Are you an AT Scholar?

Posted by Claire Harrison on the 29th May, 2025

Category Assistive Technology Severe & Complex Support Needs

Are you an AT Scholar? In the dark depths of January this year I found myself on a plane headed towards the Florida sunshine. My work-related journeys are typically far less glamorous, often involving slow moving traffic on the Edinburgh City Bypass, so this was a departure from the norm!

I was able to take this journey because I was extremely fortunate to be one of the recipients of the 2025 AT Scholar program. 

What is the AT Scholar Program?

The AT Scholar program is a scholarship fund  established by Martin Littler, one of the co-founders of Inclusive Technology. The fund covers the cost of attending the annual Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATiA) conference and includes the conference fee, travel and accommodation. 

The scholarship is now administered by the ACE Centre alongside partnerships with the British Assistive Technology Association, Communication Matters, CENMAC, Inclusive Technology and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology. 

There are four spaces available; two places to attend the conference virtually, and two to attend in person.

What is ATiA?

ATiA is the largest Assistive Technology conference in the world, bringing together educators, parents, people with disabilities, SLTs, OTs and more. It offers an incredible opportunity for Professional Learning with a vast program of seminars and workshops as well as an exhibition hall filled with AT/AAC suppliers and an array of poster presentations from practitioners. 

My ATiA Experience.

The scale of everything was larger - from the size of the conference venue to the number or seminars to choose from in each time slot. Before I left Scotland I created a colour coded table to help me make decisions about which sessions to attend. There was always a very long shortlist of at least five or six sessions that I wanted to attend, which speaks to the quality of what was on offer.

The workshops offered an opportunity to hear directly from people in the AT field whose work I’d been following for years; Caroline Zangari, Caroline Musselwhite, Linda Burkhart and many more. 

There were also lots of opportunities for conversations, networking and idea sharing with people from all over the world, not least the UK based AT community. 

On the final morning of the conference I also attended a ‘Makers Day’ event involving people bringing examples of low cost/no cost AT tools which they had created as well as things for us attendees to create as we moved round the tables. There were lots of examples of initiative 3D printing, as well as repurposing election sign poster boards!

My ATiA Reflections and Next Steps

AT Scholar offered an incredible opportunity and I was determined to make the most of all that it offered. 
I knew that it would be invaluable in terms of building and expanding knowledge, which in turn would directly impact the delivery of Professional Learning as part of my role here at CALL Scotland.  But what else?

Innovation

When I speak to school staff working in specialist provisions here in Scotland I’m often struck by their incredible creativity in  making the curriculum accessible and meaningful for their learners and this was also the case at AtIA, on a massive scale. Walking around the display tables during the Maker Day and talking to the High School students, University staff, Occupational Therapists, Educators and AT professionals who’d brought their projects along to share was brilliant. It was a fantastic mix of creativity meets practical solutions. And it absolutely encouraged  me to move forward with my own tentative forays into the world of 3D printing. 

Inspiration for Change

Some of the most impactful sessions for me were from practitioners who were involved with developing educational programs in their school districts (i.e. the Scottish equivalent being Local Authority Level) We know that one teacher can make a big difference, but if we really want a meaningful shift, whether it’s in attitudes or practice, there needs to be buy-in from everyone, classroom staff and school leadership alike,  which in-turn is supported at a wider level from within the local authority. That’s how we make change happen. 

Community

The conference was an excellent reminder and example of the community of practitioners that exists, and it was so valuable to have the time and space to talk to people. Sharing ideas, hearing different perspectives; there’s real power in shared learning and collaboration. It’s important to have opportunities to be in the same physical space as other people, and I (and the whole CALL Scotland team) are really looking forward to an opportunity to come together in-person at our annual ASL & Technology conference on June 11th. ATiA has highlighted the importance of these opportunities. 

It’s also fantastic to now be part of the ‘AT Scholar’ community, a growing, enthusiastic bunch of UK based people! It was great to see two of them at the Communication Works (North) conference a couple of weeks ago.  And in fact, one of my fellow 2025 AT (virtual) Scholars is now part of the 3D symbols mini-project. I’m excited to see what’s ahead! 

Inspired by the AT Maker Day we are planning to hold a Maker Day here at the University of Edinburgh, in collaboration with the fantastic folk at the uCreate MakerSpace. If you’ve ever wondered about the world of 3D printing, and you want to have a go at making a 3D-printed switch, keep an eye out for details coming soon.  

Do you want to be one of the 2026 AT Scholars?

Applications for the 2026 AT Scholar program are now open. It is available to anyone in the UK who is working in the field of AT or AAC. The 2025 cohort of scholars included Clare Thorn, a teacher working with PMLD learners in a school in Essex, Deborah Little, a Speech and Language Therapist working in the NHS in Dumfries and Galloway and Fil McIntyre, the manager at TechAbility. As you can see, we come from a variety of backgrounds, so please do consider putting in an application. It would be great to have more Scotland-based AT Scholars joining our community!