Is Business Doing Enough to Enable Better IT Accessibility for People with Disabilities?

We are excited to be exhibiting at Naidex 2022. Come and see us at Stand H50! We look forward to welcoming everyone to see demonstrations and available equipment to support people in the corporate world, school, care home / home care settings, and of course individuals.

It is very rare now for somebody not to have a device that allows for them to operate digitally either in their personal lives and or in their work life.  This through the ongoing pandemic has been the only way for people to stay connected with their colleagues or loved ones.

With more and more services and abilities being made digital, access to digital devices is more important than ever.

People with disabilities are over 50% more likely to face barriers to accessing digital and online services than non-disabled people. 

The ability to access IT shouldn’t be a barrier to anybody and there are a lot of solutions available to do this as well as reduce the risk of getting a debilitating condition such as Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI).  One of the biggest barriers is knowing what to go for.  

 

New Owners, Simon and Jane recently bought the business and along with their colleague Jess; are keen to showcase their passion to finding the right solution for the person with disabilities such as visual impairment, neurological conditions, learning disability or physical disability.  This also covers solutions that can prevent injuries in the workplace such as repetitive strain injury or carpel tunnel syndrome for example.

Adapt-IT Limited is focussed on ensuring the right decisions are made based on individual needs.

There isn’t a lot of solid data on how many people are disguising a disability in the workplace, but experts believe that the stigma around many disabilities and long-term illnesses means it isn’t uncommon for individuals to keep their condition quiet from their employer and colleagues. Lockdown offered the opportunity for those disguising a condition to make their own workspace adjustments without fear of judgement.  This needs to change!

64.7% of employees think that

their disability has negatively impacted their career.

An example for the drive for change is ‘The Valuable 500’ which is a global collective of 500 CEO’s and their companies who together are spearheading the disability inclusion and accessibility movement. They are developing a Transformation Programme which will drive system change and make business more inclusive and accessible for people with disabilities.

  Adapt-IT is a One-Stop-Shop for carefully selected Hardware, Software and training combinations and solutions. Providing assistive devices such as joysticks, single handed and ergonomic keyboards, specialist mice, assistive switches, and headsets. We also provide full setup of and Training on your chosen system to enable maximum usage of your new system/systems. This includes providing ergonomic supports and stands.

Only 11.7% of people believe that their managers

have received adequate training on how to support disabled employees.

Adapt-IT can provide training for multiple types of Assistive Software; Nuance Dragon, Read&Write, Dolphin. This can be for individuals one to one or groups.  This can be undertaken in person, or online, via Zoom depending on the person’s needs.  We also provide orientation for managers and colleagues on what is available and how different people’s needs can be met.

It can be an hour’s worth or half a day’s training.  Either face-to-face or virtual training options are available on all the software we specialise in. Virtual training is preferred but we understand that for some, virtual training is not suitable and consequently we provide face-to-face training that follows Covid-19 guidelines.

Example solution

We recently had a request from a carer who’s relative is living in a Care Home.  The person concerned has Cerebral Palsy and was struggling to use their computer.  After a detailed consultation, Adapt-IT supplied a new computer with fully installed software, including Microsoft Office, and TextHelp Read&Write, to use with an N-Abler Joystick.  Finally, the computer was provided with managed Avast Anti-Virus to keep the system continually safe and secure.

 

The computer came with full easy to follow step by step instructions to ensure a truly easy plug and play experience.     

                                                                                                                                                                                          

Along with a full health check, full accessibility setup and configuration, installing the software ready for use, we also customised the desktop with the client’s favourite animal; elephants, and setup of social media accounts and frequently used internet links to truly personalise the system.

Order via our website: www.adapt-it.co.uk,

from our shop

 

Also find us on our social media:

 

https://twitter.com/adaptitonline

 

https://www.facebook.com/adaptituk/

  

For any help or questions please contact us via email support@adapt-it.co.uk or call one of our friendly team on 03300564079.