FitzRoy’s first Assistive Technology Week went off with a bang! FitzRoy’s Assistive Technologist Carrie Sant organised three TechForGood roadshows for FitzRoy staff in Norfolk, Hampshire and Birmingham, which really brought assistive technology (AT) alive, with the opportunity to hear from AT suppliers and view their products. Feedback from staff was really positive, including: “It’s amazing how much AT there is for everyday needs” and “mind opener, something for everyone”.
Carrie said: “It’s been really fantastic, everyone has been really engaged, had lots of questions and lots of ideas of how they can use the AT they’ve seen today back at their service. I hope they all go back to their service and talk to their colleagues and the people we support about AT and all the different ways it can help.”
Carrie’s role is to work with FitzRoy services to identify AT solutions for the people we support. Carrie said: “AT is anything that helps people live more independently, more safely or achieve their goals – anything from a smartphone or a tablet to a pendant alarm.”
One of the issues raised at the roadshows was cost. Some AT products are expensive, but Carrie can help services access the various grants available. She is also building up a library of AT items so services can check out products before committing to buying them.
86 FitzRoy staff attended the roadshows, and all were grateful to the tech companies who attended: Inclusive Tech, Possum, MedPage, Amazon Echo, DH2, Abilia and Smartbox. Being able to discuss and handle the products and get advice from the suppliers was invaluable . Carrie said: “A huge thank you to all the suppliers who took the time to come along to our roadshows, we couldn’t have done it without them.” She is already plotting for FitzRoy’s AT week in 2020 – with more suppliers, more people and more tech
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- This article was written by the Fitzroy Petersfield Karten Centre
- Featured in the Karten Summer 2019 Newsletter
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