Purple Tuesday is shining a light on the spending power of disabled people this week.
So, it was the perfect time to celebrate an exciting ongoing project which is helping our students build confidence, communication skills and independence in the local community.
This week, five students – Zak, Hannah, Max, Felix and Tinky – have been developing their shopping and communication skills, putting them into practice on a shopping trip to the college’s Garden Centre & Gift Shop.
Working together, our ILS and Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) team are using the Grid technology alongside Smile Therapy – a structured intervention that develops practical, face-to-face communication and social skills for everyday independence. From writing and sticking to a shopping list to asking shop staff for help, the project is helping our students develop the skills they need to shop with greater confidence and independence.
The programme builds on last year’s initiative, which saw Felix use a specialised grid on Grid Player to develop his confidence and independence when shopping. Working with the local Gobowen Co-op and our ILS team, students shared their experiences and helped shape a personalised communication tool to manage shopping lists, ask staff for help and pay for purchases more independently. The project went on to win the Innovation in Student Voice category at the Natspec Innovation Awards earlier this year.
We’re already halfway through this programme and can’t wait to share more of the students’ progress later this term.
