Recently, Dolphin hosted the webinar: Assistive Technology Lending Libraries: Empowering Vision Impaired Learners. During the session, our expert speakers Mary Long from CENMAC, student Iona Wilkinson and Simon Kitchen from Dolphin, discussed the benefits of assistive technology. In particular, they emphasised how finding the right assistive technology for each individual young person can boost confidence and have a marked impact on their abilities to learn independently.
Viewers were encouraged to submit questions throughout the webinar event, and as there were so many interesting queries, we have collated them and answered them in more detail, so you can refer to the information and learn more about the Lending Libraries Pilot Project which has been launched by the UK Government's Department for Education (DfE) to help inform the future of SEND education and provision in the future.
The pilot is a government-backed initiative to provide schools with assistive technology (AT) for children with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Funded by the Department for Education (DfE), with CENMAC as the delivery partner, the pilot project enables participating schools to borrow and trial AT devices in school, with their students, before making a purchase.
The pilot aims to improve access, independence, confidence, and inclusion for pupils in the participating schools. It will help gather data on how beneficial assistive tech is, and how it impacts students and teaching. This is likely to inform whether lending libraries will be rolled out in future to more education settings.
The pilot will support up to 4,000 schools across 32 Local Authorities (LA). Participating LAs were confirmed in the summer of 2025 and the roll-out of the pilot began in autumn term 2025. 30 LAs have been confirmed as taking part. At time of writing, no further plans have been made to widen this out, and applications are no longer being considered.
Teacher training is a big part of the plan for introducing assistive technology in schools however, and Dolphin has free CPD-accredited training courses specifically for teachers. If this is something you would like to take advantage of, please visit the Dolphin Learning Zone.
The UK government has allocated up to £1.7 million for the initiative.
Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia, autism, ADHD, sensory or communication difficulties, can all benefit.
Schools will have access to:
The schools taking part in the pilot project can adopt a “try before you buy” approach to assistive technology. The LA will select, purchase and hold the assistive tech in their library using the funding allocated to them. The schools in that LA can select the technology and devices which best meet each of their pupils’ needs, and try it out in classes, to make sure it's a good fit before investing in their own technology.
Will staff receive training?
Yes. Staff training is a key part of the pilot. Evidence shows that training, combined with AT, increases confidence among pupils and staff and maximises the impact of the devices.
If you are trying out Dolphin SuperNova Education Kit, EasyReader Education or another Dolphin product, teachers and support staff can access and take a free CPD-accredited training course. If this is something you would like to take advantage of, please visit the Dolphin Learning Zone.
The pilot links to the UK Government’s Change Programme, which tests SEND and Alternative Provision reforms. With a focus on early intervention, mainstream school support and improving access to high-quality provision.
Research and case studies from CENMAC, British Assistive Technology Association (BATA), and schools show:
The pilot is part of wider SEND reforms under the Change Programme, which aim to:
Participation is initially limited to schools in selected local authorities (LA). Schools should contact their LA or CENMAC for details.
Resources and training are available through:
Thank you for joining the webinar. Mary Long from CENMAC has created a refined version of her presentation to allow people to get the information they require on assistive technology and the lending library pilot.
If you are interested in finding more about Dolphin assistive technology, you are welcome to book a call with Mark Rice to arrange a meeting or a demonstration of SuperNova Education Kit or EasyReader Education.