Earlier this year, the Karten Network took part in an ATech Policy Lab summit in the Midlands, looking at how free assistive technology could be built into supported employment programmes. The discussion brought together representatives from BASE, TechAbility, and both the East and West Midlands Combined Authorities, and returned again and again to a single point: the barrier is rarely the technology itself. Most of the tools already exist, built into the phones and computers people use every day. The barrier is that too few people know they are there.
Building on that discussion, Policy Connect has been developing a regional pilot exploring how free assistive technology could be embedded into supported employment support in the Midlands, from the earliest stages of vocational profiling through to job coaching. The Karten Network is a funded partner in the project, alongside TechAbility and BASE, and will be supporting the delivery of training. Plans are still taking shape, and funding is being finalised, but the intention is to begin practical work later this year.
There will be more to share on this as things develop.
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