Hello and welcome to our Winter Newsletter which I hope will be of interest to you. We have lots to celebrate across the Network and I hope some of the fabulous articles from our Centres will give you a flavour of some of the work going on.
Natspec’s TechAbility Service has been supported for a further 12 months by the Ian Karten Charitable Trust, the service continues to be the go-to-place for high quality advice, guidance, CPD and consultancy in the field of Assistive Technology. A reminder that most services are free for Karten Centres and Natspec colleges. TechAbility now has 22 champions signed up to the exciting Champions Programme, this is aimed at increasing capacity for assistive technology within organisations and providing nominated champions with invaluable support. If you would like to get involved let us know.
I was honoured to be nominated for a Jisc Community Champion Award and am delighted that I will be going to Digifest 2022 in early March to accept the award and to network with other Community Champions. Champions are selected as “these extraordinary people go above and beyond to support colleagues across the sector by facilitating communities, sharing learning and being advocates for good practice”. This was made possible by the incredible people I engage with on a daily basis as I go about my work, so thanks to you all! Digifest 2022 offers a fabulous programme structured around 3 themes: Changing for Good; Working Together; Shaping a Sustainable Future. Event registration is still open.
We are now learning to live with the pandemic and for many that means that business is returning to something closer to normal! We feel this is a good time to promote collaborative opportunities across the network, to encourage peer support and the sharing of best practice. We already have a Special Interest Group (SIG) for Smart Home Technologies and would be interested to know if there are other themes that you would be interested in developing SIGs for. Please email dawn@karten-network.org.uk with suggestions and ideas for any other ways that we can provide support to Centres.
Today in the UK, six people will hear the devastating news that they have motor neurone disease (MND). MND attacks the nerves, leaving people locked in a failing body, unable to move, talk and eventually breathe. Tragically 30% of people with MND will die within 12 months of diagnosis and over 50% within 2 years. There is no cure.
About nine in ten people with MND will be affected by weakness of the muscles involved in speaking. Gestures and facial expressions can also be affected, which means communication can become very difficult.
Rhian King is a speech therapist, her client who was diagnosed with MND in 2019 had significant difficulties communicating by only using occasional single words. Rhian arranged for her to receive an iPad with predictable app from the Karten Hub this year.
Her daughter lives abroad, she has not been able to visit since the start of the pandemic. Over this time her verbal communication skills have significantly deteriorated. She was able to visit her mum in September 2021 for the first time in 2 years. The iPad allowed them to spend time together and have a conversation which has been very challenging over recent months. It gave her a voice and a chance to connect with her daughter for the first time in a long time.
The iPad is the only way she can communicate effectively. The iPad gives her a voice with her family and close friends, without it, she would be completely isolated.
Giving someone a voice is one of the most important aspects of my job. Being able to communicate your wishes or just join in every day conversations can be key to a person’s wellbeing and being able to provide a tool to assist with this is so important. – Rhian King, Speech Therapist
Communication aids bring a lifeline to people living with MND, their families and carers. We have previously found that the NHS funds communication aids for fewer than half the people with MND who need them and 39% of those who do receive equipment wait for more than six weeks for the equipment they need.
When people receive a communication aid they are delighted, as they have sometimes struggled to convey basic messages for some time or have significant concerns about their speech deteriorating and being left without a voice. – Rhian King
To ensure people are able to communicate with those around them, the MND Association provides a wide range of communication aids to people with MND, either through an item of loaned equipment or through purchase of equipment to meet individual need. These include items such as the iPad and text to speech app described above, Lightwriters, Alloras, iPads and boogie boards.
The most recent funding provided by the Ian Karten Charitable Trust has allowed us to further expand the number of loan items we hold, and in total now consists of:
11 Lightwriters (including 7 new SL50 Lightwriters)
3 Alloras
16 Voice amplifiers
34 iPads with cases
1 Android tablet
5 Laptops
6 Headset microphones
4 Boogie Boards (LCD writing tablets)
20 Predictable text to speech app licenses
Having access to communication aids is invaluable. Often as therapists we know what tools and devices will be of benefit for our patients, but we do not have access to the funding to purchase & loan then the device they need. Speech Therapist
Over 160 people with MND have so far benefited from the use of the Karten Hub equipment provided to the MND Association, with many more to benefit in the future, helping us bring a bit of light in what can be very dark times.
When people are provided with a communications aid from MNDA they are amazed at how fast the service from referral to equipment loan is and both patients and family are grateful and thankful. – Speech Therapist
Treloar Enterprise Printing Solutions (TEPS), a Karten Centre at Treloar College provides high quality printing solutions, to business and the local community, on mediums such as china, textiles and paper. The TEPS Karten Centre helps the students to better understand the world of work whilst engaging in entrepreneurial activities.
Treloar’s were delighted to be awarded funding from The Ian Karten Charitable Trust in 2020 to purchase a new direct to garment and wide format printer and a replacement sublimation printer. This new equipment is much more accessible to suit the complex physical disabilities of the students at Treloar College, meaning they can get more involved in the printing process whilst learning a wide range of skills. Here is how Amos was able to use the equipment in the Autumn term to create some fantastic products for sale at Christmas Fairs.
Amos created some cat and dog treat bags which proved to be hugely popular with customers. By using the new equipment, generously funded by The Ian Karten Charitable Trust, he was able to do the heat pressing himself which was a great boost to his independence. As part of this work he undertook a survey to decide on what to make in the first place, he created a business plan, shopping list and budget for the contents, took orders, resized the design and printed directly on to the bags themselves. All of these activities are being used as part of his coursework and he has been learning skills like:
Choice and control;
Self-confidence in communication;
Problem solving and personal/social skills;
Team working;
Numeracy and literacy including budgeting, purchasing and sales.
Here are Amos’s thoughts “I love using the heat press. I learnt how to put the design on my product and we have sold out two times.”
Treloar’s students are incredibly proud of all the products they are able to create using the new equipment. The support from The Ian Karten Charitable Trust enables the students to gain transferable skills and knowledge that will allow them to make an easier transition into the world of work in their life beyond Treloar’s. Thank you from everyone at Treloar’s!
Each year, Homefield College run an inclusive skills competition for their students to design the corporate Christmas card for that year. The standard of entries is always very high, but for 2021 the standard was particularly impressive.
Students across all learning pathways take part, whether that’s part of their creative sessions or in their spare time for fun. Staff encourage students to be creative and experiment with different techniques and media. Thanks to equipment provided by the Ian Karten Charitable Trust, which is now held in the Vocational Centre after the closure of enterprise Sip & Surf in 2020, students access a wide range of art, design, craft and digital media techniques. Most recently, students have been learning about graphic design and becoming familiar with the software Adobe Photoshop.
The Senior Management Team were really impressed with all the artwork submitted, but one, in particular, stood out. The winning card, designed by first-year student Jamie B, showed an excellent grasp of graphic design, photo manipulation and digital composition. He used the techniques learnt in his Digital Media sessions to independently construct a beautiful design.
Congratulations go to Jamie for applying his learnt knowledge so well for the competition, to create such an original design that blew the SMT away. Well done to all who entered, and we look forward to seeing the fantastic range of work produced for Christmas 2022.
Orchardville Works participants and staff are glad to be back at work and have been working hard as always, even under strict covid restrictions. We have sourced and branded our own sanitiser packs that provide activity for our participants as well as ‘on the go’ covid protection for the recipient. The branding on these bags (whether heat pressing or embroidery) was made possible by the generous donations from The Karten Network and equipment purchased from these funds. These corporate packs have proven popular with various Northern Ireland companies as we have the ability to include their corporate brand.
We have expanded our product range and introduced an online selling option at www.orchardvilleworks.com providing seasonal personalised gifts and treats alongside our Worthy range.
As part of the development of our TV station we were delighted that Sir Lindsay Hoyle Speaker of the House of commons agreed to be interviewed. The interview took place in November and our members thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Now in 2022 we are involved in The St Helens Oral History project. Our media team over the next twelve months will be filming / Interviewing and recording individuals life storys and memories. We have looked to develop members skills and confidence with a range of different people to interview from all walks of life. Our work will be held within the local archive at the end of 2022.
Liverpool City Region Culture and Creativity Awards 2021
In January we were informed that we had been selected as finalists for the Liverpool City Region Culture and Creativity Awards 2021. The category being “The impact Award – Covid 19 Creative response ( Organisation)”.
We recieved the nomination for how we as an organisation we reacted to the lockdowns. Sustaining the service and keeping everyone connected. We moved our service online and we were able to distribute devices to every member who wished to be involved. We distributed around 80 devices and facilitated over 160 session over a calendar month. Read more about this in the “Good news story” article featured in the Spring 2021 newsletter.
The Awards ceremony will be held on the 2nd March 2022.
Buzz Hub Portal
In this video people share there experience using the Buzz Hub Portal during lockdown.
The New Year brings some exciting progress as we move into the second half of the Nuvoic Project! As well as participants’ ongoing work to test and give feedback on the Voiceitt speech recognition app, designed to support communication and Smart Home control for people who have atypical speech, we’re now moving into a new phase: voice sampling through Voiceitt Ensemble.
Ensemble
Voiceitt aim to improve the way their app works by collecting more speech samples from people with atypical speech. Currently, users have to teach the app to recognise each phrase or Smart Home command they want to use. In the future, Voiceitt want to offer ‘continuous recognition’, where the app would be able to recognise users’ speech without having to train every phrase in advance. To do this, they need lots more examples of non-standard speech and so we’re looking for volunteers to donate voice samples.
Participants would use Voiceitt’s Ensemble website to work through packs of phrases, making a recording for each one. The project team will support participants to register and work through their first recording session. After that they can carry on independently or with support from the project team or local teams as needed.
We’re offering gift cards of up to £100 to thank participants for their contribution, and we can also offer equipment or reimbursement of staff time to organisations supporting someone to take part. We already have our first few participants enrolled! If you or your organisation would like to be involved in this exciting development work, please contact our project co-ordinator: liz@karten-network.org.uk for more information.
Other Updates
Since our last update we’ve published our fantastic new project video, featuring participants from Enable Ireland, The Grange, Linkage College, Leonard Cheshire and Portland College demonstrating the different ways they’ve chosen to use the Voiceitt app. Thanks so much to everyone who contributed – it gives a great flavour of the project and we hope you’ll like it as much as we do!
Work on testing and feedback continues. We’ve recently welcomed new participants from Leonard Cheshire, New Bridge and St Joseph’s, while others have now come to the end of their testing and contributed valuable feedback to the development team. Huge thanks go to Beaumont College, Cedar Foundation, Enable Ireland, The Grange, Homefield College, National Star and SeeAbility who have all supported participants to complete their testing. We hope to continue working with you on Ensemble!
The Maples bungalow had always been a place for learners to develop their independence skills, although over time has become worn and outdated.
Our Karten trust funding to revamp and repurpose the Maples into a Smart Home provision helped us to modernise and consider purposeful, meaningful opportunities using a range of assistive equipment.
Once our bid was approved by the Karten trust board we furnished the Maples Bungalow with equipment that would give learners the opportunity to meet their outcomes.
Maples office
To enable learners to develop their independence; the use of voice technology was the main purpose of the development.
The Smart Home was zoned into 5 spaces: kitchen, lounge, chill-out room, bedroom and office.
Each room offering a different experience.
Maples chill-out room
Using the Alexa Dot, Alexa show and Samsung SmartThings apps with equipment such as: robotic vacuum, televisions, heating, blinds, lights and lamps, bubble tube, washing machines, fridge and door cameras; learners have been able to control the environment, develop communication skills, problem solve, follow instructions and develop their independence skills in a functional home setting.
Currently 40 learners over 5 days have access to the Smart Home.
Some sessions are led by the Speech and Language Therapy Team. This statement has been provided by the Speech and Language Therapy Team:
“The speech and language therapy team have been running sessions with groups of learners in the Maples Bungalow each week.
These sessions have been focusing on functional communication skills to support real-life activities e.g. making a drink, cleaning the kitchen.
The bungalow provides creative and unique opportunities to support learners with different needs. For learners with physical/access needs who cannot complete household tasks independently, sessions have focused on using language to instruct Alexa or another person to do a task e.g. instructing Alexa to turn the kettle on or instructing another person to get a mug from the cupboard. This allows these learners to be active participants in their household activities.“
For those who communicate using AAC devices, learners were taught to use their device to speak to and control Alexa. A range of commands were taught, including changing the lights, turning on/off the vacuum cleaner and turning on the kettle. This was often incredibly motivating for learners, who quickly learnt that their AAC ‘voice’ has the power to change and manipulate the environment.
Speech and language therapists often face challenges concerning the retention and generalisation of skills which are taught within therapy sessions. The Maples Bungalow provides the opportunity for taught skills to be practiced in a home setting, allowing for generalisation practice to occur on campus. To support carryover of skills further, resources and strategies which were learnt in the bungalow are sent home for further practice and application.” – Speech and Language Therapy Team Portland College
Case Study – AAC Tutor
George came to college last year with an eye gaze communication device and Grid 3 software. He has since undertaken a weekly AAC/SLT session and is making progress.
George has had varying topics programmed to his device to encourage his communication. Topic that have been added relate to his interests of football, music, and cause and effect.
At the start of this process George was reluctant to use the device. Over time he has become more engaged, and willing to work with the equipment, choosing from either direct access, eye gaze or modelling from staff.
More recently George has accessed the Maples Bungalow to use the Alexa to control his environment. He enjoys choosing instructions on his device, so that he can control the environment by changing the colour of the lights and opening the blinds.
He particularly enjoys this session, often loudly vocalising when he enters the bungalow. He will direct staff to where he wants to be positioned in the room to ensure he gets the best view of the environmental changes.
With the continued use of the Maples Bungalow it is hoped that Georges motivation to control is environmental will increase and this will lead to developing his communication skills.
Rob changing the lightsOliver checking ingredientsMolly washing the tea towels
With 2022 well on its way we look forward to discovering the new mobile devices, smart home technologies, and even in the not too distant future Amazon’s household robot Asto. To get a glimpse of Asto, have look at Amazon’s introductory video:
If you like your mobile device, I always recommend putting a case on it. Mobile devices manufacturers have gone to great lengths to improve the robustness of their devices. With most mobile devices incorporating either Gorilla Glass, Ceramic Shield or a hybrid of the two. However, accidents happen, mobile devices get dropped, knocked off tables, or end up being at the wrong end of an outburst of emotion.
Screen protector
I personally also like adding a screen protector to a mobile device too. There are typically four types of screen protectors available – Nano Liquid; Thermoplastic Polyreuthane (TPU); Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET); and Tempered Glass.
Nano Liquid
Nano liquid or liquid screen protectors as the name implies is a protective liquid that gets applied to the screen. I suggest avoiding these as it is difficult to determine the level of protection, it tends to wear off over time and can’t be replaced, as with a physical screen protector.
Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
Are made from a plastic often found in food containers and plastic bottles. They are cheap, thin making them less noticeable. However, they do not offer the same degree of scratch and impact protection as TPU and Tempered glass.
Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU)
TPU is a flexible plastic that offers a greater degree of scratch and impact protection, and limited “self-healing” properties. TPU is applied to the device using a spray solution – this can make the screen protector tricky to install. Once attached to the device, they do have a slight “orange peel” feel to them.
Tempered Glass
Tempered glass is generally considered the best type of screen protector. While tempered glass doesn’t have the self-healing properties of TPU, it offers the maximum scratch and impact protection. Tempered glass protectors are often advertised with an H rating, usually H9. This is derived from the ASTM hardness scale. The Mohs scale is considered a better indication of the hardness of the tempered glass. It can sometimes be useful to do an online search for the product that you are intrested in to see if someone has tested it with a Mohs kit.
Whichever type of screen protection you opt for, I would recommend reading the reviews first. Often some of the more reputable (and expensive) ones do not work as well as the cheaper lesser-known brands.
If you like it, put a case on it!
For best protection of your device, you need a case. There are two general category of case, those that simply offer a degree of protection, and those that incorporate other technology e.g., a speaker, keyboard or extra battery.
When considering a case, it is important to take the needs of the person using the device. cases can add bulk and weight to the device. Some have a handle and/or a carry strap – and while protection outweighs aesthetics, the case may be available in a colour the person likes.
It is also worth considering practical aspects of the case. The added thickness the case adds may mean the devices don’t fit in the charging trolly, or people may struggle to remove a protective flap to plug a cable into the device.
Generally, you get what you pay for when it comes to cases. Unlike screen protectors you are better off choosing a case from the more reputable manufacturers e.g. OtterBox, Griffin, Spigen, Targus, Mous, Big Grips etc.
While this may seem obvious, it is important to check that any case you are considering is compatible with your device for example there is a 7.8mm difference in size between the iPad mini 5 and iPad mini 6.
Big Grips make colourful, fun, light weight, and functional cases. They provide decent impact resistance and come in four variants: a simple case (Big Grips Frame), one with handles (Big Grips Lift), a slim case (Big Grips Slim), and one with a carry case (Big Grips Hipster).
OtterBox produce cases for both mobile phones and iPads. The OtterBox Defender series of cases for iPad is one of the best tough cases. Their Kids Antimicrobial EasyGrab Tablet Case also offers a nice option.
Griffin, like OtterBox produce cases for both mobile phones and iPads. Similarly, the Griffin Survivor cases is one of the best tough cases on the market. Griffin also have other cases that may not provide as much protection but have other features such as an easy grip hand strap.
Probably known more for their mobile phone cases also offer as range of tough cases for iPad. While the Spigen tough cases may not look as military grade tough as the Griffin Survivor and OtterBox Defender they offer a high level of impact protection.
Mous, pronounced mouse offer a selection of cases. Similar to Spigen, are probably more known for their mobile phone cases, but also offer a number of iPad cases. Mous tend to look good, and less like your typical tough case. However, despite the looks, their cases provide a decent level of impact protection.
Mophie, one of Zagg’s product ranges offer cases that incorporate a battery pack to extend the use of your device, while also offering a degree of protection. Mophie also produce a space-pack case which includes 32GB of external storage, and a battery pack for iPad.
iAdapter™ by AMDI is a specialist case that not only offers protection, but is designed to convert an iPad into a more traditional augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device. The case incorporates front and rear facing speakers and a battery pack.
Many more
These are just a handful of cases currently on the market. As technology progresses, more and new cases become available. I would be interested to know what your experiences with cases are.
I am keen to hear about how you are using mobile and other smart technology too. If you would like to have a particular topic covered in the next newsletter, please let me know. I am also available at any time to support and help where I can.
“I love using the iPad. I can take photos now myself and look for things on the internet that can help me learn”. – Student
Background
As a result of funding from the Ian Karten Charitable Trust, in March 2021, we purchased 16 iPads and Mac Covers.
The iPads, are based at Kisharon Childs Hill Library in Barnet. The project was initially delayed due to the impact of Covid and the further lockdown in December 2020.
Why were iPads Needed
The iPads were purchased to support the people we support whose day-to-day activities were dramatically affected by Covid.
As much of the world moved on-line it was vital that all the people we support could access work and information.
This proved a challenge for those who are digitally excluded due to their economic circumstances with no access to a computer at home.
The iPads
“With the era of zoom sessions, it has been another way for students to use technology to become independent and reconnect with others. We have seen students learn how to log onto zoom with a meeting ID and passcode, set up a meeting and heard that this skill has been used at home too by students in order to attend social events in the evenings during the height of the pandemic”.– Aviva Braunold , Project Manager
iPads have been purchased from our preferred supplier Marsworth Computer Network Support Specialists.
The iPads include easy-read programmes which are simple to operate, and helped assist the people we support in accessing information independently.
Many of our young adults have required the iPads to be pre-loaded with religious restrictions on internet usage and with activities and college work.
How the iPads have helped the people we support
Since purchasing the iPads our young people have developed a range of skills that has enhanced their independence and prepared them for future employment opportunities.
We have supported them to plan and take control of their day by creating personal plans which includes reminders of when to do particular activities.
One particular area, where young people have benefitted which was unanticipated at the time of the application was using the iPads for recording and registering Lateral Flow tests.
“Now I know how to look up recipes on the iPad I can do it on my phone at home. I will make this (pizza) for my family. It’s so good!”– Service user
One service user wanted their friend to come and have a tour of the college but as it was during lockdown, visitors were not able to come into the setting. Instead, he learnt how to set up a meeting, send an email with an invitation on and invites his friend to a virtual tour of the college.
The tour allowed him to take ownership of the activity as he was holding the iPad and showing his friend around the college whilst explaining what each room was used for.
This was a great example of using technology to enable him to communicate with others whilst learning new IT skills which he could later use in other parts of his life.
We also had a baking session for all people we support across different parts of the service which had to be moved to zoom due to the pandemic.
One of the young people led this session by logging onto the zoom account, muting and unmuting people and using his iPad to host the session and show others how to bake a cake. The other people we support followed his instructions and made the cake with him in their own homes at the same time.
How the iPads have helped the people we support
We have observed the following increases in outcomes for the people we support from some of the activities listed below:
Online shopping → Enhanced numeracy skills
Looking up and learning travel routes to get around and making social plans like meeting up with friends Increased independence → Increased independence
Reminders of when to take medication → Increased independence
Browsing the internet and using apps → Increased literacy
Keep a photographic journal of their week and share this via a secure network with family, peers and support workers → Enhanced communication
Watching music videos → Increased social skills
Thank you very much once again for your support, we hope you have enjoyed reading about our work
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