Welcome back,


The past week has been hectic yet ultimately fulfilling one. Last Monday I attended a meeting in Liverpool with Lesley-Anne Alexander, the Chief Executive of RNIB. For those of you who are unaware of shared space schemes, it is the semi pedestrianisation of town centres which removes pavement edges, making it ideal for the wheelchair user, but a nightmare for those who use canes! The opportunity to resolve the conflict in the AT needs for people with vision impairment and wheelchair users with regards to shared spaces must be attacked first hand so local councils will learn to address these issues effectively and with haste.The meeting went well; it was great to hear what fantastic work the RNIB have and are undertaking in the field of AT, and how we could work together to promote the manufacture of solution orientated products in the future. I’ve been invited to Peterborough to see the RNIB’s key production service area, and to meet with the principal sales manager there. I’m eager to discuss products, sales placing, etc, and gather guidance and information on how we, as AT centres can display more effectively in our own demonstration suites.

Tuesday saw me in Coventry attending the Health Design Technology Institute Steering group meeting, in conjunction with Coventry University. We’ve established close links with Coventry University who have recently been awarded European funding to build a research complex to develop AT products that are user led. Proctor & Gamble gave a fascinating presentation on marketing solutions for products, which I hope to be able to share with you all. One issue we intend to concentrate on is to user operated hoist equipment which would provide an invaluable independence to many disabled people. I believe our Making the Links volunteers will be invaluable in helping to develop the missing solutions in daily AT care.

For the rest of the week, I was in London. On Wednesday I was invited to an AT Care Launch at the House of Commons, hosted by Dr Howard Stoate MP. Unfortunately, a road traffic accident on the M1 led to a three hour standstill, preventing me from attending; what a shame we have yet to design an AT device to reduce traffic congestion!

Access is certainly improving in the hotel industry in London, but proves rather useless if the door to your room is too heavy to open! Unless one is able to master a shoulder charge technique! And the most ill designed toilet roll holder I’ve ever come across – impossible to get the paper out, and to operate with one hand – all in an accessible room. I have fed back to the hotel, and they assured me my views would be taken into consideration.

I met with Keren Downs from FAST to discuss the implementation of a joint Section 64 funding bid to help train users in assistive technology. I am excited by the opportunity to bring user contribution into the development of training programmes, and to promote partnership working as a thing of our collective future. Sharing knowledge, resources and skills can only further the united aspirations and ambitions of us all.

On Thursday, Baroness Andrews OBE hosted the launch of Papworth Trust’s ‘Guide to Delivering Inclusive Communities’ at Admiralty House. Following speeches by Baroness Andrews, Chief Executive Adrian Bagg and an end service user – a moving speech on the benefits and effects of accessibility and how it has changed his life - I spent some time discussing inclusivity with Adrian, and our hopes for new communities to be built around accessibility for all, not only disabled people, alongside the importance of specialised training for their own membership. I will be sending a copy of the guide to all our members once I have received them from the Trust.

Friday heralded a Blue Badge consultation meeting with the Disabled People’s Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC), concentrating on how to control misuse of the scheme, the implications of its current role and how electronics and AT could play a part in it’s future. With our connections at the Department for Transport, Assist UK has the opportunity to ‘fly the flag’ for disabled people, and all those that use our centres.

So, until next week,



Alan Norton