2025 Literacy for All Intensive Course

Literacy is a fundamental skill in our society. We use it for work, for leisure and increasingly we use it socially. All students have the right to good literacy instruction - and all students can develop their skills in this area once they are provided with comprehensive instruction.

This 5 day workshop will discuss the process of implementing comprehensive literacy instruction, with an emphasis on making it accessible for students with complex communication needs and a range of other abilities and disabilities. The philosophy, fundamentals and principles of the approach will be covered - using information, data, video and examples collected across multiple classrooms in both special education and inclusive settings.

The workshop will begin with a focus on students who are emergent in their literacy skills. That is, those students who are not yet reading and writing conventionally but who need to develop their language skills as well as understandings in key areas such as print concepts, alphabet knowledge, and phonological awareness. We will discuss the interrelated nature of literacy and language and the importance of Augmentative and Alternative Communication for students with complex communication needs. The course will then progress to a focus on conventional students - and the differentiated comprehensive literacy program needed to help those students to read and write increasingly complex texts. Assessment for students at all levels of literacy development will also be covered.

The course includes:

• The rationale behind comprehensive literacy instruction, followed by an overview of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
• An in-depth dive into emergent literacy instruction for all students, with units on shared reading, emergent writing, self-selected reading, teaching letters and sounds and emergent assessment
• Further in-depth work around conventional literacy instruction, including comprehension instruction, independent reading, working with words and writing instruction
• The course finishes with a focus on assessment and planning

Attending this course will give you a toolkit of strategies, activities and ideas to improve the literacy outcomes for ALL students.

The course is designed for anyone who wants to support one or more students with disabilities to improve their literacy skills, including teachers, leadership teams, therapists and parents.

The course is presented by Jane Farrall and Helen Tainsh.

Jane Farrall is a speech pathologist and a special educator who is passionate about engendering optimal literacy opportunities and outcomes for the many students she supports. Based on over 30 years in this field, she believes in the power of literacy for all students irrespective of their formal level of academic ability.

Jane currently works as a consultant to schools across Australia and overseas, focusing on implementing literacy practices for the best outcomes for all students. She has also, for many years, been an advocate of the power of assistive technologies supporting these outcomes. But she strongly recognises that the technologies are only a tool - and they take second place to sound literacy and communication practice. She is also passionate about supporting students who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) to communicate and has extensive practical experience in implementing AAC, both electronic and non-electronic.

Helen Tainsh is a Speech Pathologist with 30 years of experience of working with students who use AAC. She presents regularly on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) at conferences & workshops. She currently works at the Cerebral Palsy Education Centre in Melbourne and also has a private practice. In her private practice Helen supports children and adults with severe and multiple disabilities, who use augmentative and alternative communication. She supports access to the curriculum within their mainstream school.

Helen consults regularly in a number of Special Schools, supporting implementation of AAC and comprehensive literacy instruction. She has a strong interest in AAC and literacy and has been instrumental in using Comprehensive Literacy Instruction with many students to improve their literacy skills.

Helen is also a certified presenter in Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display (P.O.D.D.) Communication Books. She also has extensive experience in the programming and use of electronic communication devices.