APPGAT New Year Newsletter
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology (APPGAT)
Welcome to the APPGAT newsletter!
The APPGAT launched almost one year ago and we're excited to build on the success of our founding year - to further raise the profile of assistive technology in Parliament. We want public policy that takes advantage of technology to make society inclusive for all!
This newsletter gives you the latest from Westminster, Whitehall and the assistive technology sector. And as you’ll see from this edition, there is lots of news to share! That’s why, starting this year, we will send the newsletter once a month. Please give us your feedback on the letter and let us know of any stories you want to share for next month.
– Robert McLaren, Manager for Assistive Technology, Policy Connect
|
|
Updates from the APPGAT
Enabling Play Briefing
|
|
|
Last year the APPGAT held a symposium on assistive technology and play for disabled children. But this was just the start of our work on the issue. First, we have produced a briefing on the ideas and recommendations from the event and sent this to parliamentarians including the Shadow Children and Families Minister Emma Lewell-Buck MP, who was a speaker at the event. You can download the briefing here. Second, the Department for Education is consulting on how to strengthen qualifications for the early years workforce and we will use the findings from the Enabling Play meeting to make a written response to that consultation. The need for awareness was a key theme of the event, and the consultation gives us the opportunity to influence the early years qualifications criteria to include recognition of assistive technology.
|
|
Reception at Inclusive Learning Space
|
|
For the first time since its founding, the APPGAT meet outside the Palace of Westminster - to explore a new model of inclusive learning in higher education. The group held a reception at the Sticky Campus classroom at the University of Westminster, where attendees got hands-on with an interactive learning space that incorporates assistive technology. The APPGAT co-chairs Seema Malhotra MP and Lord Homes hosted the reception (pictured above with Westminster student and AT user Hannah Davis). The meeting was also attended by APPGAT members Lord Low and Lord Addington, and the Minister for Disabled People, Sarah Newton MP, gave the keynote via video recording. The event highlighted a new model for inclusive technology, in which universities provide on-campus technology that links in with disabled students' own specialist software. The Sticky Campus technology was developed in collaboration with our newest APPGAT member, Wyvern Business Systems, and it integrates with assistive software from APPGAT members Dolphin and Notetalker, among others. As Seema Malhotra MP wrote afterwards in her article for Politics Home “increased access to higher education and delivery of outcomes for people with disabilities has got to be an ongoing partnership between the role of the state, universities and industry”.
You can read more about the event on our website and on the website of the University of Westminster. The Minister’s speech will appear, along with an article on the event, on the OpenLab website run by the Office for Disability Issues - stay tuned!
|
|
Lord Addington Joins the APPGAT
|
|
|
Lord Addington is well known to the assistive technology sector as a powerful voice in the Lords on technology and dyslexia. He is a Liberal Democrat peer and president of the British Dyslexia Association. Lord Addington joined the APPGAT for our advisory board meeting in December and spoke at the group’s most recent policy event - on which more below. We would like to thank his lordship for his support for the group.
|
|
Wyvern Business Systems becomes newest supporter of the APPGAT
|
|
We're proud to announce that Wyvern Business Systems Ltd have become our newest associate member organisation. Wyvern provides Assistive Technology in both hardware and software along with support through the Disabled Students Allowance, Access to Work, and direct to universities, consumers and businesses in the corporate sector. The APPGAT's member organisations form a core group within the UK's assistive technology sector, supporting the APPGAT and providing expertise and insight to inform the work of the group. David Atkinson of Wyvern Business Systems said, "we are very happy to be members of the APPGAT and we are looking forward to working with you all in 2018. Awareness is my personal crusade, to get as many people understanding just what a difference the right Assistive Technology can make".
Brexit and Digital Accessibility
|
|
|
The UK’s decision to leave the European Union comes just as the EU has stepped up its efforts on digital accessibility. In September, a new EU Directive on public sector websites and apps will be transposed into UK law, and the even more ambitious EU Accessibility Act will likely become law during the transition period. So what does Brexit mean for digital accessibility in the UK? - we spoke with web law specialist Heather Burns.
|
|
Parliament and Government news
Disability Employment Gap
|
|
|
The employment rate for disabled people is just 49% - compared to 80% for non-disabled people. The government has set the goal of almost halving this gap over the next ten years by helping a million more disabled people into work. In December the government set out their most detailed plan to date to meet this target. Within access to work, there is a commitment to “improve the advice and choice” around assistive technology, and there will be a “new expectation that equipment will be portable and move with the individual when they change jobs”. Yet this area of policy is by no means settled, and much of the Government’s paper details plans for further research, consultation and review - the APPGAT has made employment one of our priorities for 2018 and we will engage closely with this process.
|
|
Select Committee Inquiry on AT
|
|
|
Last year, the Pensions Select Committee conducted its own inquiry into the disability employment gap. Assistive technology emerged as a major theme in their report and spurred the committee to launch a second inquiry directly addressing the role of AT in employment. The APPGAT has submitted evidence to the inquiry, drawing on findings from our parliamentary meetings and written contributions from member organisations. Representatives from two of our member organisations, Robin Christopherson (AblityNet, pictured above left) and Hector Minto (Microsoft, pictured above right), gave oral evidence to the committee. They were questioned by committee chair Frank Field MP and APPGAT supporter Alex Burghart MP among others.
|
|
DfE Consultation on Teaching
|
|
|
One theme that ran through every meeting of the APPGAT last year was awareness. Many people who would benefit from assistive technology simply don’t know what's out there or aren't supported to use the equipment effectively once they have it. And the same goes for children, whose teachers or therapists may not have confidence in assistive technology to help them get access to the equipment. The APPGAT is taking our findings from parliamentary meetings - including our AT and Skills meeting from June - to make the case for assistive technology awareness within teaching. The Department for Education has begun a major consultation on Continuing Professional Development for Teachers. This opens up the opportunity to develop awareness and skills within schools through a formalised system of CPD. We will make our response to the consultation public through this newsletter.
|
|
|
There was big news on November 27th last year - no, not the royal wedding announcement. Well, that too - but also the Government's Industrial Strategy! This is a plan to support UK industry to “boost the economy, build on the country’s strengths and embrace the opportunities of technological change”. The UK assistive technology industry is recognised as world leading, both in hardware manufacturing and software development. The next APPGAT policy event will take up the issue of the Industrial Strategy, to explore how Government can support innovation in assistive technology. The government has set four Grand Challenges for industry, and two of these directly relate to assistive technology: the Ageing Society, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). So-called ‘challenge funds’ could be used to drive innovation in technology for people who become disabled as they age, and apps such as Microsoft’s Seeing AI have already shown the enabling power of AI.
|
|
|
In our last newsletter, we wrote about Penny Mordaunt MP’s move from Minister for Disabled people to Secretary of State for International Development (DfID). In one of her first speeches in the new role, Mordaunt announced that the Government will host a Global Disability Summit in London in July this year. The Summit will bring “technology companies, governments and charities together… to show our commitment to transform the lives of people living with disabilities,” said Mordaunt.
|
|
Assistive Technology Sector News
|
|
WHO passes draft resolution on AT
|
|
The Executive Board of The World Health Organisation met on the 22nd of January and passed the draft resolution ‘Improving access to assistive technology’. The document makes requirements of members states, including the UK, and recommends steps for the WHO to support international cooperation on the issue. The draft resolution will be considered at the Seventy-first World Health Assembly in May of this year.
|
|
AblityNet celebrates 20 years
|
|
|
AbilityNet, the accessible technology charity, was founded twenty years ago. Robin Christopherson MBE, Head of Digital Inclusion, was there at the beginning and wrote this blog to mark the anniversary and look at the Looking forward, CEO Nigel Lewis said "Whatever technology emerges in the next 20 years AbilityNet remains committed to ensuring that is accessible to everyone and helps them achieve their true potential at home, at work and in education."
|
|
|
Smartbox has launched a new integrated ACC device, the Power Pad. The device is designed for all-day use, with large batteries that can be swapped in and out - you can read more here.
|
|
|
Special World reports a New European project to tackle disablist bullying. Lead by the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre, DisAbuse will address bullying faced by disabled people. Bullying of disabled people was shown to be two to three times higher than that of non-disabled people.
|
|
Eye Gaze in the Classroom
|
|
|
Inclusive Technology have put out a free guide to Eye Gaze for teachers, therapists and carers. The ability to control a computer with eye movements is one of the most significant advances in assistive technology in recent years. And the guide covers everything from how to decide on the right technology to teaching approaches using Eye Gaze.
|
|
|
Office 365 is now even more inclusive with a dictation feature about to be added in February. Users will be able to dictate into Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote. You can read more about this and other new accessibility features for Office in this post.
|
|
|
Specialist College, Hereward, got another boost to its supported internships program as two more national businesses have joined the scheme. Balfour Beatty Living Places and Holiday Inn will work with some of the 25% of students Hereward students who go on to supported internships.
|
|
|
Some wearable tech is designed to stand-out - but the new GPS tracking technology from Possum (via GTX Corp) sits unnoticed inside your shoe. SmartSole can send location updates to the user's family and carers, checking in every 10 minutes.
|
|
|
With a new feature, EasyReader lets you import books into the app. So you can read books even outside of the app's extensive library collection. You can also import documents from emails or Dropbox. Just follow these simple instructions to get started.
|
|
|
Caregiver, Jeela Tamrakar’s two-part blog post shows the power that assistive technology has made in the life of her patient. Tony Zarvou is CEO of Wilson McLain Plumbing and uses Communicator 5 software after losing his speech; he said, “I don’t see any limitations. I expect to keep growing my business and venture out into the real estate market.” - read part one and part two.
|
|
British Assistive Technology Association
|
|
|
BATA will hold its Annual General Meeting in February, and invite speakers including Jonathan Shaw - Chief Executive of Policy Connect and former Minister for Disabled People.
|
|
Can smartphones solve the note taking problem?
|
|
|
Notetalker, the popular multi-sensory learning app, was on show at ATIA conference in Orlando - part of a strong UK delegation including several APPGAT members! In a blog from the conference, Notetalker ask if accessible note-taking can be added to the list of benefits we've seen from the smartphone revolution.
|
|
Shining a light on communication
|
|
|
The Shine a Light Awards for 2018 will celebrate schools, teams and individuals across England who have exhibited excellent practice in Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC). The ceremony will be held on the 22nd of March in London
|
|
Thank you to our supporters!
|
|
|
|
|
|
