our committment to engaging students with special needs:

 We want EVERYONE to enjoy our event and, of course, this includes students with special physical, intellectual and emotional needs.

1. We have a special needs liaison available to discuss your needs with you prior to the day.
2. There will be no charge for adults to attend if their purpose for attending is solely to assist a student with special needs (ie carers, interpreters, special assistants). Whilst there is no cost, please still register these adults in advance by dealing directly with our office.

ACTION WE ASK YOU TO PLEASE TAKE:   

1. Read this booklet which should cover any question or need you might have.
2. Email our dedicated special needs liaison to notify us of the need of your student/s. Without this prior contact, we may not be prepared in a way that serves your student the best. You will receive a personalised reply.
                  Ronan McGinniss
                  ronan@halogen.org.au
3. On the day advise our team member at the entry door of your arrival

HEARING IMPAIRED STUDENTS:   

1. AUSLAN TRANSLATORS: We are regrettably unable to organise translators. Please understand that our organisation is very small. We have only a handful of staff and receive no government or grant funding. This booklet will, however, assist the translator/s who might normally work with hearing impaired students on a normal school day.
2. POSITIONING OF AUSLAN TRANSLATOR AND THE STUDENT: In most venues, the ideal positioning for an interpreter will be in front of the stage to one side. We will reserve seating for your student/s so that they have a clear line of site across the whole stage with the interpreter central to their view. Please see rough diagram below.

Please understand that it is not suitable at this event for the interpreter to stand directly beside the presentation lectern on stage, like it might be for lecture-style events. The reasons for this are:

• Our presenters walk around stage continuously, so the interpretation would be poorly positioned for the student for much of the presentation. (Think of this event like a theatre play.)
• When there are multiple presenters on opposite sides of the stage, the interpretation would be poorly positioned.
• The event includes some discussion-based activities. If the interpreter is on the ground level in front of the stage it makes it easy to assist the student in these discussions.df 

3.  VIDEOS: The event commences with two videos, these are captioned and will not require interpretation, so the theatre will be in relative darkness. Later in the program are some promotional videos for our sponsors, it is up to you whether you feel a need to interpret these. For these videos, we will ensure lighting is sufficient so that the student can see the live translation.
4. RADIO TRANSMITTER DEVICE: If you have a student who has a microphone and receiver we will gladly assist. Our past experience tells us that the best solution is for us to attach your student’s microphone to the front of one of the main amplified speakers. This means that the student will benefit from hearing music, videos and all voices on the occasions that multiple presenters are speaking. They won’t miss a thing.

mobilty impaired students:   

1. SEATING: By knowing about this need in advance, we can ascertain whether we need to reserve seating for you, depending on the venue. For ‘tiered theatre’ venues we will ensure that the assigned mobility access space is reserved for you.

VISON IMPAIRED STUDENTS:   

1. SEATING: By knowing about this need in advance, we can ascertain whether we need to reserve seating for you at the front.
2. BOOKLET: On arrival all students receive an event booklet to use for note taking and activities. This booklet is A5 size. If you require a PDF version of the booklet so that you can print a larger copy please request this in advance.

STUDENTS SENITIVE TO NOISE:    

1. DJ: We have a DJ who will play music as each session is resuming. Students who might be affected by this are welcome to re-enter for each session 1 or 2 minutes later once the music has concluded.
2. CROWD ACTIVITIES:
   Introduction Game: Students will be encouraged to move around the room and introduce themselves to students from others schools.
   After the Lunch Break:  An activity with a large amount of student volunteers will commence throughout the isles of the auditorium. The segment will likely be a little rowdy.