Dan, who has cerebral palsy and communicates with the world through technology that tracks his eye movements, giggles with delight as he shows me how he can now open the curtains all by himself. Until now, the nineteen-year-old National Star College student, who has a penchant for Harry Potter and country music, has had to rely on a human assistant to let the sunshine into his room.
Now he’s learnt how to use Amazon Alexa to do it all by himself – and to turn on lights, boil the kettle and get a robot vacuum to clean. It’s a simple, widely used technology which is not new. But for learners like Dan, it can be life changing.
We’re in the college’s new Ingram Discovery building, where National Star’s learners – who all have severe disabilities – can try out assistive technology to empower and equip them for life after college.
Right now, these learners are in ‘the honeymoon period,’ as some parents refer to their time at National Star, because here at the main college campus in Cheltenham they receive dedicated staff support in facilities comparable to those of the finest private schools.
