New service for disabled students

By Victoria Bartlett
BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight

Twenty-two year old Darren Deering has benefited from the service

Schools and colleges in Hampshire are set to benefit from the UK's first mobile assessment and therapy service for disabled students.

Treloar's Direct sends a trailer full of state-of-the-art equipment to schools to determine students' capabilities.

The therapists onboard are from Treloar's school and college in Alton.

This mobile unit is touring the region to help young people and their teachers cope with special educational needs.

Specialist service

The service will provide hundreds of students with learning disabilities an expert assessment of their needs on-site at both mainstream and specialist schools.

Its ultimate aim is to ensure more young people achieve greater independence via increased mobility and communication.

Treloar's Direct is the culmination of over 100 years of expertise and experience of assistive technology and therapy skills for which Treloar's is widely renowned.

Many young people who live with complex or multiple disabilities, who are not based in Alton, can now benefit from their services.

We are delighted we can now reach out to pupils and professionals who are crying out for this new service Bob Bayley from Treloar's Direct

Graham Jowett, Director of Education at Treloar's said: "Expert therapists and engineers can be hard to find and the cost of transport to specialist facilities for disabled students in particular - in terms of money and time - can be very high.

"Any service that provides cost-effective access to experts on-site at individual schools and colleges will be welcomed."

Growing need for support

According to the Office for National Statistics, there are more than 600,000 young people with disabilities and/or learning difficulties in the UK, 6,000 of which are technologically dependent, requiring 24 hour support.

Treloar's Direct is currently available to local authorities and schools in the south east. A national roll-out of the service is planned in late 2010.

Bob Bayley, from Treloar's Direct, said: "The Government's inclusion policy means there is an increasing number of disabled young people with learning difficulties in mainstream education.

"While for many there is adequate provision, for others there is a need for more appropriate help and equipment, especially relating to speech and language therapy.

"We are delighted we can now reach out to pupils and professionals who are crying out for this new service."

The Treloar Trust

Over £100,000 worth of equipment is permanently housed in the vehicle

The Treloar Trust was founded by Sir William Purdie Treloar while he was Lord Mayor of the City of London in 1906. Now, over 100 years later, it supports Treloar School (for pupils 7-16) and Treloar College (further education for students over the age of 16).

Both the school and college are specialists in providing education, care, therapy, medical support, independence training and opportunities for young people with physical disabilities from all over the country.

They rely on public support to sustain the level of care students receive. Each year, Treloar's must raise £2 million to survive.

Over 40 disabilities are represented at Treloar's - the most common are cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy. The students often also have a communication or sensory impairment or associated learning difficulties.

They currently support around 300 students each year. With this new service they hope to at least double this in the next year.