Leannda is on her way with (DJ) mix of tech support
Submitted by Saba Salman on Tue, 22/06/2021 - 16:56
Leannda Ward is pretty tech-savvy. The 30-year-old, who was born blind, has used digital devices since she was a child. During the lockdown, she even got herself some DJ CD decks and started mixing music at home in North East Lincolnshire.
Although Leannda was comfortable using her new tablet, she says AbilityNet’s assessment and follow-up calls enabled her to customise the kit for her needs.
Leannda received her device thanks to Digital Lifeline, a government scheme providing learning disabled people access to tablets. She got the tech through Foresight North East Lincolnshire, a charity that supports disabled people and where Leannda does regular arts and crafts sessions.
Leannda says: “I wasn’t nervous about getting the tablet, but it was still useful being trained to use it.”
For support adapting technology call our helpline 0300 180 0028
Please note: calls to our helpline number cost no more than a national rate call to an 01 or 02 number and count towards any inclusive minutes in the same way as 01 and 02 calls, and AbilityNet does not receive any money from these calls
Braille support for an Android device
Having previously used Apple devices, Leannda says it was helpful to have advice on the Android operating system: “The barrier was going to Android from an Apple device, but once you get used to it, it’s fine.” Typing in Braille, she adds, is far better on an Android tablet.
She also valued AbilityNet’s help in connecting her existing Bluetooth Braille keyboard to the tablet. She was pleased the tablet was pre-loaded with apps: “The email one was really useful to start using straight away.”
During our initial assessment, Leannda also said she wanted to use the tablet to play games for the blind and join in online forums.
Our volunteers recommended the installation of BrailleBack, an accessibility app that enables Leannda to connect a refreshable Braille display to her Android device via Bluetooth. With BrailleBack, screen content appears on Leannda’s Braille display, and she navigates the tablet using the keys on the display.
We also advised using settings like text-to-speech (if Leannda touches text on the screen, the tablet reads it out) and speech-to-text (when Leannda talks to the tablet, it writes her words). Other recommended settings enable Leannda to speak or type, and the tablet will do or find out what she asks (like sending messages or checking the weather).
As for playing games, Leannda is currently enjoying Dice World, an accessible game for people with visual impairments.
The new tablet will also make it easier for Leannda to keep up with her voluntary role co-chairing and promoting a local group for the blind: “We organise social activities once a week…what I like about chairing the group is being able to get things organised.”
The tablet’s biggest benefit, she says, is the access to her online activities in one place: “Facebook is easier to use on the tablet than on my phone. Before, I might use it on my phone and use email on a computer, but now I have it all in one place.”
Tablet gifts a birthday surprise: Digital Lifeline Fund
Submitted by Saba Salman on Tue, 22/06/2021 - 15:56
The first thing Stacey Webb did with the new tablet she got through the government’s Digital Lifeline Fund was a web search for her sister’s birthday gift.
AbilityNet is helping support people with learning disabilities to make the most of the devices they receive through the national scheme.
During our assessment of Stacey’s digital needs, the 32-year-old from Newcastle said she was keen to use the new bit of kit to search for information.
She received her tablet through Stoke-On-Trent City Council’s adult social care, health integration and wellbeing department (with the Digital Lifeline scheme, organisations apply for devices on behalf of individuals).
“I’ve had the screen made bigger, so it’s easier to read.” Stacey, 32, received a tablet through the Digital Lifeline Fund
Tablet is a part of daily life
Stacey says: “First of all I looked up a present for my sister when it was her birthday. I was just looking for ideas - she likes perfume and rosé wine…Using it to get information has been the main thing for me.”
Although Stacey was familiar with using her mother’s tablet, she worried she might make a mistake. “I’d never had my own tablet. I was nervous because you don’t know what you should press and what if it goes wrong?”
One adaptation that helped, says Stacey, was screen magnification: “I’ve had the screen made bigger, so it’s easier to read.”
Now Stacey is now so familiar with the tablet that it “feels part of daily life.”
She is currently building up to contacting friends through messaging and video calling apps: “I like texting my friends and asking how they are…I’m going to start using Facebook messenger on the tablet - I’m still learning! I’m going to try and use it for video calls. I use it mostly for looking things up, but I’m going to try and start using it more to message people.”
Alongside the practical benefit of information-gathering, Stacey says the tablet is a confidence booster. “It’s made me feel more confident…because I got a new bit of tech which I’ve learned to use, and I’ve been able to find things out.”
The tablet, says Stacey, has made a “really good difference” during Covid: “It’s made me feel more confident and positive through Covid.”
Stacey is clearly aware of the tablet’s potential to support her interests. The keen singer and dancer joins a local performing arts group at her community centre twice a week and is looking forward to being in the panto Mother Goose in November.
She says: “We can’t sing, and we can’t have too many people because of Covid rules, but we do try and dance. We try and read through the lines. I like to learn lines and then dance it through”. Stacey says she loves dancing to songs by Justin Timberlake, Cheryl Cole and Katy Perry.
Ask Stacey for her verdict on the tablet so far, and she does not miss a beat: “It’s built my confidence - it will help everyone who’s got one.”
Digital Lifeline is an emergency response project delivering devices, data, and digital skills support to digitally excluded people with learning disabilities. It’s funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and delivered by Good Things Foundation in partnership with AbilityNet and Digital Unite. The project is also supported by Learning Disability England, the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group, self-advocates and other disability and digital inclusion organisations.
How AbilityNet can help
For support with devices, call our FREE Helpline on 0800 048 7642
Tablet success is music to our ears: Digital Lifeline Fund
Submitted by Saba Salman on Tue, 22/06/2021 - 13:57
Access to a tablet is bringing the pick of the pops to Susan Russell, 50, from Bromsgrove, who received a device through the UK government's Digital Lifeline scheme.
AbilityNet is helping to support people like Susan, who has a learning disability.
Susan had used a tablet before she got the new device through the Digital Lifeline Fund, so she was familiar with how apps might work. “I had one before, so it wasn’t so new for me. I wasn’t so nervous about it. I found it quite easy to use."
“I like pop music. Listening to pop music is relaxing. I listen to music that’s in the charts.”
A keen music-lover, Susan’s next goal was to search for her favourite tunes on YouTube.
“I like pop music. Listening to pop music is relaxing. I listen to music that’s in the charts.”
One of Susan's favourite bands is the 1970s pop group Showaddywaddy, known for its 1950s and 1960s style songs.
Keeping connected during lockdown
Susan, who lives in supported living (a combination of housing and care) in Worcestershire, got a tablet through The Hive Library, run by Worcestershire County Council.
In an AbilityNet assessment, Susan told us it was important for her to keep in touch with friends and relatives. “It was difficult being on my own in lockdown,” she recalls, “I was seeing less people.”
Our volunteers recommended apps, including a messaging app and a contact list so Susan could see who calls or messages her and automatically save their numbers.
Game on: relaxing with a tablet
Susan was also keen to use the device to play games which she finds help her relax.
With advice from AbilityNet, support staff at the Bromsgrove Resource Centre, a day centre Susan visits three times a week, enabled her to download the apps she needed.
“I use it for games,” says Susan of her tablet, explaining that she is keen on a fishing game: “I find it relaxing!” She also uses a colouring app and particularly loves making cross stitch patterns on the tablet.
Even though Susan had used a tablet before, she says it is essential to “take your time” so new users are not overwhelmed by new technology.
As for her own tablet use, she says she is looking forward to maximising its potential: “I’m still finding out new things with it.”
Digital Lifeline is an emergency response project delivering devices, data and digital skills support to digitally excluded people with learning disabilities. It’s funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and delivered by Good Things Foundation in partnership with AbilityNet and Digital Unite. The project is also supported by Learning Disability England, the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group, self-advocates and other disability and digital inclusion organisations.
Submitted by Saba Salman on Tue, 22/06/2021 - 13:12
Janet Groves admits feeling nervous getting started with the tablet she received via the government’s Digital Lifeline Fund, set up to help people with learning disabilities.
“I knew nothing about them - I was nervous,” says the 58-year-old from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. “It felt strange,” she remembers.
Janet received her device through The Hive Library, run by Worcestershire County Council – only organisations can apply for tablets on behalf of individuals through the scheme.
AbilityNet is providing FREE support to recipients and assessed Janet’s needs. High on her list were wanting to play games and make video calls.
"I struggled at first, but I got used to it." Janet Groves, recipient of a tablet
Our volunteers supported her at Bromsgrove Resource Centre, which Janet attends three times per week to help build confidence. “I was taught how to use it. I’ve got a mobile phone, so I knew how to use FaceTime and Facebook a bit, but not on a tablet, she said.
“I struggled at first, but I got used to it,” Janet added.
At first, there were challenges, including working out how to switch the device on and off and generally “just learning how to use it,” said Janet. But, gradually, she became less hesitant: “I did feel myself becoming more confident…the more you use it, the easier it gets.”
The addition of shortcut buttons, as recommended by AbilityNet, was a big help. These were configured using Action Blocks for Android. The App enables you to configure tailored buttons for the home screen to automatically jump to a task.
For Janet, the shortcut helps her to access FaceTime. She says that FaceTime is better on a tablet than a mobile phone “because it’s a bigger screen.”
“It’s quite fiddly on the phone. I can call my friends. I can just press the shortcut,” she said.
Janet, who lives in Bromsgrove in supported living (a combination of housing and care), has a stylus for using with a colouring-by-numbers app and loves to play online quizzes.
“Coronation Street is my favourite quiz. I’m doing well with my score! I do colouring-by-numbers and have a special pen for the tablet.”
Her favourite activity is doing quizzes, although colouring is a close second because it is “relaxing and calming”.
Janet's "pretty busy diary" includes visits from her sister and aunt and knitting. She is currently making a scarf and enjoying “knit and natter” sessions at the day centre. Susan also goes for drinks at the pub with her boyfriend of two years, Paul (“usually a Coke or cappuccino.”).
Combined with lockdown restrictions easing, Janet says using the tablet has boosted her confidence:
“It's had a good impact. It’s given me more independence. It’s allowed me to keep my interests and access them in a different way. I’m able to do things I’m interested in when I want to do them.”
What's her advice for others who might feel wary about new tech?
“Don’t rush yourself and take it easy. It’s made me feel more confident using technology. I like it. I feel proud of myself.”
Digital Lifeline is an emergency response project delivering devices, data and digital skills support to digitally excluded people with learning disabilities. It’s funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and delivered by Good Things Foundation in partnership with AbilityNet and Digital Unite. The project is also supported by Learning Disability England, the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group, self-advocates and other disability and digital inclusion organisations.
How digital accessibility can drive diversity and inclusion
Submitted by Stuart Andrews on Mon, 14/06/2021 - 15:22
Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) have rapidly become a mainstream part of the business landscape and are increasingly seen as a business priority, with global indices tracking companies’ D&I performance and ranking them accordingly. Accessibility leaders may be familiar with the values that underpin diversity and inclusion, but what role can they play in delivering D&I goals?
Stuart Andrews is a freelance journalist, commissioned by AbilityNet.
He spoke to AbilityNet's Mairead Comerford, Google’s Chris Patnoe, The Valuable 500’s Caroline Casey, Diversity & Inclusion Exec Sheree Atcheson and Verizon’s Samantha Soloway. They explained how they’re driving a cultural change in their own organisations and the connection between D&I and their vision of a digital world that is accessible for all.
What is the difference between diversity and inclusion?
Often presented as a double-act, diversity and inclusion are critical parts of your company strategy - but they are not the same.
Diversity means recognising the diverse needs of individuals. For example, a wheelchair user is only disabled when entering a building if there is no ramp; an employee with a visual impairment can access documents, websites, and apps if they are attuned to work with assistive technologies (AT) such as a screen reader.
Inclusion focuses on ensuring that every employee and customer feel seen and valued. So, employees can work to their full potential, whatever their background or identity or whatever disabilities they have.
“An equitable employer respects the unique needs, perspectives and potentials of all team members.” Mairead Comerford, Head of HR for AbilityNet
As Mairead Comerford, Head of HR for AbilityNet (a Disability Confident Leader), says: “An equitable employer respects the unique needs, perspectives and potentials of all team members and creates deeper trust and commitment from employees. It outpaces competitors.”
Christopher Patnoe, Head of Accessibility Programs and Disability Inclusion at Google, agrees: “Some businesses forget that human beings are not cogs,” he said. “We all have the ability to bring something unique and powerful.”
Inclusion drives innovation, creates better workplaces and better products. Partly, this is because a diverse workforce pushes a business into thinking about issues it might otherwise find uncomfortable.
Doing so can generate ideas and uncover problems that a more homogenous team might never see.
“Teams of people create innovations' says Comerford. "So the more diverse teams are, along many dimensions, the more likely they are to draw inspiration from unrelated places.”
Patnoe agrees, “A more diverse workforce provides a more diverse set of answers and – more importantly – a more diverse set of questions."
Hear more from Google's Christopher Patnoe in our TechShare Procast series
How diversity and inclusion drive business value
Embracing different lived experiences is essential for growth.
Caroline Casey, Founder and Creator of The Valuable 500, says: “Business is about delivering to the bottom line; it is interested in growth; in innovation,” she said. “The only way we can get growth and innovation is to access different lived experiences around innovation, and that insight leads to innovation and, for growth, to access to more markets.”
Tech giants often at the forefront of innovating agree, and Google’s Patnoe agrees with this point: “Disability creates this need to solve problems; you have these passionate, technically expert people on the team, contributing in ways you hadn't expected.”
Hector Minto, Senior Technical Evangelist for Microsoft Europe, believes employees are the most powerful advocates for change: "Having employees with disabilities telling you the hard truths about your product drives more impact inside the business because it's not this other-ism," he said, speaking at Microsoft's Ability Summit 2021.
Listen to the AbilityNet Accessibility Insights Podcast for more from our conversations with the global accessibility community, and the accessibility leaders who are working to build a digital world accessible to all.
Why do diversity and inclusion programmes fail?
Too much focus on demographic data is one reason D&I initiatives fail, says Sheree Atcheson, author of Demanding More (Why Diversity and Inclusion Don't Happen and What you can do about it). “People assume when you talk about data in inclusion related work that we're talking about demographic data or representation as a singular marker of inclusion," she said. "That's one of the biggest pitfalls I've seen.”
The Valuable 500’s Caroline Casey agrees that diversity and inclusion must go beyond box-ticking.
“The biggest barrier pre-Covid was that businesses could say, 'this year we are focusing on gender, next year we're doing LBGQT, maybe we might do race'," she said. "That is not inclusion, and that is not diversity. It's a delusion. It is a hierarchy.”
Businesses “continue to create 'exclusionary inclusion', prioritising those they feel an affinity towards, and often pushing diversity of gender above other forms of diversity and inclusion,” said Atcheson.
“Disabled people are being left behind, people of colour are being left behind," she says, "and the intersections of those things goes across everything. It goes across neurodiversity, sexual orientation, caring responsibility, socioeconomic background and everything else.”
Technology’s role in driving diversity and inclusion
The sudden shift to remote working at home due to Covid-19 has amplified inclusion messages, and the role technology can play.
“Technology is critically important, especially when it comes to disability," said Patnoe referencing accessibility tools within online platforms, notably captions and audio descriptions.“It’s beneficial for someone who is deaf or hard of hearing. They get to follow the contributions very, very clearly because each person has an attribution, and every person has a caption.”
Tech giant Microsoft made a raft of announcements at Ability Summit 2021 as part of a five-year commitment to supporting people with disabilities.
For example, the company is switching on the accessibility checker within Microsoft Word by default. It hopes to make it as ubiquitous as the spellchecker so that documents created within organisations are accessible to everyone.
Notably, Microsoft saw a 30x increase in the use of Microsoft Teams’ captioning features between February and April 2020.
However, there’s more to be done. “The inclusion of people with disabilities is important,” said Samantha Soloway, Accessibility Lab Manager for Verizon Media. “But we still have a way to go in “making sure that technology serves everyone, including those with disabilities."
“We aim to have accessibility at the centre of everything we do. Our products are born accessible, and accessibility is part of everybody's job.”
“If you’re designing from the extreme need,” says Caroline Casey, “you're probably going to fulfil everybody's need. So I see the disability experience being the greatest insight to help companies achieve universal accessibility, which is not simply about the disability market but also about the ageing market.”
So, how can organisations drive their diversity and inclusion agenda?
To be successful, it needs to go beyond policy and permeate every area, activity and process, says AbilityNet’s Comerford. “I think sometimes companies think that, as long as you’ve got a policy, you’re driving D&I forward, but that’s not the case,”
With AbilityNet, D&I runs through the organisation, beginning with recruitment. “We’re always looking at recruitment and at how it can be more inclusive,” said Comerford. "We take feedback not only from the interviewers but also the interviewees – how it’s gone and any feedback.”
AbilityNet uses an award-winning app called ClearTalents during recruitment that enables candidates to state if they have specific needs or concerns about the process.
Candidates don't have to speak up about any disabilities. Still, they can request the option to prepare a video or see interview questions in advance as an alternative to a face-to-face presentation or a conventional interview.
“We don't need to know why they have requested it - and it doesn’t mean that they have an unfair advantage,” says Comerford. “It’s just that people have different ways of doing things, and I think we’re trying to embrace that. We’re not trying to catch people out at interview – we’re just trying to get the right person for the right job.”
Verizon's Samantha Soloway also believes in a holistic approach.
“We know how to make sure that people with disabilities feel included at the workplace, but more so, that our hiring processes are inclusive and that accessible. Once someone joins Verizon Media, we want to make sure they have a positive experience and stay.”
Get help with diversity and inclusion from AbilityNet's experts, including training on accessible HR, recruitment, onboarding and career development.
How do you build a culture of diversity and inclusion?
Every organisation working on diversity and inclusion faces challenges, and how to create cultural change is one of the hardest tasks.
“I think that company culture is the biggest challenge,” says Patnoe. “Small companies tend to have so many things that they need to do and, frankly, diversity and inclusion are often not at the top of the list.’
Patnoe understands that while it's easier to promote diversity and inclusion at Google because it has the scale to have a specialist team, smaller companies don't have the same resources. "Everybody has multiple hats that they have to wear," he explains, "and they think that they don't need to do it, but what they don't realise is that they're harming their staff."
Caroline Casey agrees that culture is a huge issue. "When we talk about culture, it's creating environments where we can be whole, and where individuals are truly allowed to turn up as the whole human being that they are."
Many leaders face an uphill struggle in how they develop inclusive work culture. "How do they come to the table when they've never done this before?'" said Casey. "How do they prepare for this? How do they put measurements in place?"
"Everything needs to incorporate accessibility from the start." Sam Soloway, Verizon Media
'I think companies might struggle with applying it to their entire ecosystem', says Verizon's Sam Soloway. "Making sure that we are the most meaningful and the most effective means applying knowledge of accessibility and disability and inclusion into our user-facing products."
It's also about ensuring that disability and inclusion run through the company's DNA including its business partners, procurement, marketing, internal and external communication, recruitment, hiring, and training. "Everything needs to incorporate accessibility from the start.”
Leadership in Diversity and Inclusion
Buy-in across an organisation is critical if cultural change is to succeed, and that demands strong leadership.
"We have been successful in Google in our work in terms of disability and inclusion because we've been able to convince our leadership that it matters," said Patnoe.“We've been able to convince the teams that it's important. And we've been able to make people uncomfortable, but not too uncomfortable. You have to push people.”
The Valuable 500 targeted the C-Suite, "because it's completely around them that we drive change," says Caroline Casey of the Valuable 500's highly successful two-and-a-half-year campaign.
''We built this community to break the CEO silence, the business silence, around disability and inclusion. So that we could drive real, true understanding of the value that people with disabilities and their families bring," she explained.
Comerford agrees: "You have to have leadership buy-in. It's not just a tick list from leadership – you have to have time allocated to D&I," she said. “Diversity and inclusion initiatives have got to align with your organisational goals and your company values or, they will be pushed to the back burner."
“And leadership need to lead by example, by integrating D&I into their hiring interview process and how they treat fellow employees."
The role of training within Diversity and Inclusion
A coherent training programme has a vital role to play, says Soloway.
"Training plays a significant part in the solution. Training is everything," says Soloway. "When we as a team have been building our employee engagement and learning and development resources, people with disabilities have been informing what the best practices are," she said.
Verizon developed training on assistive technology (AT) to evaluate Verizon's work and its editorial. "It spans different content areas, but using the true subject matter experts – those with lived experiences – is so important."
Comerford also believes that training is essential. "Training helps all employees understand different perspectives. It encourages them to think about their actions and how they could unintentionally offend someone, " she says.
Patnoe says that training pushes people. "It's not just pushing people but pushing them and providing them with the tools to be able to fend for themselves. It has to be OK to make mistakes, too. You're never going to get it right the first time,"
"Everyone's going to make a mistake. But as long as you approach it from the point of authenticity and sincerity, you should be fine."
Caroline Casey agrees. "Our organisations have the intention to do this better, and that means for them to do things differently, they're going to have to innovate, and with innovation comes failure. That's the culture we need because no company just gets this right. It's tough."
Explore unconscious bias within your organisation
Perhaps most of all, organisations and their leaders have to consider their own unconscious bias. Here, training helps people to engage.
Comerford is aware of the media balance against unconscious bias training, but she says, "It was one of the best training courses we've run and generated the best feedback on training from staff."
"It was very engaging for people to realise that we all have a sense of unconscious bias, and to think about that and how it impacts on your recruitment. We all think that we don't have any issues, but training will show you that there are little bits that come out."
Training is essential but part of a broader journey. "Often, people will start by rolling out training on unconscious bias, and this and that," says Atcheson. "But truly, we don't know what bias exists in their companies."
How do you measure Diversity and Inclusion?
Measuring inclusion goes beyond demographic data, says Atcheson. “You can't tick box an exercise’ she says. “All too often, people define a process, a policy or a solution; they'll develop it, and then roll it out, and then they will find issues with it. You're just causing more harm or more exclusion in the world,” she said.
A genuine inclusion strategy looks at who’s progressing, how people from different groups feel about training opportunities, about belonging, management, loyalty and support all “so you don’t make any assumptions.”
Minto agrees that good data is part of the solution. "It's not just 'ticking the box," he said at Ability Summit 2021. "It's about being prepared to be audited; we want to know what works and what doesn't."
AbilityNet is a Disability Confident Leader as part of the UK government’s Disability Confident Scheme, a voluntary framework designed to encourage employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with health conditions.
"What’s important is not just collating the data but to learn from it,” says Comerford. "We gather a range of data on who's employed but also who has risen to a management position and consider audience and employee sentiments based on surveys."
“Data collection, benchmarking, and feedback help you challenge any assumptions and ensure that your diversity and inclusion strategy is on the right path. What are your actionable points? What can you change and improve? What should you react to? What can you ignore, and what needs to be done today?"
"It's important to measure the failure first, and then build on that.”
In May's Accessibility Insights webinar its guests Jennison Asuncion and Joe Devon asked Larry: What are your thoughts on auto captioning technology and in particular, the habit of censoring out content like swear words?
Larry responded this week: "We who caption have absolutely no role to feel like we somehow have to protect deaf and hard of hearing people who rely on captions. If you can hear it, you should see it. It might be a little more stark when you see that profanity in text but we're just trying to translate what's heard."
In the session, hosted by Robin Christopherson MBE, AbilityNet's Head of Digital Inclusion, Larry also discussed other topics including:
How technologies can both enable yet also create barriers for people with disabilities
How to support the next generation of accessibility professionals
Digital accessibility trends
Pushing the frontiers of future, inclusive experiences through virtual events
How the last year has seen hybrid events at the forefront of a business strategy
This session is part of our free Accessibility Insights webinar series which features individuals who are each working to improve digital accessibility and digital inclusion.
Automated audio description
Attendees also posed questions to Larry and Robin during the webinar. One attendees' question was: Do you think there is possible future for automated Audio Description (AD)?
"I do believe that automated AD will be making progress over the next few years, with many assistive and mainstream applications looking for such solutions. I envision interesting experiments and proofs of concept over the next decade as image recognition begins to take on the challenges of dynamic (vs. static) imagery, context, emotion, intent and meaning," Larry said.
"I wouldn't dare make a timeline prediction as even automatic speech recognition (ASR) for captioning needs a more rapid growth curve to achieve the quality we need and should expect, and automated AD is perhaps where ASR was 20 years ago," Larry continued.
"But with advances in AI and massive databases of video with existing high-quality, human-created AD now available, automated AD progress should have a steeper curve than the early days of ASR for closed captions (CC)," Larry said.
TechShare Pro accessibility and inclusion conference
Larry also spoke in the webinar about his positive experiences meeting other influential practitioners in the accessibility world at our TechShare Pro conference back in 2019.
"It was a fantastic gathering of people... to meet a cohort of people from all over the world. Those relationships were lasting and they really did open our eyes to a whole different community." At the 2019 event, Larry spoke about Accessible Immersive Experiences - watch the session playback.
AbilityNet provides a range of free services to help disabled people and older people. If you can afford it, please donate to help us support older and disabled people through technology
The tips are best on a FREE AbilityNet webinar, which featured our Head of Inclusion, Robin Christopherson MBE, TL Tech, a Tech4Good nominee and Katie Harrison, an Occupational Therapist who is part of the team behind the Wellwynd Hub, which has created its own smart home to learn more about smart tech for people who need it.
Smart speakers are the best-known foundation blocks of a smarter home. As AbilityNet’s Head of Digital Inclusion, Robin, said:
“They’re like your favourite virtual assistant in a can, or a ball or another shape. They come in lots of different shapes and sizes. They are those things that you can talk to, you know, talk to the air. And they'll answer.”
Combining these with other smart devices enables you to perform a plethora of functions, including controlling lights, heating, setting reminders, living a more independent life, or enabling a loved one to do so.
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Smart home basics
Here are some general tips for setting up smart devices within your home.
1. Boost your connectivity
Make sure you have good Wi-Fi coverage before you introduce multiple devices.
Where you find issues, there are a few things you can do. Check your Router and contact your internet service provider (ISP) as you might be due an upgrade. Your ISP may offer a Wifi extender for greater coverage throughout your property.
2. Secure your network
Security is a concern for many. TL Tech recommends changing the default passwords on smart devices. You can use the app LastPass to help you keep track of multiple passwords if you’re concerned you won’t remember them all.
3. Register your device
Smart devices require a periodic update for security, or so they can do more. Register the device with the manufacture during installation to make sure you get updates.
4. Secure your home
The popularity of the Ring doorbell is growing. It can bring peace of mind by allowing you to check who’s at the door without physically going to the door. You can also buy smart sensors for doors and windows. Smart sensors are useful for spotting intrusions and if you have a relative living with dementia and are worried about them going outside on their own.
5. Use smart buttons for specific tasks
You can also use smart buttons such as Samsung SmartThings to control individual functions. You can programme these to perform functions such as controlling lights.
When adding devices into your network, compatibility is key.
On our webinar, TL Tech recommended looking for products that use Zigbee. This is a decade-old standard within low-powered connected devices such as smart home sensors, plugs and more. Amazon’s smart speakers support Zigbee as standard.
The Zigbee Alliance is part of the Connected Home for IP initiative renamed Matter, or the foundation for connected things. Matter aims to make it easier to buy devices and know they’ll work with other devices at home.
Assistive technology training
Many people are unaware of the accessibility and productivity tools built into mainstream packages such as Office 365 and Google Suite.
AbilityNet can provide 1:1 training on most assistive technologies (AT). Find out more about our Assistive technology training.
Making the most of your smart speaker
Here are some tips from AbilityNet Head of Digital Inclusion Robin Christopherson on making the most of your smart speaker.
6. Who can use a smart speaker?
Your smart device is at the centre of controlling your home. Smart homes are inclusive, and that means anyone, regardless of age, can use them. As Robin says, “there’s no hurdle to using these types of devices.”
“You should be able to talk and have them helpfully give you the information that you want or perform the task that you want. But particularly with disabilities, you know, we need to look at how they can be customized so that you can get the most out of them.
“They are on the whole a much simpler proposition than a desktop computer. A smart speaker is another whole level up of simplicity where you can ask it intuitive questions.”
7. Features for people with hearing impairments
The Amazon Echo has features for people with hearing and speech impairments.
Captions within Amazon Echo
Echo devices with screens offer captions for YouTube, Netflix or Amazon Prime, which is essential for people with hearing impairments. Alexa also offers captioning on devices with screens and will display the answer to your questions there. You will need to turn that on in the accessibility settings.
Often, Alexa will put additional information on the screen. So, if you ask for the weather forecast, she'll put a graphical summary on the screen.
Tap to Alexa: speak-free access
Tap to Alexa is a relatively new feature for people who can’t speak at all. Alexa displays many titles on the screen to get quick actions, music, and weather news, for example. With a single tap, you can get that functionality straight away. There's also a question mark for accessing a keyboard and an on-screen keyboard for typing in specific commands that other people would speak out loud.
You can save those as quick tiles as well.
You can use your Echo Show without speaking to it, including calling and messaging. You will get transcripts of messages, for example, up on the screen.
8. Adjusting the colour on your smart speaker
You may wish to change the colour of your smart display. This is useful for people who have colour deficit conditions.
Colour contrast can also play a role for people with Dyslexia.
Alexa includes colour inversion. Images will look quite strange, but for text, black text on a white background or be inverted to make it really easy to see. Alexa can also tweak colours for people with common colour deficit conditions to see things more easily on the screen.
You can magnify what’s onscreen or use voice view. In that mode, the device will talk to you and access the information that otherwise would be on the screen.
9. Using the skills within your smart speaker
Google has Actions and Alexa Skills, which are akin to smartphone apps. You can use your voice to open them. For Alexa, for example, say “Open” and the name of the skill, and it will enable the skill from then on.
There are hundreds of thousands of Skills. They include games – you can Ask Alexa to play 20 questions, for example – or ask her, “what are your top quizzes?”
There’s a Bin Calendar, a skill for programming when you need to put out the bins – it includes the Landfill Bin or Recycling bin.
Family notes is another useful Skill that enables you to leave virtual post-it notes for family members.
For entertainment, you can ask your smart speaker to play the radio – TuneIn for Alexa, for example – or to play Netflix if your device has a screen. Big Sky is a weather app that provides localised weather within the UK.
To discover the thousands of Apps available, Robin Christopherson has two podcasts that cover what’s available.
Occupational Therapist’s tips for tech in the home
Katie Harrison is a specialist Occupational Therapist working in East Lothian, Scotland. Katie has a background in dementia and has experience working with technology as well as service delivery development.
Working alongside colleagues, they have created a working “smart home” that they call the Wellwynd Hub. Opened in November 2018, it acts as an assessment clinic.
“For me, it's about using the technology creatively [and] supporting someone to meet their goals, carry out their activities of daily living, and support them to do a task,’ said Katie.
“I'm trying to maintain their independence for as long as possible by working with the person or their family to establish what's important to them,” she added.
With that in mind, here are Katie’s top tips.
10. Use smart speakers for orientation
For some with dementia, smart speakers can help them to orientate. You can ask what the day and time is or use it to know what the weather will do.
11. Create a shopping list
Alexa’s shopping feature is a great tool. Use it to add items to your shopping list. The other great thing is that information pools through to the Alexa app. So, if you or your relative has that app on your phone when you're right in the supermarket, then you've got that information there.
12. Prompts and reminders, including medications
You can create a variety of lists using Alexa. It could be a list of visitors or medication prompts and reminders. At the Wellwynd Hub, Katie and the team are using Amazon Alexa buttons so when the person has received a medication prompt and have taken their medications. They hit the button, and it pings an alert to the family member with a pre-set message letting them know.
She also recommends reminders for short-term events – such as switching the cookers off – and for regular, recurring events such as putting the bins out.
13. Keeping connected with family and friends
The Wellwynd Hub is using the Echo Show, which has a screen. The screen provides added benefits. Most notably, the opportunity for face-to-face video calls. “It’s great for reducing isolation and keeping people engaged and connected with family and friends, particularly over the last year,” said Katie.
14. Smarter dining with the Echo Show
As an OT, Katie recommends using the Echo Show and YouTube to access recipes, which can help build confidence. It could be something as simple as making a pot of soup or using it to make a cup of tea. In people with Vascular Dementia, for example, sequential tasks can prove difficult.
People also use the Echo Show or an iPad for digital dining.
Katie said: “So one person would have their device set up in a dining area, and they'll cook a meal and connect to the friend or relative who could even be a few hundred miles apart. What we find is actually it motivates people to prepare a meal.
All tips are from a FREE AbilityNet Live! webinar. For details of more FREE webinars, visit www.abilitynet.org.uk/live.
Submitted by Sarah Botterill on Tue, 01/06/2021 - 15:48
Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of the invaluable work by carers. For Carers Week 2021, 7-13 June, the theme is “Make Caring Visible and Valued”.
We’re keen to embrace carers week and to recognise the work of carers.
Here we aim to raise the visibility of our FREE services, which provide tech help for older people and disabled people.
We believe our services can empower people through technology and, we hope, lighten the load for carers.
7 ways to discover how tech can help carers
Technology has a role to play in supporting older and disabled people and has one particularly during the lockdowns resulting from Covid-19.
Here are some ideas for how you can use technology to empower your loved ones.
1. Reducing social isolation
Sadly, Covid-19 hit those who need care and their carers hard. Technology helped reduce some of the social isolation people felt as a result. Our blog on reducing social isolation includes many tips for keeping in touch with loved ones, including joining an online community.
Our recent webinar showcased creative approaches to making connections between people living with dementia and those who care for them. The webinar included information on the Tovertafel, which stimulates creative play in care home settings between people living with dementia and is also used in care settings for people with Learning Disabilities.
We also heard how technology is helping people with dementia and their friends and relatives capture life stories and how Luminate is using technology to deliver access to creative activities in Scotland.
Our recent FREE webinar explored how to use smart tech at home. Panellists explained “what is smart tech” and explored smart tech solutions, including smart speakers. We also looked at how to use the assistive technology included within the smart devices.
Our FREE factsheet “Technology for Seniors” highlights devices designed specifically with older people in mind, including the KOMP – a one-button videoconferencing device – and the GrandPad, a Tablet for Seniors. We also have a Q&A on the KOMP and a Q&A about the GrandPad.
5. Adapt devices to make them easier to use
Technology devices, including smartphones, tablets and computers, have a variety of assistive technology built-in. Unlock the power of this assistive technology using My Computer My Way.
This FREE tool from AbilityNet, helps you adjust settings within multiple operating systems across a range of devices, including Apple Mac and iOS, Android devices, Windows and Chromebook. Search by impairment (visually impaired, for example) or by what you want to do (magnify on-screen text).
6. Support for carers from AbilityNet
Caring responsibilities are hard work. Let us take some of the strain by referring a loved one to AbilityNet. Our network of over 300+ volunteers will help you and your loved ones adapt existing technology or suggest solutions that will help to empower individuals.
Call our FREE helpline on 0800 048 7642 during UK office hours.
How tech innovation can support people with dementia
Submitted by Sarah Botterill on Wed, 26/05/2021 - 13:04
How can technology help people live with dementia? AbilityNet discovered three innovative projects that support people through technology solutions on a recent webinar. Uniting them is the joy each brings to individuals and those who care for them. We heard from:
The Tovertafel or “magic table” is the brainchild of Tover, and we were delighted when Tover's CEO and founder Hester Le Riche joined our webinar.
The spark ignited when Le Riche was studying for her PhD in 2009 while she was involved in professional sports.
“Two parts of my life crossed when a professor explained to me how important it is for people living with dementia to be active,” she told webinar attendees.
Le Riche added: “Apathy is the biggest hurdle for people and loneliness and depression. Your brain deteriorates faster by sitting still most of the day.”
An engineer by background, Le Riche set out to co-design and develop a product that would stimulate physical activity in people living with dementia.
Ultimately, this became Tovertafel and created Tover, which now has 75 employees.
What is the Tovertafel?
The Tovertafel is a ceiling-based projector that shines lights onto an existing surface – usually a table. People can sit at the table and play with the lights.
Lights are interactive and respond to movement and touch.
There are many "games" that come with Tovertafel.
Tovertafel games include everything from one that enables people to decorate a birthday cake to one where people can wipe swirling leaves off the table complete with rustling sounds.
“Our interactive games have several goals. We engage physically and invoke many connections and talk about the past, and we also stimulate the brain and emotions, everything to reduce apathy,” said Le Riche.
It is designed for use within care home settings.
“The Tovertafel is a playful innovation, and the sole goal is to improve the quality of life or resident and carers and family members, we use senses to detect the hand movements and based on those movements we make projections,” said Le Riche.
“We're busy in Sweden and Germany and the States, the Netherlands and France – as well as the U.K.," Le Riche added.
The Tovertafel costs £6,760 (exc. VAT) for the device and for a two-year Open Play and Learn subscription. You can book a demonstration online via Tover.
Lessons from co-designing the Tovertafel
Tover designs the Tovertafel with, as well as for people living with dementia. This co-design principle is a critical element of the company's ethos.
In designing the Tovertafel, Le Riche conducted extensive research. She explored how the physical environment impacts people living with dementia, the footprint of a care home, and the lighting and the wall colours.
She also conducted qualitative research on the social environment and how it impacts people's alertness or ability, or motivation to do something.
“What was the most impactful on me is that there was so little interaction between several residents that I had observed and interviewed,” said Le Riche.
She added: “I thought ‘you are there and in the same boat’. And you have so much time to collaborate or have a chat or do an activity together, but there were so many barriers to do so.”
“Doing the PhD, I took as a case the activity of drinking coffee. So, if we can help to be more independent, I had a cup of coffee, and I was projecting my light around it; maybe I can bring attention to the cup, so I just thought I would write it down. ‘Are you thirsty? Yeah, take another sip, nothing happened’”, Le Riche said.
“There was a moment that a lady, she put the cup away and started playing with moving lights so. I lost my faith in myself as a designer and thoughts the PhD was going nowhere. Still, I realised the goal was to design something to stimulate physical activity, and that's when I changed the concept into supporting the activity of daily living, and that's when we started to design serious games,” she added.
Digital Voice: storytelling for people living with dementia
Storytelling can have a powerful impact on people living with dementia, as we heard from Julie Nicholson, Director of Digital Voice, a Tech4Good finalist in 2018.
Set up 14 years ago, Digital Voice for Communities supports people living with dementia through DigitalMe, Digitale and LifeBooks.
DigitalMe explained Nicholson is "an award-winning programme that helps people of all ages to have an anonymous voice.”
Participants draw avatars to represent them, which are animated to share messages. It gives people a voice without them having to be in front of the camera.
“We do this as a face-to-face course that creates this fabulous digital artwork with a photographer using speech bubbles and digital stories that help to get those messages across in an even stronger way,” said Nicholson.
It has also been redeveloped to work virtually during a lockdown.
Digital Voice shares the finished avatars and videos with partner organisations.
“We have done this with people with dementia, and they enjoyed the different creative processes. Then we show it to decision-makers, and that will hopefully help improve service for older people.” Said Nicholson. Once each person's individual film is made, Digital Voice makes a montage of the most powerful messages and invites decision-makers to hear the news.
“That's what it's all about having a creative way to get your messages across to change society,” added Nicholson.
Capturing a life’s story using technology
Digitale is a way of capturing a person's life story in an engaging way to help stimulate and preserve precious memories.
Using tablets, The Digital Voice team collate photographs into a slide show alongside other information to build a picture of someone’s story.
“A great example of this working well with people with dementia was a project a lady who had short term memory issues. When she was looking at the photos, it brought back memories of the past,” said Nicholson. She added: “Everybody benefits from that, and we helped them to produce their slide show to illustrate their stories all about growing up in a mining village.”
LifeBooks: collective storytelling
LifeBooks enable people to tell their stories within a group setting with the help of an iPad using photos and anecdotes and through songs and audio. Developed with the Alzheimer’s Society, it offers a way to tap into emotional memories.
“We encourage people to add their favourite music into the books, and that session usually becomes a singalong,” said Nicholson.
“All of the sessions are group themes and as we go through their life in chronological order. So, childhood and family life and images of their favourite dance hall and discuss their memories together from their youth,” she added.
Digital Voice works with groups; they could be brought together by an occupational therapist, social prescribers, care homes and community groups
“They might live in the same care home, we find LifeBooks are most successful when each person has a buddy, so a family member or a member of staff who helps with the photos and writing down people's life stories into an App,” said Nicholson.
Participants also receive a hard copy book as a keepsake.
“It's just a lovely thing to keep, and the digital one has the audio if, so I know one family, even played the audio content of one lady's anecdote at her funeral,” said Nicholson.
As well as a keepsake, LifeBooks act as an aide-memoire, said Nicholson.
“If people are confused on a particular day, someone they can say, look here you are, this is you now, and that was you then. Or to help remember who family members are if they come to visit and they can't remember who they are.”
For help using technology call our FREE helpline 0800 048 7642
A creative approach in Scotland from Luminate
Luminate is Scotland’s creative ageing organisation, which aims to “challenge some of the negative thinking that exist around ageing,” said its director, Anne Gallacher.
Its vision is that all older people in Scotland have access to high-quality arts and creative activity.
“In Scotland, there is a drop off in people's engagement [with the arts]. As people get to their 60s and 70s, engagement drops [but] we know how positive being involved in creative activity is,” said Gallacher, speaking in AbilityNet’s FREE webinar.
While relatively small, Luminate's five staff makes a significant impact.
It embeds artists within care home settings where they have worked long-term with families, carers and staff to deliver tailored creative workshops.
There are also singing groups for people living with dementia.
“We have done much training for singing groups and leaders, and we run dementia inclusive events open to everybody,” said Gallacher.
Luminate also trains artists enabling them to work with people living with dementia.
Using technology to give access to the arts online
Technology maintained access to the arts
“It was a big shift for us, and we made it pretty quickly because, like everybody, we could see what was coming, and we were very concerned about the older people we work with and the artists we work with, whose work was stopping,” Gallacher said.
This included creating a series of 31 videos, including one film in Gaelic and another on "Cutting a rug".
The singing network moved online and now has its web page.
Luminate has led online Zoom sessions with care homes, including one in Glasgow on creative arts and crafts.
They learned that collaboration with care homes is vital and that artists need to be flexible.
Although Leannda was comfortable using her new tablet, she says AbilityNet’s assessment and follow-up calls enabled her to customise the kit for her needs. 
A keen music-lover, Susan’s next goal was to search for her favourite tunes on YouTube. 
Janet's "pretty busy diary" includes visits from her sister and aunt and knitting. She is currently making a scarf and enjoying “knit and natter” sessions at the day centre. Susan also goes for drinks at the pub with her boyfriend of two years, Paul (“usually a Coke or cappuccino.”). 
Too much focus on demographic data is one reason D&I initiatives fail, says Sheree Atcheson, author of 
Tech giant Microsoft made a raft of announcements at Ability Summit 2021 as part of a 
So, how can organisations drive their diversity and inclusion agenda? 
Every organisation working on diversity and inclusion faces challenges, and how to create cultural change is one of the hardest tasks. 
The tips are best on a 
Make sure you have good Wi-Fi coverage before you introduce multiple devices. 
The popularity of the 
You can also use smart buttons such as Samsung SmartThings to control individual functions. You can programme these to perform functions such as controlling lights. 
Google has Actions and Alexa Skills, which are akin to smartphone apps. You can use your voice to open them. For Alexa, for example, say “Open” and the name of the skill, and it will enable the skill from then on. 
As an OT, Katie recommends using the Echo Show and YouTube to access recipes, which can help build confidence. It could be something as simple as making a pot of soup or using it to make a cup of tea. In people with Vascular Dementia, for example, sequential tasks can prove difficult. 
Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of the invaluable work by carers. For Carers Week 2021, 7-13 June, the theme is “Make Caring Visible and Valued”.
The Tovertafel or “magic table” is the brainchild of Tover, and we were delighted when 
The Tovertafel is a ceiling-based projector that shines lights onto an existing surface – usually a table. People can sit at the table and play with the lights. 
Storytelling can have a powerful impact on people living with dementia, as we heard from Julie Nicholson, Director of Digital Voice, a 
LifeBooks enable people to tell their stories within a group setting with the help of an iPad using photos and anecdotes and through songs and audio.