Sayce Review: Submission from the British Assistive Technology Association
The Sayce Review is a public consultation run by Liz Sayce, CEO of RADAR (the disability charity). She is seeking views from all interested parties about the reforms to welfare for disabled people - specifically, the process for enabling disabled people to get and stay in work, and the associated benefit payments. BATA’s response below, authored by Ian Litterick, emphasises the usefulness of assistive technology.
Introduction
The computer and broadband access to the internet are effectively necessities for all those who are economically active or who are engaged in learning. The lack of those — digital exclusion — is a major handicap whether in learning or trying to enter the world of work.
The Department for Education recognised this in, for example, the Home Access project which offered a computer and Internet access to all learners on low incomes within a certain age bracket who did not already have one, some 270,000 systems. The Home Access scheme has demonstrated the sense of ownership and responsibility of the vast majority of recipients. Its success has shown the value of a serious attempt to overcome digital exclusion.
Digital exclusion is no less important in the world of work. A crucial aspect of Home Access is that the systems are personal; they are owned so they are valued. They are not just something that you share with others at school for specific pieces of work.
To dole out free computers to the unemployed (as some media would probably put it) may be politically difficult, as well as initially costly in the current climate. However, this is a nettle which must be grasped. It is time to take it off the “too-difficult” pile. For a start, to give such support to disabled people seeking work would be both more politically acceptable and less expensive.
In addition, ICT, with the help of appropriate Assistive Technology will often make an even more marked difference to the life chances of a disabled person. It will give more independence and with it self-respect. Despite the initial cost it will often save a considerable sum compared with a paid person providing equivalent support. And it can make the difference in someone becoming or remaining economically active.
To use its own words DWP’s aims include to:
- help and support people who are out of work to move into work;
- ensure that disabled people have the same opportunities as non-disabled people to succeed in life and fully participate in society; and
ICT and Assistive Technology are essential to both aims. It is therefore surprising that we can find no reference to Assistive Technology in the Invitation to Tender or the Prospectus for the Work Programme, or for Work Choice. DWP knows the value of Assistive Technology for its own staff. It should also be building it in appropriately to its procurements.
In the Work Programme the only relevant reference that we can find is the following paragraph:
Additional Support
A8.13 Additional support is defined as any support that allows a customer who needs extra help to attend and participate fully in provision. Providers must, as part of their obligations under the duties in the Equality Act 2010 take the necessary steps to obtain and provide special aids or services that might be needed for participation. Providers must include these costs within the financial part of their proposal.
This is inadequate. A much more proactive approach is called for. For every customer the provider should ask: what need does this customer have for technology support? How can technology help this customer participate in the programme and function in work? Only if the answer is “not at all” is technology not relevant.
Access to Work
Access to Work recently reduced the range of software and appliances that it will fund, on the basis that employers should be expecting to provide them anyway. Whilst this may be partly so, the change will reduce the number of people who feel it is worth applying for ATW - and could therefore benefit from the assessment and other valuable aspects of ATW support. And the AT will not always be replaced by the employer alone. There are often significant demotivators in IT departments (”it’s too difficult to integrate with our system”) without adding more. Appropriate AT requires effort and expense to set up and the payoff may be seen as being limited to one individual in a less sophisticated organisation.
It needs a proactive, funded agent, such as AtW is designed to be, to counter inbuilt inertia.
Funding for Assistive Technology pays. The Disabled Students Allowances scheme supports disabled students in higher education with funding for Assistive Technology equipment, AT training and other support. The National Audit Office report on student retention stated that disabled students have greater than average retention rates in higher education. Whilst the DSA may not be the only reason for this, it is strong evidence that AT makes a real difference. (July 2007, http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/0607/student_retention_in_higher_ed.aspx)
Work Programme & Work Choice
A scheme like AtW is needed for the Work Programme and Work Choice so that disabled customers have personal access to learning and the internet, not just when they are attending a programme but to make their lives work-ready. Digital exclusion is part of social exclusion; literacy difficulties correlate with unemployment. IT with AT addresses them all.
Some important ways in which Assistive Technology can help
- text to speech technology will help someone with dyslexia, with general learning difficulties, with partial sight or who has English as a second language to read and access learning;
- changing text colour, background colour and font size will help someone with visual stress (Meares-Irlen syndrome) or partial sight;
- speech recognition may help someone with mobility or literacy problems produce text or control the computer for learning;
- switches, special mice and other input devices may help someone with mobility problems or CP;
- a computer, on its own, may help someone with a mental illness learn or work away from stress;
- a mobile phone with AT can allow a non-reader to take a picture of text and listen to it.
BATA
Established a year ago, the British Assistive Technology Association now has 57 full members of commercial and non-profit organisations who pay a membership fee; and 70 Associate members — individuals and non-profit organisations for whom membership is currently free. Its aims include:
- campaigning for the rights and interests of these needing Assistive Technology;
- education about AT;
- providing expert and impartial support and advice to government departments and agencies;
- promoting British AT products and expertise at home and overseas.
For more information visit http://www.bataonline.org/.
For more information about this submission please refer to:
Ian Litterick, BATA Council Member
Executive Chairman, iansyst Ltd, ianl@dyslexic.com 01223 420101
