DAS Academy Celebrates The Achievements Of 82 Graduates At Its First Graduation Ceremony

SINGAPORE - Oct. 20, 2014 - PRLog -- DAS Academy today celebrated the achievements of 82 graduates at its first-ever combined graduation ceremony for students who have successfully completed their learning journey in the field of special educational needs at the academy this year.

Held at the NTUC Auditorium, the ceremony saw this year’s cohort of 82 graduates obtaining their certificates. Armed with masters, post-graduate certificates and diplomas, these graduates have been professionally equipped with skills and competencies by multi-disciplinary faculties of the DAS Academy and its partner – University of South Wales, UK to help people with special educational needs cope with their learning differences.

Students with dyslexia form the largest group of individuals with special needs in Singapore, with about 23,000 pre-school to secondary students currently estimated to have dyslexia. To cater to the growing special educational needs from mainstream, special and international schools and individuals who aspire to make a difference in people’s lives, the academy plans to offer a bachelor’s degree to bridge its academic pathway between a specialist diploma and a master’s degree.

“We congratulate all graduates for accomplishing their aspiration of obtaining higher education in the field of special educational needs. We are confident that the academy’s unique theoretical and practical training approach, conducted by lecturers who are experts from varied fields, will enable our graduates to excel in their ambitions of supporting the needs of special education,” said Dr Thomas Sim, Executive Director, DAS Academy.

"I joined DAS two years ago as an educational therapist. Prior to teaching at DAS, I thought I understood how to listen to children with dyslexia, but my students have taught me that communication is built upon not just words, but body language, life stories and learning patterns and that learning should be a lifestyle. Special education is a diverse and changing field that requires practitioners to constantly learn and stay up-to-date with teaching practices – and the DAS Academy helped me to achieve that," said Sha Lan, Graduate of Postgraduate Certificate in Special Educational Needs, University of South Wales and Valedictorian of Class of 2014.

"We would like to thank DAS Academy for conducting such a practical and valuable in-service training for the Allied Educators (Learning and Behavioural Support) [AED (LBS)] fraternity. We now have a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by our learners and will be able to deliver more effective support in the mainstream setting. The programme provided a platform for us to discuss and gather new perspectives on our struggles to alleviate difficulties faced by our students," said Gao Shuqing Jane, Graduate of Diploma in Special Education for AED (LBS) in Dyslexia Studies and Valedictorian of Class of 2014.

DAS Academy aims to be a leader in the field of special educational needs studies with the shared passion and mission of aspiring professionals in the field in Singapore and the region. Launched as the training arm of DAS in 2003 offering short courses for parents with dyslexic children, DAS Academy offers 29 programmes ranging from short courses to tertiary and postgraduate programmes, in special educational needs, specialising in dyslexia, and its comorbidities, soft skills and behavioural management.

– End –

ABOUT DAS ACADEMY

Our Mission: Enabling Excellence

Our Goal: To be a world-class academic institution providing education and research in the area of special education needs.

The DAS Academy is a Private Education Institution (PEI) registered with the Council of Private Education (CPE).

Led by a multi-disciplinary team of lecturers with extensive experiences in teaching learners with dyslexia and associated learning differences, the DAS Academy aims to enable excellence through our programmes from foundation to tertiary levels, namely, the Master of Arts in Special Educational Needs (MA SEN), validated by The University of South Wales, UK. The MA SEN enables practitioners working with people with special educational needs or those in education-related fields to develop professionally, and distinguish themselves in the growing field of special needs.

The DAS Academy certificate courses & workshops will provide a continuance of support that children with learning differences receive from our Learning Centres at their schools and homes. The courses and workshops enable parents, caregivers, educators and professionals to learn techniques and be equipped with various skills and tips to help a child with learning differences. Skills that will not only help the child read and write better, but also develop automaticity and fluency in these areas.

The Specialist Diploma in Specific Learning Differences offers a unique opportunity for continuing professional development and is designed to meet increasing demands for higher education in the field of specific learning differences.

Finally, the DAS Academy also conducts customised training for corporations, professionals and educational bodies. Our lecturers have conducted training in other countries such as Hong Kong. Furthermore, training is being conducted to the Ministry of Education’s Allied Educators (Learning and Behavioural Support). There is at least one Allied Educator (AED) in every primary school in Singapore and in selected secondary schools.


ABOUT DYSLEXIA ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE (DAS)

Our Mission: Helping Dyslexic People Achieve

Our Goal: To build a world class organisation dedicated to helping dyslexic people, those with specific learning differences and reaching out to the region.

Registered in 1991, the Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS) is today a vibrant voluntary welfare organisation with over 220 full-time staff who provide a wide array of services for dyslexics not only in Singapore but in the region. DAS Educational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists provide support for over 2,600 preschool, primary and secondary school students in 13 centres all over Singapore. Increasingly, the DAS will provide support for dyslexics who also suffer from other Specific Learning Differences such as Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia and Non-verbal Learning Differences.