Family Fund launches new video showing how iPads make a difference for disabled children
January 28 2015 - 7:21PM
Business Wire
Family Fund is today launching a new video to raise awareness of
the impact that technology can have on outcomes for disabled and
seriously ill children and to encourage parents to consider the
benefits that they can make to the whole family.
Produced in conjunction with MCC who are a longstanding Apple
Solution Expert in education, the film looks at two children who
have received grants from Family Fund for iPad and examines
the different ways in which the children, Oscar and Marnie, have
used these devices as a tool for learning and development.
Oscar was diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder in 2009.
“Oscar was completely non-verbal so we had been using a combination
of Makaton sign language and PECS communication system,” says
Oscar’s mum, Caroline. “The iPad allowed us to introduce more fun
ways to interact with Oscar to get him to communicate. We began to
upload photos of everyday things that would provide visual clues to
the day, resulting in less frustration and meltdowns. A picture of
granddad let him know it was time for a visit and a picture of the
car showed that it was time to go out.”
Oscar quickly mastered the use of apps and was soon forming
sentences on the iPad such as “I want juice”. The value of this has
been immeasurable and Oscar can be found reinforcing his school
work through a carefully selected app.
Marnie was very ill when she was born and was subsequently
diagnosed with Kleefstra Syndrome. Mum Karen said “It was really
obvious that she wasn’t developing at the same rate as her peers.
She didn’t really want to engage with anything. If you left her in
a room with a load of toys, she would just sit there.”
“It’s been fantastic because it’s enabled her to do things she
couldn’t do in real life, effectively. She’s been playing with lots
of apps which have helped her learn the alphabet. Even when she
couldn’t speak she could play with an app which would say “touch
the letter A” and she would touch the letter A and you could see
that her understanding was there.”
“Now she’s beginning to speak and realising there’s a point to
communication, she is quite bossy!”
The Family Fund is one of the largest enablers of digital
inclusion provision to disabled children in the UK, with more than
12,000 digital devices granted every year. With the number of
families receiving grants growing year-on-year, reaching a record
68,551 in 2013/14, this is set to increase further.
Cheryl Ward, Chief Executive for the Family Fund, said “When we
respond to families’ requests for tablets or computers, we are also
not simply providing a tablet or computer. Children are getting a
new tool. It can be a tool for communication, for inclusion, or to
help the children grow and develop by providing new ways to learn,
or opportunities that may be denied them by conventional social
means.”
“Our hope is not just that this film will be a great opportunity
for showing the impact of the Fund’s grant making , but also that
it might be the first step for some families in realising that
there could be support for them out there that they weren’t aware
of, and we can look forward to being able to help even more
families with a wide range of support that can make an immediate
and lasting difference to families raising a child with a
disability or serious illness.”
The video can be viewed at http://youtu.be/3dVFLpx6e50
Families interested in applying for a Family Fund grant can find
out more at www.familyfund.org.uk/grants.
Notes
1. The Family Fund is the country’s largest grant-giving charity
and has over forty years of helping families with disabled
children. It helps ease the additional pressures faced by
low-income families raising a disabled child by giving them grants
for a wide range of goods and services, including washing machines,
dryers, fridges, clothing, bedding, sensory toys, computers, much-
needed family breaks and more. Across the UK last year, the Fund
supported 68,551 families with £33 million in grants.
1. 2. The film was produced by Motus and entirely funded by MCC,
who provide families with iPads when they have received a grant
from Family Fund.
1. Family Fund works hard to ensure that all funding received
reaches as many families as possible across the UK. Last year, more
than 94 pence in every £1 received went to a family in grants and
services.
2. Family Fund grant applications can be downloaded from the
Family Fund website (http://www.familyfund.org.uk). Families can
contact Family Fund using the online contact form or by
telephoning: 01904 621115.
The Family Fund is the country’s largest grant-giving charity
and has over forty years of helping families with disabled
children. It helps ease the additional pressures faced by
low-income families raising a disabled child by giving them grants
for a wide range of goods and services, including washing machines,
dryers, fridges, clothing, bedding, sensory toys, computers, much-
needed family breaks and more. Across the UK last year, the Fund
supported 66,937 families with £33 million in grants.
This information was brought to you by Cision
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Family FundJim Paterson, Communications ManagerTel: 01904
571094comms@familyfund.org.uk