Equipment & Technology

  • ICT Hub Awards
    • Dean Thomas from the Disabled Parent Network has won the Special Award for individual contribution to ICT in the voluntary sector at the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Hub Awards. DPN is a user-led national charity of and for parents who have a disability. DPN’s work was nominated due to the way that it recognised the huge impact that ICT was having on their organisation. Dean has invested hundreds of hours of his free time each year as a volunteer and trustee for DPN coordinating all aspects of its ICT strategy. This included designing the website to improve functionality allowing users to make enquiries and give feedback via the website. He used ICT to improve the facilities for DPN volunteers by designing a system online that allows disabled parent helpline volunteers to log in from home.
  • Concern over Future of Equipment Service
    • The British Healthcare Trade Association has serious doubts over proposals to change the system of providing equipment (or assistive technology) to disabled people by replacing community equipment stores with a prescription model. The BHTA is concerned that the pilot schemes in North West England have not been fully tested and analysed, raising concerns over plans to implement the scheme nationally. For information on BHTA see www.bhta.net  
  • Afordable Vibrating Smoke & Gas Alarm
    • The FireAngel Wi-Safe vibrating alarm can be placed underneath a pillow or cushion and will vibrate powerfully in the event of a fire or carbon monoxide leak. When a Wi-Safe Smoke Alarm or Wi-Safe Carbon Monoxide Alarm is triggered they instantly transmit a signal to the vibrating alarm, which will vibrate until it has woken those in danger. Until now such systems had to be expensively wired in and were difficult to track down. These can be bought from branches of B&Q.
  • DLF Launch Free Telephone Service for Older Londoners
    • The Disabled Living Foundation (DLF), a charity that provides impartial advice about equipment for older and disabled people has launched a new, free service for people aged 60 or over who live or work in London. This pilot, funded by the City Bridge Trust, is aimed at anyone who has problems with mobility, communication, dexterity or any similar issues that might affect them in their everyday life. Advice can be obtained by calling 0845 470 7272. Lines are open from 10am – 4pm, Mon – Fri.
  • Website for Children's Equipment
    • A website offering equipment for disabled children and young people has been developed by BDF Newlife, a charity providing services and support for disabled children and their families, in conjunction with Keep Able, a major equipment retailer. This can be seen on www.newlifeable.co.uk  
  • Can Do from B&Q
    • B&Q have launched their Can Do range of specially selected products for making life easier around the home and garden. They are marked with a Can Do logo in stores where a catalogue can be obtained. This can also be downloaded from their website, www.diy.com  
  • Digital TV Guidance
    • Ricability, an independent national research charity, is carrying out tests on the ease of use of digital TV products. The research is detailed and unbiased and the project has been commissioned by the Government for the switch to digital television. Reports are now available on over 120 products, including digital televisions, indoor aerials, set top boxes and digital TV recorders. There is also straightforward information about going digital, including details of the Help Scheme to provide assistance for some older and disabled people on www.ricability.org.uk  
  • Award for RoboBraille
    • The winner of the Social Contribution Award in this year’s British Computer Society IT Industry Awards is the Danish National Centre for Visual Impairment for Children and Youth for its RoboBraille development. The British partner in this Europe wide project is the Royal National College of the Blind who were represented at the ceremony. RoboBraille is an e-mail based service that can translate documents into either synthetic speech or contracted Braille. The service is freely available to all non-commercial users and makes it possible for the visually impaired, dyslexic and poor readers to obtain information in an accessible format. Full details of award winners and medallists can be found at: www.bcs.org/winners07
  • A New Form of Shower
    • MDDC Ltd, of Nuneaton manufacture the Independence Shower which has a chair that swings outside the shower enclosure for transfer from a wheelchair and rotates 360 degrees within the enclosure. The chair can be used by anyone up to 20 stones and can easily be removed if required. It can be installed with less disruption and cost than a wheel-in shower. For further information see www.independence-showers.co.uk  
  • Quality Mark for IT Training for Disabled People
    • The British Computer Society (BCS) has awarded an innovative “Quality Mark” to eleven organisations to acknowledge the contributions they have made towards improving the accessibility of BCS qualifications for people with disabilities. Dolphin Computer Access, Royal National College for the Blind, PATOSS, Deafax, Activ Training, Enlight Ltd, Litmus Learning Limited, ThirdForce PLC, CiA Training Ltd, Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB), U Can Do I.T. received their award at a recent BCS Accessibility Awareness Day attended by representatives of commercial test and courseware providers, accessibility organisations and disability agencies. For information on the Quality Mark see www.bcs.org/access  
  • Warning on Rogue Traders
    • Following a BBC One TV programme that featured salesmen from an adjustable bed company and a scooter company pressurising elderly and disabled people into buying products that they did not need or want, the British Healthcare Trades Association has condemned the practices shown. They point out that by going to a BHTA member company members of the public will have the security of dealing with a company that has committed to providing high standards of service (as set out in the Code of Practice) and BHTA Registered Persons are committed to a personal Code of Conduct as well. For more information see www.bhta.com

       

  • Lottery Grant for AbilityNet
    • Grants have been awarded under the Big Lottery Fund Basis programme to 21 organisations to provide support and increase the effectiveness of the third sector. The largest grant, almost £700,000 was for the AbilityNet “Sustaining Switched On Communities” project that offers disabled people assistance in using IT. Through a cascade approach, knowledge, skills and materials will be provided to community partners, who train voluntary and community organisations, and in turn provide improved facilities and services to disabled individuals.

       

  • Web Tool to Help Comprehension
    • Word Bank, an automated web-tool that converts corporate jargon into meaningful information has gone live on the Disability Rights Commission website. This should be helpful to people with a learning disablility or people for whom English is a second language. The DRC would like to hear what users think of the system. To see Word Bank in action go to www.drc-gb.org/accessibility/word_bank.aspx