This page contains links to some of our favourite websites. We have categorised these links into funding, software, hardware, advice & support and activities for pupils. If you notice that any of these links are broken please let us know.
Activities for Pupils
- A1 Typing
Free typing, word prediction and spelling programme for those having difficulties with writing. - All The Web
Search engine that allows you to search for videos. (WARNING – it has an ‘Offensive Content’ filter which you may want to turn on if using it with pupils). - Askability
Website for symbol users run by The Children’s Society - BBC News – Switch Accessible
News website designed for scanning switch users. - BBC Online Typing
Online touch typing instruction. - Big Ears Multimedia
Helping people with learning disabilities to develop multimedia presentations. - Bomomo
Online drawing activity, good for developing mouse skills. - Brinkster
Downloadable CD or media player that can be accessed by single switch users. - Brown Bear Typing
Free online touch typing programme. - Busy Things
Early learning games and activities from the London Grid for Learning. Only available to users of the London Grid for Learning. - Call Centre Resources
Links to useful resources when working with pupils. - CBBC
BBC website for slightly older children, also with some switch accessible games. - CBeebies
BBC website for small children. Some games are switch accessible. - Check The Map
Links to useful sites for people with learning disabilities, including free online and downloadable activities. - Choose and Tell
Website from Inclusive Technology with ideas and activities using their ‘Choose and Tell’ series software. - Cogain
Advice, information and downloads for use with the MyTobii eye gaze system. - Crickweb
Interactive online games and resources for primary aged pupils. Nothing to do with Crick Software. - Doorway
Interactive and accessible learning activities - Downham School
Special school with online resources and activities. - Draw a stickman
Exciting adventure where you have to draw to interact with the story. Very good for mouse practice. - Game Base
Games and information for users of the MyTobii eye gaze system. - GameBase
Ideas and links to allow everyone access to games. - Help Kidz Learn
Online resources and games for parents and children from Inclusive Technology. Includes activities to help you learn to use a mouse or other pointing device - ICT Games
Numeracy and Literacy activities mainly for pupils in Key Stage 1. - Interactive visual timetable
Free downloadable timetable maker. Designed for pupils with Down’s Syndrome but applicable to many others. - IWB
Collection of activities to use with pupils on an interactive whiteboard. Suitable for all ages. - j2e
Multimedia creative writing software that also allows you to create webpages. Free to London Schools through the London Grid for Learning. - Kids Freeware
Desktop backgrounds, cursors, games, links to typing sites etc. - Learning and Teaching Scotland
Downloadable activities for pupils across the age range. - Learning English
Games and activities for children new to English. Also useful for those with learning difficulties and Early Years. - Logan Technologies
Distributors of the Proxtalker communication aid and the Megabee eye pointing system amongst others. Includes downloadable Proxtalker resources for use with pupils. - Mr Thorne does Phonics
Online videos and activities to support phonic learning. Also available as an app for iPhone and iPad. - Northern Grid for Learning
SEN resources for teachers. - One Handed Typing
Downloadable typing programme for those only able to use one hand. - Oneswitch.org
Games and other activities for people with physical or learning disabilities using one switch. - Ouch
BBC magazine for people with disabilities. - Page Set Central
Additional games and other pages for use with the MyTobii eye gaze system. - Papunet
Online games and early learning activities. - Photo Symbols
Free photos and other resources to use when working with pupils with learning disabilities. - Plasma Screen and Whiteboard Room
Whiteboard and plasma screen resources for staff working with pupils below Level 1 of the National Curriculum. Free downloads. - Poisson Rouge
Simple games for early learners and those with learning difficulties. - Primary Resources
Games, lesson plans etc for primary school teachers. - Priory Woods School
SLD school with lots of free online and downloadable activities on its website. - Purple Mash
Site from 2Simple Software with creative and curriculum based activities. Some are free, some require you to be a subscriber. - SEN / ICT
Website with lists of resources and links to other sites, all to do with children with special needs. - SEN Teacher
Downloadable games and activities for teachers to use with pupils with special needs. - Sensory resources for PMLD pupils
Richard Hirstwood and Flo Longhorn’s website with advice and support on areas such as using sensory rooms and iPad apps for pupils with PMLD. - SENSwitcher
Free downloadable switch programme for early switch users. Activities from sensory awareness to early scanning. Comes with teacher’s notes and skills checklist. - Sesame Street
Games and activities from the television show. - SIT Plus
Free software allowing users to activate sounds and music via movement, vocalisation or access devices such as the Wii. - Something Special
Something Special, the BBC programme for children using Makaton signing, now has its own area of the CBeebies website with games, songs and other activities. - Special Bites
Free downloadable switch activities and tutorials to help you make your own. - Special Bites
Free switch accessible software including cause and effect activities. Advice on making your own stuff. - Starfall
American site with early literacy activities. - SwitchIt! Series
Website from Inclusive Technology with ideas, advice and downloadable activities for their ‘SwitchIt!’ software series. - Symbol World
News, games and other activities for symbol users. - Teaching Ideas
Materials for use in the primary classroom. Includes some SEN materials. - Up to Ten
Early learning games and activities. - Welsh Grid for Learning
A range of activities, some of them switch accessible - Widgit materials on the Times Ed website
Widgit Software now have their own free downloadable activities on the Times Ed website. - Widgit materials on the Times Ed website
Widgit Software now have their own free downloadable activities on the Times Ed website. - Widgit symbol resources for Hello: the Year of Communication
Ideas and resources following the Hello themes for 2011 - Williton Signers
Interactive books and games for children and adults with communication needs. - Z Type
Typing game for more advanced pupils. Will only run in Opera, Chrome, Safari or Firefox browsers.
Advice & Support
- 1Voice
Organisation supporting families of children who use AAC. See also their videos on YouTube by clicking here. - AAC Intervention
American site offering ideas and materials for people using AAC. - aaps for aac
Information on everything to do with AAC apps for the iPad and iPod Touch. - AbilityNet
Charity offering help with computer access for disabled people. - AbilityNet on YouTube
Videos on various aspects of ICT and disability. - AbilityNet training site
Includes courses on accessing YouTube and MySpace. - About One Handed Typing
Advice and resources. American site so some of the equipment recommended is not available in the UK. - ACE Centre
Specialist centre dealing with access to communication covering the southern half of Engand and Wales. - ACE Centre North
Specialist centre dealing with access to communication covering the northern part of England and Wales. - All The Daze
American books and online materials for teachers - Apple Accessibility
Ideas and resources for adapted access to Apple Mac computers. - Assist It
Website with resources and information on assistive technology. - BBC My Web My Way
Ideas and help sheets for adapting your computer and accessing the web. - BBC Schools
A range of useful resources including video and pictures for pupils of all ages. - Better Living Through Technology
Website with lots of resources for alternative access to the computer for people with disabilities. - CALL Centre
Scotland’s centre for people with communication disorders. - Click Special NZ
Resources and information for special needs from New Zealand. - Cogain
Advice, information and downloads for use with the MyTobii eye gaze system. - Communication 4 All
Resources to support inclusion. - Communication Matters
Organisation for people who use a communication aid and those who work with them. - Communication Trust
Organisation bringing together all those working with pupils with communication needs. - Disabled Living Foundation
Advice and support for disabled people in all areas of daily living. - Do 2 Learn
American classroom materials to support teaching disabled children. - Game Accessibility
Forum for research into making computer games accessible for those with disabilities. - Game Base
Games and information for users of the MyTobii eye gaze system. - Help Me Read
Symbolised versions of Oxford Reading Tree Books. - Hemihelp
Website with information for people with only one functioning hand. - ICan podcasts
For the parents of children with communication difficulties. - Indispensible Tools
List of educational software sites recommended by teachers. - Institute of Computer Science: Accessible Games
Research into making computer games accessible for disabled people with online examples. - iPads for Education
Australian site evaluating all aspects of using iPads in schools. - iPads for literacy
Oldham CLC’s iPad project - iPads in Education
British site with ideas, resources etc for using iPads in educational settings. - iPads in Education (2)
Advice and support for teachers using iPads in schools. - Just Different
Organisation run by disabled people, including AAC users, who run workshops on disability awareness in schools for both pupils and staff. - Keytools Ergonomics
Manufacturer’s website with advice on RSI, one-handed typing and computer access. - Learning and Teaching Scotland
Advice and resources for teachers. - Learning in Hand
Advice on using Ipads, Ipods etc from an American teacher. - Microsoft Accessibility
Ideas and help on adapted access to Windows computers. - Northern Ireland Curriculum
Ideas and materials for teaching pupils with all types of SEN, including SLD and PMLD. - Northumberland Grid for Learning
A range of activities, some subject specific and some more general. - OATS Project
Open source assistive technology resource. - Oneswitch.org
Games, advice, ideas and shop for people with physical or learning disabilities accessing a computer with one switch. - Project Salute
Information on communication through touch for those with complex needs and multisensory impairment. - Proloquo2Go
Manual and help videos for this iPad / iPod Touch communication software - Proloquo2Go manual and instructions
Manual and instructions for the iPad / iPhone / iTouch communication software Proloquo2Go - RNIB Education
Advice and resources for staff and families of children with visual impairment. Includes links to resources for those with complex needs. - RNIB Keyboard Skills
Advice on touch typing for people with a visual impairment - School Train
Materials and advice for teachers of the deaf. Includes supported reading for pupils in Key Stage 1. - SEN / ICT
Website with lists of resources and links to other sites, all to do with children with special needs. - Sensory resources for PMLD pupils
Richard Hirstwood and Flo Longhorn’s website with advice and support on areas such as using sensory rooms and iPad apps for pupils with PMLD. - SNApps4Kids
American website exchanging information on using apps on iPads, iPods, iPhones and Android devices with children with special needs. - Speach Teach
Advice and support for parents and professionals working with children with communication difficulties. - Special Bites
Free downloadable switch activities and tutorials to help you make your own. - Special Bites
Free switch accessible software including cause and effect activities. Advice on making your own stuff. - Spectronics
Australian site evaluating all aspects of using iPads in schools. - Speech Bubble
Comparisons of all AAC devices available in the UK. - Speirs Blog
Blog by teacher using iPads across the school, containing evaluations and useful advice. - Talk Sense
Advice and support for the use of AAC and assistive technology. - Talking Point
Advice and support for parents of children with communication disorders. - TES Resources
Resources for teachers working with pupils with Special Needs. - The App Academy
Project on using iPads and iPod touches with people with ASD. - Typing Tutors
Freeware and shareware with links. - Under Ten Minutes
Short videos showing teachers how to use free software. - Yaack
American site offering advice and support for those working with children using AAC.
Blogroll
- FAST UK
The Foundation for Assistive Technology. Deal with all aspects of the development of new technology to help disabled people. - Findsounds.com
Sound effects search engine. - Pete's Stuff
Free downloadable presentations – Power Point stories with scripts, ideas for sensory equipment etc. Originally designed for secondary aged pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties. - Sense Typing
Online touch typing that allows you to paste in your own text to practice.
Funding
- Funding information from Communication Matters
Information about funding for communication aids available from Communication Matters
Hardware
- AbilityNet Eye pointing
Information about various eye ponting and eye gaze systems. - AlphaSmart (UK Site)
Small word processors to be used on a desk or table. - AlphaSmart (US Site)
Has resources for teachers and pupils not available on the UK site. - Frogpad
One handed keyboard. Available for desktops, laptops and PDAs. - Iansyst / Dyslexic.com
Specialists in assistive technology, training & information for people with dyslexia and other disabilities. - Inclusive Technology
Make and sell hardware and software for disabled people, mainly pupils in school. - iPod
Device to make your iPod switch accessible. (Australian) - Keytools
Adapted keyboards, mice, trackerballs etc. - Liberator
Specialists in communication aids and sensory hardware. - Logan Technologies
Distributors of the Proxtalker communication aid and the Megabee eye pointing system amongst others. Includes downloadable Proxtalker resources for use with pupils. - Maltron
Ergonomic, one handed and other alternative keyboards. - MERU
MERU make one off adapted equipment for disabled people. Some of their equipment is mass produced and available from here. - Speirs Blog
Blog by teacher using iPads across the school, containing evaluations and useful advice.
Software
- Boardmakershare
Free downloadable grids and activities to add to the programme ‘Boardmaker’. The site is American but resources can be localised. - Camera Mouse
Free software allowing you to activate the cursor on a computer using head movements and a webcam. - Cooliris
Changes your browser to exclude all text links, just leaving the pictures. - Crick Software
Makers of ‘Clicker’ and other software. Free resources, tutorials etc are also available from Clickerpedia, based in Australia. - Dasher
Free downloadable writing software for those who cannot use a keyboard. Also has an eye track function. - Don Johnston
Software for access to the curriculum for pupils with physical and learning disabilities. - Iansyst / Dyslexic.com
Specialists in assistive technology, training & information for people with dyslexia and other disabilities. - Inclusive Technology
Make and sell hardware and software for disabled people, mainly pupils in school. - iPad / iPhone apps for AAC
A list of the currently available AAC apps - Learning Grids
Download grids for ‘Clicker’ and other resources for Crick Software programs for free. - Maths Base
Small steps programme to help pupils develop numeracy skills. - Mayer-Johnson
Manufacturers of Boardmaker symbol software amongst others - My Display
Trial version of software that allows those with problems reading websites to adapt the display on all the BBC website pages. - Our Story
Free app for iPads from the Open University that allows children to make up their own stories. - Penfriend
Word prediction software. - Primary Games
Maths games with free trial versions on the website. - Proloquo2Go
Manual and help videos for this iPad / iPod Touch communication software - R E M
Educational software retailers - Read On Web
Allows you to strip out all distracting advertisements, pictures etc from web pages, just leaving the text. - Scientific Word
Software for advanced maths and science students that allows them to write calculations on a computer easily. - Sensory Software International
Access to communication and the curriculum for people with physical disabilities. - Shiny Learning
UK distributor for LaraMera switch accessible software. - Straight Street
Free symbols - Topologika
Educational software - Widgit Software
Makers of ‘Communicate: In Print’ and other software. Both free resources to download and some you have to pay for. - Xavier Software
Small software company developing interesting one-off pieces of software.


