Neil and Fil have been speaking at various events including the Bett show in March. Neil was speaking at a Global Equality Collective session on how assistive technology supports equality and inclusion. While Fil’s talk was at a session about the future of assistive technology, he focused on the fact that some of that future is here already. The Built-in access people have already in their devices shows that assistive technology is now part of our everyday lives. These technologies, whilst not appropriate for all, are a part of the big picture of assistive technology and do much to break down barriers by showing that adapting your technology should not be an unusual occurrence.
Some of the technologies on show at Bett were really exciting, but both Neil and Fil were wowed by the OrCam Learn. This is a reading pen which scans text by being pointed at the page. This is such a new product that we can’t provide a direct link yet, but to get an idea of the capabilities see the OrCam Read. We have been reassured that the new OrCam Learn will be cheaper though. We are trying to get our hands on a loan version and plan to feature it in a TechAbility webinar very soon.
We are really keen to hear from Karten members at the TechAbility conference in November about what technology is achieving for them. If you have an idea for a presentation which shows how technology is transforming the lives of the people you support, please get in touch. Presentations featuring views and experiences of AT users were highly regarded by delegates in 2021 and this is something we are also seeking to promote in 2022.
TechAbility has a really exciting set of free webinars to attend between now and the summer including: Envision: Speaking out the visual world , 3D Printing and Accessible Gaming. As ever, you will get the most value from these webinars by attending live as you get to ask questions of the presenters and benefit from other peoples’ experience too.
The wide range of training courses from TechAbility are available on regular dates. We’ve recently changed the Built-in access course so that you can access this on a drop in basis, rather than booking for your organisation. Ideally, we think everybody who supports people with technology should undertake this course so they are aware of the potential of devices. However, you might want to use this as an opportunity to try out the course before deciding it needs to be delivered to other members of staff.
All of the TechAbility online courses are half price to Karten members. The calendar of events shows dates for all the courses and webinars in the next few months.
Finally, please remember TechAbility staff are part of the service to Karten members – we can answer questions and queries about assistive technology at any time. We can also provide your organisation with a free consultation which will look at how assistive technologies can be utilised more effectively in your service. The best way to get in touch is to email techability@natspec.org.uk and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
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- Featured in the Karten Spring 2022 Newsletter
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