Voluntary Service Computing

Worth School is relating computer studies to the production of software for pupils with severe learning difficulties.

'Pupils are writing software specifically for use by 67 handicapped youngsters at the local Catherington Special Needs School'

Mr Truman has organised at Worth School, (an independent school for boys) under the heading of Voluntary Service Computing, a group of 13 to 17 year old pupils who are writing software specifically for use by 67 handicapped youngsters at the local Catherington Special Needs School.

This software is now sold nationwide by the school under the name 'W.E.Soft', with any profits being used to provide computing facilities for the handicapped.

Programs such as 'Colour Me! and Build Me!' and 'Roll-Over' (for recognising geometric shapes) are played by several users at once, thus teaching social skills too such as disciplined turn-taking, tolerance and the ability to deal with disappointment. Several of these programs are being marketed in Norwegian to Special Schools in Norway. The school also produced a program called Makaton Match for training pupils to recognise Makaton Symbols. This program has reached Australia.

Worth School has attracted users in both infant schools and pre-school groups, and amongst speech therapists and occupational therapists. The English package is used in secondary school and in a school with moderate learning difficulties, although initially designed for Special Schools. 'We are finding our software has a much wider use than we had originally envisaged.'

J. Truman, Head of Computing, Worth School, Paddockhurst Road, Turners Hill, Crawley, Sussex RH10 4SD (tel 0342 715911).

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