Right to Read Campaign
The final item of business is a members' business debate on motion S3M-1651, in the name of Alison McInnes, on RNIB Scotland's right to read campaign.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament welcomes the Right to Read campaign by RNIB Scotland for equal access to textbooks and other educational material for blind and visually impaired children; notes the excellent example of schools such as Craigiebarns Primary School in Dundee in ensuring that blind and visually impaired children are included in mainstream schooling; believes that a national transcription service should be established, building on the work done by RNIB, other organisations and local councils; acknowledges that such a service could also be of use to other children with additional support needs, and so believes that prompt action is needed to move forward with this agenda.
This is the first time that I have had a motion selected for a members' business debate. I am grateful for the opportunity to raise the matter and I thank all the members who supported my motion.
A couple of months ago, I attended a fringe meeting at a party conference. I do not know about other members' experience but, for me, fringe meetings, although undoubtedly enjoyable and informative, do not always spur me to action. However, I left that one determined to do what I could to highlight a problem. I was particularly inspired by George McLaughlin, a young man who spoke at the meeting. George has been blind since birth because of retinopathy. He shared his experiences of being at Uddingston grammar school, which has a special resource unit for pupils with a visual impairment. He was in no doubt about the value of accessible study materials or that they had allowed him to keep up with his sighted peers. He praised his school for the way in which it made his learning inclusive.
George was followed by a speaker from RNIB Scotland who described an alternative experience. We heard about pupils waiting months for text books to be transcribed into a readable format; students' computers and equipment breaking down and not being replaced for weeks; a lack of absence cover for specialist staff; and young people studying for exams without access to past papers or study aids. I was shocked. As about 80 per cent of our learning is visual, it is not difficult to imagine how disruptive and frustrating it would be to have only limited access to study materials. Through discussions with teachers and specialist support staff, I have learned that an individual's understanding and acceptance of their visual impairment is vital to educational progress, as is developing self-image and confidence. However, progress can easily be hindered by a lack of resources, and anything that singles out a pupil as different can undermine their confidence. Good resources minimise the frustration of the impairment.
In my region, Craigiebarns primary school in Dundee has been praised for its highly inclusive approach to supporting pupils with visual impairment—I am looking forward to visiting it soon. The school provides a child-led learning experience with a whole-school policy that supports visually impaired people's right to be treated equally. Unfortunately, local authorities in Scotland vary in their approach to and success in producing accessible curriculum materials. In some areas, provision is excellent and of a high standard but, in others, services are not as well developed.
It is estimated that a pupil will require about 375 educational textbooks in primary school and 750 in secondary school, and that is not counting recreational reading. To transcribe those textbooks is an enormous task for authorities to undertake, which perhaps explains why the picture throughout Scotland is patchy. As a result, in some areas, blind or partially sighted children often have to wait months for materials and, in some cases, the material never arrives. That severely inhibits their ability to learn and further reduces their life opportunities.
I understand the problems facing local authorities. It can take hours to produce a Braille version of something that might take only 15 minutes to teach. When pupils study for highers, it can take all the time of support staff and more to prepare material for them. Aberdeen City Council, in explaining the matter to me, stated:
"When the student was taking standard grades the volume of work that had to be adapted and the timescales within which we had to work meant that a significant amount of the work was adapted by the (specialist) teacher in her own time".
RNIB's campaign for the establishment of a national transcription service to co-ordinate the provision of learning materials in alternative forms to all blind and partially sighted school pupils offers a cost-effective solution to the problem. A national service would help to address inequalities and provide consistency in the quality, timescales and choice of provision, as well as freeing up teaching time. Most important, it would bring about a step change in those young people's experience of school. For some authorities, the number of blind and partially sighted pupils who require alternative formats is so small that it is not economically viable to provide the service. It would surely be more cost effective and efficient to produce those centrally. If materials are already adapted and held electronically, little time or effort is required to provide additional copies, whether they are in Braille, large print or DAISY—digital accessible information system—format.
Ideally, the national transcription service would also hold a stock of equipment for use by blind and partially sighted pupils. In that way, if a child's equipment broke down, a replacement could be available immediately.
I have written to all four councils in my area, and all of them would welcome a transcription service. I would like to quote a couple of comments. Aberdeen City Council said:
"Time scales are crucial and work has to be individualised to suit the student. Maths and science work is particularly difficult and time consuming. If there were a bank of materials made available this would considerably reduce workload and stress and free up valuable teacher time which could be spent in the class room."
Aberdeenshire Council commented that
"a national transcription service would be supported by our sensory support service as current practice is dependent on networking at meetings and conferences, informal discussions and extensive research by our vision support teachers. As visual impairment is a low incidence disability a national resource would ensure improved curricular access for all blind and partially sighted pupils across Scotland."
Currently, more than 75 per cent of blind and partially sighted adults in Scotland are unemployed. Recent research indicates that almost 1,100 pupils across Scotland are blind or partially sighted, so let us make sure that they do not face the same prospect. The best way to equip young Scots with employment opportunities is through education and skills training. However, the opportunities will be extremely limited for visually impaired Scottish children if they cannot access curriculum materials.
The right to learn is a principle that is woven into our society. Where there is concern that visually impaired schoolchildren are not getting materials in time, or in the format that they need, Parliament has a duty to examine the issue and offer solutions.
My solution, and the RNIB's solution, is the establishment of a national educational transcription service. Such a service is overdue. Each year's delay means scores of young people not being able to reach their full potential.
I hope that tonight's debate will demonstrate cross-party support for taking a fresh look at this problem; I hope, too, that the Minister for Children and Early Years is able to give his support in principle and that he will agree to work with stakeholders to make the service a reality.
I thank Alison McInnes for bringing this important members' business debate to the Parliament, and I congratulate her on securing what is her first members' business debate.
I have been involved with RNIB Scotland since becoming an MSP. In my capacity as deputy convener of the cross-party group in the Scottish Parliament on visual impairment, I have spoken with the organisation at length. I was also in contact with RNIB Scotland quite a few times in my previous capacity, before being elected to Parliament.
The right to read campaign has rightly gained support from all quarters, and I was privileged to chair, on behalf of RNIB Scotland, a successful fringe meeting on the campaign at the recent Scottish National Party spring conference. George McLaughlin was one of the guest speakers at that meeting, and I must agree with what Alison McInnes said. George is a very impressive and intelligent young man.
I was delighted that the Minister for Schools and Skills was able to attend that fringe meeting and answer people's questions about RNIB Scotland's campaign. I was also delighted that she agreed to meet RNIB Scotland to discuss the campaign and other relevant issues further.
As we have heard, the campaign seeks to create a national educational transcription service to enable blind and partially sighted children to have access to the learning aids that they require. Children can find school days tough enough without being at a distinct disadvantage due to a lack of adequate materials. That is especially true for someone with a disability.
Research by RNIB Scotland shows that almost 1,400 pupils across Scotland require specialist learning materials. Research also shows some discrepancies among local authorities, which are responsible for the provision of such materials. As can be expected, some areas of the country are better equipped than others. RNIB Scotland has stated that the current system lacks a cohesive national strategy and that many of the materials used in schools around Scotland could be introduced in others. Although local authorities should still be encouraged to take responsibility for provision and distribution in their area, a centralised system would still be appropriate. I therefore support any initiative to introduce a centralised system for use throughout the country, to enable blind and partially sighted children to have access to electronic copies of the textbooks that they require.
One of the key issues that RNIB Scotland has highlighted to me is that, although reformatted textbooks are occasionally available, the time delay in getting them is detrimental to the people who are in need of such assistance. As suggested by RNIB Scotland, if access to textbooks was delayed for sighted children, the issue would be highlighted more prominently.
RNIB Scotland also states that publishers have already shown interest in supporting such an initiative. That news should be welcomed. Indeed, at last summer's Edinburgh book festival, Robert Brown and I attended the launch of a multi-format text book.
The foundations of this positive move are definitely in place: specialists and publishers are on board and there is widespread public support. I have no doubt that we can provide a national education transcription service and that, with the correct input from organisations such as RNIB Scotland and experienced individuals, we are not too far away from implementing it across Scotland.
More than 75 per cent of blind and partially sighted adults in Scotland are unemployed, often because of a lack of skills and training. That can obviously be traced back to the lack of learning materials. We must uphold the fact that education is a right not a privilege, no matter whether a person is fully sighted or otherwise.
This debate has been worth while and important, and I am sure that there will continue to be cross-party support on the issue.
I congratulate Alison McInnes on securing the debate. It shows that there is an interest across the Parliament in the right to read campaign, the aim of which is for everyone to be able to read the same book at the same time and at the same price.
I am particularly pleased that the motion singles out Craigiebarns primary school in Dundee, which I used to visit regularly as it was one of the feeder primaries for the school at which I worked. Indeed, I still keep in touch with it and am very aware of the excellent work that has gone on there for years and still goes on.
All children must have access to books not only to feed their imagination but to give them essential knowledge about our world. Primary and secondary school pupils need a range of curriculum materials; it is, as Alison McInnes made clear, a long list and includes fiction, text books, work books, work sheets, assessment materials and examination papers.
The books for all project, which began in June 2006, picked up on the Labour-led Administration's excellent work. Labour is committed to literacy for all and to promoting the right to read, and we feel that there is a need not only to co-ordinate all the good work that is being done in schools throughout the country but to ensure that it is properly funded.
I have often thought that the services of speaking books for the visually impaired should have been rolled out to people who could not access text, and I am delighted that such connections have been made in the right to read campaign. Given that everyone will benefit, it is essential that the Government responds to this issue and I look forward to hearing the minister's ideas on how we can end the book famine that 3 million people in the United Kingdom still face.
Huge improvements in technology have made it easier to access books. For example, parents can let their children listen to books on tapes and CDs. Indeed, such a method is open to everyone, whether they have a visual impairment—which, after all, can affect the old as well as the young—or whether they have a difficulty such as dyslexia or another learning disability. Such tools are widely available commercially and libraries throughout Scotland are well stocked with them.
I draw the chamber's attention to the inquiry into disability that the Equal Opportunities Committee in the previous session undertook. The committee's report was published simultaneously in accessible format, which is an excellent example of how the right to read can be taken seriously and a very practical demonstration of how the Parliament can lead on such issues.
Moreover, the debate's web page contains the very important information that the Parliament is committed to engaging with all the people of Scotland. In line with that aim, our information is available in a range of accessible formats and languages to assist everyone in engaging equally with the Parliament.
We must also act on the RNIB Scotland report "Make it Count—Election experience of people with sight loss", which examines institute members' voting experience at last year's Scottish elections. The right to read must extend to the right to read ballot papers and voting instructions, to ensure that everyone can take a proper part in the democratic process.
In 2006, the Labour-led Administration funded a symposium on accessible digital curriculum resources. Now that a year has passed, I call on the Government to work with stakeholders to organise a similar event to discuss the findings of the working group on the "Books for All: Accessible curriculum materials for pupils with additional support needs" report. I also whole-heartedly support the call for a national transcription service.
We welcome tonight's motion, and I happily congratulate Alison McInnes on lodging it and on the engaging way in which she opened the debate.
The debate follows on quite naturally from last evening's debate on alternative and augmentative communication and it highlights once more a difficulty that is experienced by a minority in our community—in this case, blind and partially sighted children. Their difficulty is quite literally out of sight and out of mind of the vast majority of us. As was the case with the debate on alternative and augmentative communication and that on the concerns of wheelchair users, which you recently brought to Parliament, Presiding Officer—I am delighted to use the word "you" in the appropriate context—we are discussing a matter that, if properly and more widely understood, would without question result in a demand for action by the majority. The Scottish Conservatives offer their support for the action that is encapsulated in the RNIB's campaign.
For children who are blind or partially sighted, the ability to read is just as profound a need as the ability to be mobile is to those who require an appropriate wheelchair or as the ability to communicate is to those who are denied the usual powers of speech. The campaign seeks to address that need not by hothousing some pressure group theory but by inviting the Government to learn from the experience of many other communities in Europe and America, where centrally provided funding ensures equal access to nationally based resources. That is the obvious route to address the geographical dispersion of a minority requirement.
It is not enough to offer warm words but then to abdicate responsibility for delivery to councils. In any event, sufficient expertise does not exist to enable every council to replicate the effort that is required, so we support the campaign for the establishment of a national transcription service on which schools, teachers and pupils can rely and call.
Initial capital funding is sought; subsequent operational costs will be met through council subscription to the services that are offered. Alison McInnes and Stuart McMillan detailed the various benefits that that will bring to all. Once again, it is possible, for a relatively small commitment and investment, to transform the lives of a disadvantaged minority who, as a result, will be capable of achieving life-altering outcomes. What is required is willingness and the will. Today we can be unanimous in offering our support to the demand for progress.
I will briefly consider the role of spoken word, of which I have always been an advocate and admirer. The quality and range of material that is now available in spoken word format is extraordinarily diverse. It was originally conceived as a useful tool for the blind and partially sighted. The breadth of material that is available is sustained by wider public demand. Even for children who can read, the enjoyment that spoken word can bring can introduce them to the joys of speech rhythm and accent, the thrill and drama of expression and the context of the wider use of vocabulary and nuance.
I hope that members will not think it rather sad or, indeed, pathetic if I confess that Mrs Carlaw and I often nod off in bed to the BBC radio collection—to pristine recordings of Francis Durbridge's Paul Temple serials, some of which are now half a century old, the organisation's extensive Agatha Christie adaptations or its unique Sherlock Holmes collection, all the stories in which are performed by the same lead cast throughout. We try anything once, although we have found it impossible to warm to the inescapably dreary and ludicrous "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency".
Rather than give the impression that I have painted a comprehensive portrait of our private life, I want to advertise the wider benefits and enjoyments of spoken word, which can be experienced on CD, download and radio. I also wish to emphasise the particular interest that the format can have for children, who are now almost entirely denied any spoken word service on radio, except as an annual seasonal event. Spoken word can engage the imagination and bring to life text. The BBC, in particular, has an extensive and inspiring catalogue of readings and dramatisations.
My speech might be uncharacteristically brief, but it is heartfelt. We support the aims of the RNIB's campaign and congratulate Alison McInnes on her motion.
I welcome the debate and congratulate Alison McInnes on securing it and on the content and manner of her speech. As it happens, I can claim some credit for her securing the debate because I chaired the party conference meeting to which she referred, just as Stuart McMillan chaired a meeting on the subject at a Scottish National Party conference.
I have an interest in the issue not just as the chair of the cross-party group in the Scottish Parliament on visual impairment, but as Adam Ingram's predecessor as Deputy Minister for Education and Young People. In that capacity, I took forward work on the DAISY technology with the aims of the RNIB's campaign very much in mind and became increasingly convinced that that was the way forward.
I will provide some perspective on the subject, which Adam Ingram might comment on further when he sums up. What do we have in mind? We are talking about alternative formats, such as Braille, large print, audio and interactive access. How can such material be obtained from a central point, through information technology connections or whatever? That was the importance of the DAISY work, which the RNIB developed; it could translate content into different formats and make it useful in different ways. It should be one of the big advantages of this modern technological age—I am a technophobe in these matters—that it should be possible to make the same documentation available in different formats at the press of a button. The issue is how we join such a degree of technological possibility with the resource that is made available by different councils, the RNIB and others to make it effective and immediately available to the people who need it, not least in the schools that we have been talking about. I will be interested to hear from the minister later what progress has been made in that particular respect.
It is fair to say that a lot of good work has been done already, primarily by the RNIB. I have immense admiration for the RNIB's campaigns in this and other areas. Good work has also been done by other organisations, such as CARROT—Cambuslang and Rutherglen review on tape—in Rutherglen, which supplies audio tapes with local news and other content to visually impaired users. Good work has also been done by schools and education authorities, such as Glasgow City Council, which has made considerable progress in this area.
Part of the issue is sharing all that resource, and part is making it routinely accessible. Part of the challenge, too, is getting useable materials to blind youngsters at the same time as everybody else gets books or course materials. There is also the challenge of sharing with people with other learning needs, as the Scottish Parliament cross-party group on dyslexia has rightly pointed out. There are also those who need alternative and augmentative communication aids, which were the subject of last night's members' business debate, as Jackson Carlaw said. There is also a challenge to the usability of the material across the board by unhelpful copyright and other restrictions.
A centralised system need not mean a centralised place; it is a matter of joining the resources that exist in various places to ensure that they can be shared, accessed and translated down the wires to the people who want to use them. However, after making all those qualifications, it remains the case that a national transcription service is an objective whose time has come. The RNIB estimates that 1,100 blind or partially sighted children in Scotland regularly experience difficulties in accessing curriculum materials. They are often children who face challenges beyond the norm, and many of them have problems in addition to their sight problems. Young people have a right to read and we must make that right a reality. I hope that the minister can reassure members that that process is moving forward.
Again, I congratulate Alison McInnes on bringing the issue to public attention in a debate that will give it a push.
I shall be brief because the arguments have been clearly put to the minister about why we should have a national transcription service and the difference that it could make to the young children concerned. They have the right to the best that we can offer. We have the technology. We heard from Marlyn Glen that we can provide a transcription of live speech immediately. This speech could be appearing in Braille within minutes across the country, if the example from the Equal Opportunities Committee were taken forward.
I am an occasional visitor to the Royal blind school in Edinburgh. I am impressed by the work that is done there, by the dedication of the staff, by the reaction of the young people there and by their confidence in standing up and speaking to people, and engaging in conversation. They had a wonderful project with St George's girls school in which they took turns in presenting a big project on the environment. I could see that those young people want to engage in issues outwith the school. They are outward and forward-looking young people who are the same as young people in the rest of our schools. They deserve the best that we can offer them. I look forward to the minister responding as positively as possible to what he has heard from members during the debate.
Like Mrs Carlaw, Mrs Harper—but not me—goes to her slumbers with headphones on and a suitable book to take her to her rest. I can speak at second hand for the efficacy and joy of that system. I offer my warm congratulations to Alison McInnes for bringing the debate to the chamber. I look forward to the minister's response.
I will spare members details of my sleeping habits.
I congratulate Alison McInnes on securing a debate on RNIB Scotland's right to read campaign. It is essential that all young people meet their full potential and that schools play their role in that by providing all pupils with accessible curriculum materials. The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 specifically places a responsibility on local authorities to identify, meet and keep under review the additional support needs of all young people who may require assistance, including those with visual impairments. Duties are laid on authorities to provide additional support for children under three who are referred to them by a health board. If parents are concerned about the provision that their child is receiving, there are provisions under the 2004 act to enable them to have those concerns addressed.
We are already supporting local authorities to meet their duty to deliver curriculum and school information in alternative forms, where necessary, to enable pupils to achieve their full potential. That is in line with the Education (Disability Strategies and Pupils' Educational Records) (Scotland) Act 2002, which requires that all disabled pupils are able to access the curriculum. That includes ensuring that they have access to accessible curriculum materials.
Although I appreciate that the RNIB is calling for a national transcription service for visually impaired and blind pupils, as Robert Brown said, we must not forget that other formats may be more suitable for other groups of children with additional support needs. The scoping exercise, books for all, which was conducted by the CALL centre—for communication aids for language and learning—reported that pupils with visual impairment were well catered for and that a number of other pupils with a print disability would benefit from adapted materials. That work was taken forward by a group of stakeholders that convened on three occasions after the publication of the "Books for All" report to consider its recommendations and the way forward. I am delighted to report to Parliament that the group, which included representation from local authorities, the Scottish Qualifications Authority, Dyslexia Scotland and the RNIB, has made considerable progress on achievements.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks in our schools is related to copyright legislation. Until April 2008, the schools copyright licence allowed materials to be adapted only for those with visual or physical impairment. From April, the Copyright Licensing Agency agreed to extend the licence to cover those who are visually impaired or otherwise disabled, which is a much wider definition. That notable achievement for the group will benefit a large number of pupils with a range of needs, including dyslexia. In addition, we have funded the CALL centre to take forward a project that will enable pupils to listen to digital curriculum materials spoken in a Scottish voice. That material, in a voice provided by Heather the Weather, can be downloaded by all schools free of charge from the CALL centre website.
Finally, the greatest achievement of the group has been the creation of a database of adapted resource for all pupils with additional support needs. The database will be available to all schools through Scran, which is one of the largest educational online services to provide access to educational material. The database will contain a list of adapted materials and a note of where they are held. I refer to Robert Brown's remarks about a centralised system not requiring a centralised place. It is possible to access materials from throughout the country. They can be requested and made available to any pupil in Scotland. Subject to copyright agreement, the database will also hold adapted materials that can be instantly accessed and used.
The Scottish books for all database is being piloted with local authorities that are users of the glow website and by those who were represented on the stakeholder group. Learning and Teaching Scotland commenced the pilot in April and will feed back its findings in June. It is hoped that Scottish books for all will be rolled out at the beginning of the new school year in August.
By accessing those resources and planning appropriately, teachers will be able to ensure that all pupils with additional support needs receive curriculum materials at the same time as their classmates in a format that meets their needs. I am sure that the Parliament and RNIB will agree that that not only meets the concerns that have been raised but goes further.
I acknowledge that RNIB's right to read campaign has been running for a number of years. However, I feel that the measures that I have outlined will have a tremendous impact on pupils' access to education and that the work has been done in a methodical and timely manner. I am grateful to RNIB for raising with us the issue of accessible curriculum materials and I trust that all are reassured that, given the steps that we have taken, there is no need for the type of national transcription service that RNIB proposes. We are totally committed to ensuring that all our pupils can access the curriculum. The "Books for All" report has enabled us to identify gaps in provision and take positive steps to ensure that we can achieve that aim.
Meeting closed at 17:42.