Guidance at a distance Students with disabilities will begin participating in the project in the Spring of 1999. With the help of computers it will be possible to offer training in, for example, study methods, using programs or choosing educational materials. We are referring instead to a competence network, in which knowledge is used and shared across existing institutional and structural boundaries. People with a variety of competencies can be connected to selected teaching teams or courses by using video technology in a simple and cost-efficient way. The SNDL Network is not unique.
Similar pilots are underway in the USA, among other places.
At the University of Washington, much of the education of disabled students is conducted at a distance. Another example is the Texas School for the Blind in Austin, where they are also trying distance learning models for delivering training for teaching staff involved with blind students. Further contacts will be made as our project continues. This site will also include a password-protected section for the exclusive use of project members, including, for example, multimedia presentations which project members can access on their own computers. Other projected web services are forums, virtual libraries, frequenty asked questions, event calendars and project reports and evaluations.