In addition to the ongoing technology and implementation support provided to students through our service delivery activities, SET-BC implements a number of initiatives each year that extend or enhance our services to special student populations.  These projects and programs often provide district and school teams with a means of involving students in action research, evaluation of new technologies, and ways to showcase their use of SET-BC based or district-based equipment.  In addition, these initiatives provide a way to pilot the use of technologies with new student groups not currently served by our service delivery model.  Districts or teams interested in participating in these projects and programs or who would like to suggest new initiatives are invited to contact us at any time during the year.

Current Initiatives

ARC-BC (Accessible Resource Centre British Columbia)

The ARC-BC project is a Ministry of Education funded provincial response to the increasing demand for digital or alternate format alternatives to print in BC classrooms.  When open, educators in all school districts will be able to search this online repository or “digital library” to find and download alternate format resources related to the BC curriculum.  Production and distribution of the alternate format materials will be centrally coordinated and duplication of effort in resource creation will hopefully be eliminated.  The goal of ARC-BC is to provide BC educators with access to high-quality digital and alternate format materials for their students in a timely manner. more info

PSAP (Provincial Software Acquisition Plan)

The Provincial Software Acquisition Plan (PSAP) was created to give British Columbia school districts the opportunity to join the SET-BC provincial site licenses for software titles designed to help students with special needs improve their literacy, numeracy, and communication skills. As part of the SET-BC provincial software site licenses, BC school districts are able to acquire software at preferential prices. more info

Summer Programs

SET-BC along with our partners are involved with the following camps: Programs for BC Students Using AAC Technologies as well as Programs for Childeren with Visual Impairments. more info

Virtual Voices Village

Virtual Voices Village is an educational website featuring work by students with disabilities. They are creating a digital village to communicate with their friends and share ideas by publishing stories, poems and artwork. Students review and photograph camp activities, local sports and cultural events. “Reporters” develop their journalism and communication skills by interviewing successful role models, including SET-BC student alumni, professionals and athletes with disabilities. Visit www.vvvillage.org

Current Projects

BCUDL (BC Universal Design for Learning)

SET-BC is pleased to announce the continuation of the BC Universal Design for Learning (BC UDL) project for the 2008 - 2009 school year. This Ministry of Education funded project will provide an opportunity for seven additional school districts in BC to receive training, technology and mentoring to support the implementation of UDL strategies in their schools. School teams will develop lessons and curriculum resources and learn to implement UDL strategies and instructional technologies to support the needs of students with and without disabilities. more info

BookSense XT Project

PRCVI and SET-BC is sponsoring the Book Sense XT Project to explore the capabilities of a portable audio reading solution for students with visual impairments and assess its usefulness in its support of independent access to print. The Book Sense XT is a handheld media player that can read text and DAISY file formats. The device is made by Korean-based company H.I.M.S. and is locally sold and supported by Aroga. The Book Sense XT was selected because of its available storage capabilities and its ability to read .doc and .docx files. more info

FNESC / FNSA / SET-BC

FNESC (First Nations Education Steering Committee), and FNSA (First Nations School Association), and SET-BC (Special Education Technology - British Columbia) have collaborated to provide technology support for students with disabilities in federally-funded band schools in British Columbia. more info

GPS Project (Global Positioning Satellite)

PRCVI and SET-BC sponsor the GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) Project to explore the capabilities of GPS  for students with visual impairments and assess its usefulness to support Orientation & Mobility (O&M) capabilities. Trekker, the accessible handheld PDA-based GPS technology by HumanWare, was selected for this project. more info

Technology Inclusion Project - TIP

The Technology Inclusion Project (TIP) is a joint project of Special Education Technology – British Columbia (SET-BC) and the Provincial Integration Support Program (PISP). This project will provide assistive technology tools, resources and training to 30 special education teachers in British Columbia to help them create more active and participatory learning environments for students with severe and multiple disabilities in intermediate or secondary school classrooms or resource rooms. more info

Past Projects

View some of our past projects