Developing an Assistive Technology Competency Framework

Description

This presentation summarises the findings and areas of future development from a research project undertaken in 2024 by the presenters and their partners at The Ace Centre, Natspec TechAbility and the Karten Network. This work was commissioned by the DfE (Department for Education) with the aim of developing an Assistive Technology Competency Framework to identify what skills across the AT implementation pathway (assessment, provisioning, ongoing support and review) are needed by staff members in various pupil or student facing roles. The presenters will highlight aspects relevant to the CM community, including computer access and AAC. Provision of AT in specialist education contexts is often dependent on localised expertise, or on individuals with an interest and enthusiasm for the topic. To date, no formal training pathways exist for the majority of learner-facing staff who support AT, and no agreed framework of skills and competencies informs the training that does exist. This has been cited as a barrier to the development of new AT training pathways for learner-facing staff. This work addresses this gap by proposing a competency framework of knowledge and skills required by different job roles across the AT implementation pathway. This framework is the result of a comprehensive review of published literature in the field, combined with exploratory work conducted by the research team with participants from specialist schools and colleges in England. Expert sources (staff working in various roles in ‘AT mature’ special schools and specialist colleges) have been consulted to determine what current AT professionals in specialist schools and colleges see as the minimum required standards for staff working across the AT implementation pathway. This work supports and builds on previous DfE funded research by Edyburn (2020), whose recommendations directly informed the project. In particular, this report highlights the benefits of increased AT training provision.

Period	8 Sept 2025
Event title	Communication Matters International AAC Conference 2025
Event type	Conference
Location	Leeds, United KingdomShow on map
Degree of Recognition	National