WCIT CHARITY REVIEW ORPHEUS 10
High speed internet empowers young people with disabilities to become more independent
High-quality network access is essential for a great user experience at Orpheus
Mobile devices are now usable in every room in the college and student housing
Orpheus specialist college offers supported housing and a personal care service to equip young people , with learning and / or physical disabilities , with the skills and confidence they need in order to live independent and fulfilling lives .
Orpheus teaches a diverse curriculum , from performing and visual arts to English , Maths and ICT , building on the skills that students learned at school and college . The Centre ’ s mission is to enable all their students to successfully transition from full-time education to an independent adult life , and to make a positive contribution to the community .
While the Centre is proud of what it achieves , last year , Orpheus desperately needed to modernise its IT systems . Inefficiencies placed a heavy burden on staff as they fought to deal with day-to-day activities and a growing mountain of administration , ultimately impacting on the quality of work with their students .
In particular , their internet access was very slow , so that , for example , teaching staff were unable to incorporate online tools and applications into their lessons , or to provide students with additional support through these tools to use in their own time and at their own pace .
The solution was to secure wireless connection across their site and improve the WiFi access to student housing . This also allowed more use of mobile devices , such as laptops and tablets , which are great tools for people with disabilities as they deliver flexibility and portability .
Through WCIT ’ s grant , Orpheus was able to upgrade its internet and network structure and install super-fast internet access . Students and staff have been delighted with the improvements . Mobile devices are now usable in every room in the college and student housing , and they can now use the internet in ways we all take for granted .
As Rodney Guduza from Orpheus says , “ High speed internet empowers young people with disabilities to become more independent . Our WiFi upgrade has removed barriers that kept students from participating in everyday activities such as researching employment , supporting their education and keeping socially connected . Staff can now include online tools in their teaching . We are very thankful to WCIT for enabling us to achieve this .”