things we receive from
isolated because they may to future employment, explained could still step on the first rung
Lauren.”
not be able to read, write or Penny. of the ladder. Employers today
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