Inclusive design lessons from the RNIB

Covid-19 exposes inequalities in a digital-first world, Accessibility Specialist Elisabeth Ward of Scope on how to redress the balance

Scope's Elisabeth Ward on screen at TechShare Pro 2020. Words beside her read 'the social model'Accessibility Specialist Elisabeth Ward of Scope says it's time people appreciate how they are disabling people through poor design.  

“The social model of disability says that people are disabled by barriers in society and not by their impairment or condition,” said Ward, an upper body amputee from birth.

Barriers are physical but often are attitudinal. “They can be caused by people's attitudes like assuming that disabled people can't do certain things, or not considering or including disabled people at all.

“The social model helps us to recognize the external barriers that make life harder. Working together to remove these barriers creates equality and offers independence, choice and control,” said Ward, adding that “Everyone needs to take on the responsibility of creating a more inclusive society.”

Exposing inequalities in a digital-first world

Digital technology has transformed the lives of many disabled people, said Ward. She referenced the 78% of disabled people who say technology is “helpful” or “very helpful”.

Ward is part of Scope’s Big Hack program, which collates data and first-hand experienced from disabled people. 

Unfortunately, as we increasingly rely on digital technology, it exposes the barriers there. “Organizations create more barriers by not making that websites, products, or services are accessible. Disabled people are over 50% more likely to face barriers to accessing digital and online services than non-disabled people,” said Ward.


These shortfalls have been particularly acute during the Covid-19 crisis. 

“Now that we've been forced into a digital-first society, many disabled people are reliant on digital to access their healthcare services and benefits to understand what they need to do to protect themselves and to get the basic necessities to live through this pandemic,” said Ward.

She continued with some examples of the challenges people have faced. “..trying to access benefits in a panic state, after losing a job while using a screen reader, having a device that is out of memory and not knowing how to fix it so that you can send a photograph to your doctor, not being able to access your usual supermarket online [and] not knowing how to look for other ways to get food and essentials, finding the other supermarket websites are inaccessible....”

“We know that 59% of all deaths involving Covid-19 in England and Wales between March and July, were disabled people, it is more important than ever that information is accessible and can be easily understood by the people who need it.” 

The Big Hack will publish specific data on supermarkets in the coming months. 

Challenges faced by disabled people during Covid-19

Scope has researched with disabled people during the pandemic and has discovered that while technology has helped, there have been challenges, too. People with learning and behavioural impairments, for example, found the shift to online difficult. “Others struggled with navigating new websites and technology like using Zoom, digesting information and completing online forms,” said Ward.

Participants with physical, visual or hearing impairments said that they struggled to participate, citing video calls with low-quality sound.

The pandemic highlights the importance of having clear and understandable information, but the research found that disabled people said information is unclear and confusing: 

•    63% said the information is confusing
•    49% said communication is unclear
•    47% of disabled respondents had experienced technological challenges during the pandemic 

Organisations, charities and public services weren’t ready for the change, says Ward.  

“Many were not accessible and continue to exclude disabled people by not making accessibility a priority. Many disabled people have been forgotten and have not had the support they needed when they needed it the most,” said Ward. 

Inclusive design is key to driving change

The key to driving change, says Ward, is to stop thinking about disabled people as separate and to create Inclusive Design that works for everyone. 

“We need to inspire transformation and everyone's attitudes towards disability, accessibility and inclusive design. We need to stop thinking of disability as different and the few and start thinking of it as everywhere and everyone. We need it to be universal accessibility, not a disability minority. We need to be included as a core consumer group.”

That way, everyone benefits. “We need to close the digital divide and get what we're calling disability game-changers to help influence, inspire and revolutionize the next wave of digital innovation,” she added. 

Involve disabled users in the process

To deliver means involving disabled people in the process. “It's not; it's not just about box-ticking or consultation it's involving and prioritizing disabled people's needs and the very core of the solution itself. We need people to look beyond their own barrier, engage with the barriers during the process and then actively work to remove them.”

Often, it’s a process that’s retrospective but involving people earlier on will transform digital experiences for all.

“You will face these barriers. So, the question is when that happens, do you want to sit there cursing those who didn't take on the shared responsibility of making their service or product accessible? There can be some barriers to implementing accessibility, such as budget and time, but try to break them [and] embed as many best practices as possible.

"Do user research and testing with disabled people. Give people easy ways to tell you about the barriers that they're facing. Keep learning, iterating, and improving, and make sure that you have processes in place that make it easy for everyone to take on that responsibility and be confident with accessibility live and breathe accessibility in your work.”

It's a great message for all of us involved in creating a digital world accessible to all.

How tech changed Christmas for older people

By Aisling King, AbilityNet volunteer, Northern Ireland

A lady helping an older lady with her smartphoneLong-standing AbilityNet volunteer, David Brew, recently helped an 83-year-old woman, ‘Pauline’ from Belfast, connect with her family through Christmas with the use of technology. 

Pauline always looked forward to her weekly social events within the community and due to Covid-19, everything was brought to a standstill. 

“Being socially active was something that I really enjoyed and with the pandemic, it really hit me hard as I found myself feeling very lonely with no one to talk to for days,” says Pauline. 

Call our helpline on 0300 180 0028 or Refer a Friend

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


She added: “When I heard about AbilityNet and the FREE technology services that they offered, I immediately thought this is just what I need to get my social life back.” 

Helping to Tackle loneliness and isolation

This year, research has found that twice the number of people than normal spent Christmas alone as a result of Covid-19 and this was especially high among those aged over 65 with 4.2 million who claimed to have never used the internet. 

“Thanks to David, I can now zoom call my sister overseas, exchange emails with friends and do some shopping online," said Pauline.

Read our blog on how technology can help tackle loneliness and isolation


Pauline added: "It’s amazing to know this technology is accessible to the older generation, especially now when we need it the most."

David Brew from AbilityNet responded by saying “It is very heartwarming to see so many clients learning new tech skills so they can stay in touch with their loved ones when isolation is high. Families are all coming together and staying connected where possible which is amazing.” 

How AbilityNet can help

AbilityNet supports older and disabled people to adapt technology to their needs.

For support from AbilityNet call our helpline 0300 180 0028

Adjust your computer for changing needs using My Computer My Way

Watch recordings of FREE AbilityNet Live! webinars and sign up for new ones 

Find out more about AbilityNet's Digital Accessibility Service

For support for employers and employers in the workplace visit our workplace services

Make Alexa part of an amazingly accessible 2021

Towards the end of last year, Amazon launched its new Alexa Accessibility Hub that’s packed with information and video how-tos on all the amazing accessibility features found in the family of Alexa products. 

The accessibility features across the whole family of Echo products are helping people be more connected, entertained and independent. 

Alexa/laptop displaying weather forecast

Did you know that someone who is deaf or someone who has no speech can still fully operate Alexa? Similarly, someone with no vision (like myself) can comprehensively use an Echo with a screen.

Subtitles on videos, for example, may not only help those with hearing difficulties, but anyone who’s cooking up a storm in the kitchen. You get the picture. So if you have an Echo of any kind yourself, know of someone who does (or is thinking about taking the plunge), I’d strongly encourage you to check out some of the features found in the below sections – regardless of whether you have a disability or not. 


A man and a woman communicating using sign language

Hearing - Communicate and stay connected with Alexa.

Mobility - Voice control can help unlock more ways to get things done.

Speech - Get help from Alexa without using speech.

Vision - Find new ways to get the information you need.

Useful links and info about Alexa

At AbilityNet, we’ve also been very busy outlining the empowering potential of Alexa and the family of Echo products in which she resides. 

Here’s a round-up of podcasts to download, webinars to revisit and articles to peruse – all about Alexa and how she’s changing lives for the better… 

Podcasts

  • Dot to Dot – the daily 5 minute Alexa skill demo show
  • The Echo Show – a weekly look at all things Alexa
  • Tech Talk – an RNIB podcast (featuring AbilityNet’s Robin Christopherson) and often covering Amazon product accessibility

AbilityNet webinar

AbilityNet articles

Alexa Smart Skills list

(Pictures courtesy of Amazon UK)

How AbilityNet can help

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

Tablets for seniors: Keep in touch with loved ones during Covid-19

This webinar took place on 26 January 2021

Technology has played a pivotal role in helping to keep us connected with love ones during Covid-19.

In this webinar, we heard from the makers of devices designed with older users in mind (KOMP and GrandPad) and from people who are distributing them in the community - as well as a care home.

  • Watch the recording and review the webinar slides

No Isolation: KOMP Device

A picture of the KOMP Screen with the No Isolation Logo on it. There is a 'knob' or dial on the right-hand side of the device.Norwegian start-up No Isolation delivers technology solutions designed to help tackle loneliness and social isolation. Its KOMP screen was designed alongside older users.

It is specifically targetted at helping older people and their relatives keep in touch through a simple video-conferencing system, which can be remotely activated.

KOMP: Keeping people connected in the Western Isles of Scotland

We'll hear from the NHS Western Isles, which has been using KOMP to enable people living in remote areas of the Scottish Isles to live safely and independently in their own homes.

Sue Long, mPower Implementation lead will tell us how she and her team have used EU funding to buy devices and supplied iPad and KOMP devices to connect people remotely via video-conferencing.

GrandPad: A Tablet for Seniors

Image shows a man with a moustache looking at a GrandPad device and using it with a stylus-style deviceThe GrandPad tablet is designed with seniors in mind. It includes features for connecting with loved ones. 

The interface is simple and includes large buttons to make it simple for people to use to connect with people remotely. We'll hear from GrandPad in more detail about the features and where to buy one. 

Hill Care Homes

Hill Care Homes have introduced tablets into their care homes during Covid-19 in order to help their residents keep in touch with loves ones.

Watch the webinar recording

Date of webinar: 
26 Jan 2021 - 13:00

A partnership for mental health

Illustration depicts a woman with her head in her hands and another woman looking on in concernAbilityNet is working in partnership with the NHS and others to tackle digital exclusion and support people's mental health needs. 

We’re helping NHS Camden and Islington Foundation Trust (NHS Candi), which has worked to move its specialist Traumatic Stress Clinic online during Covid-19. 

The service identified 20 users who were digitally excluded and unable to engage with remote therapy. 

Julia Gillard, Clinical Psychologist at Camden & Islington (C&I), said, "Digital exclusion is a huge problem, with 22% of the UK population lacking the digital skills needed for everyday life." 

She added, "Many groups face a higher risk of digital exclusion in the UK, such as people with a disability or chronic illness, people in lower-income groups or who are unemployed, migrants and refugees or people with English as a second language.”

Our interview reveals why it’s more important than ever to close the digital divide

Stronger together: connecting service users

Image shows Jangala receiving its Tech4Good Award at the 2019 ceremonyGetting them connected has involved a four-way partnership between NHS Candi, supermarket giant ASDA, AbilityNet and former Tech4Good winner Jangala

Healthcare charity Helpforce secured 20 tablets donated by ASDA as part of the #TabletsWithLove campaign, which NHS Candi has sent to its users.

However, it was crucial to ensure that the users also had an affordable internet connection and the skills to use both. 


Jangala stepped in to provide the connection through its innovative Get Box. Developed during Covid-19, Get Box is a paperback-sized internet connectivity device connects to mains power and provides instant Wi-Fi and access to 4G data for a low monthly fee. 

Five of NHS Candi’s 20 service users have received a GetBox to enable them to get online.

Jangala is supporting 30 vulnerable people in emergency accommodation in Brighton with Get Box. 

Support with technology from AbilityNet volunteers

AbilityNet is delighted to join the partnership and to provide specialist support from our network of 300+ volunteers offering FREE support with technology. 

We identified a core group of volunteers supporting the service users with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in using their new tablets and router. 

Free Services Manager, Sarah Brain from AbilityNet said: “We’ve loved being part of this pilot scheme, with each organisation playing to their strengths, we’ve enabled this group of trauma patients to get online to continue their treatment during the pandemic. Technology can be so daunting to some, but by working together, we can support the most vulnerable to be part of the digital world.”

For FREE support with 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

 

Gillard said: “Covid-19 has accelerated the digitisation of public health services, education and employment, it has also heightened the negative impact of digital exclusion on service users accessing mental health services in the Traumatic Stress Clinic.

She added: "To help solve this issue, we’re working to support digital inclusion for our service users and are pleased to have secured support from four key partners. We’re hugely grateful for this support from these organisations during this difficult time.”

How AbilityNet can help

For support from AbilityNet call our helpline 0300 180 0028

Adjust your computer for changing needs using My Computer My Way

Read our FREE factsheets 

Watch recordings of FREE AbilityNet Live! webinars and sign up for new ones 

Find out more about AbilityNet's Digital Accessibility Service

How to close the digital divide: TechShare Pro 2020

Covid-19 has shone a spotlight on the digital divide. We need a blueprint for change says Helen Milner, OBE, and Group Chief Executive of Good Things Foundation. 

Helen spoke to AbilityNet's Head of Marketing and Communications during TechShare Pro 2020. We review their conversation in this Q&A. 

Mark Walker, AbilityNet: Could you tell me a little bit about yourself, and Good Things Foundation? 

Helen Milner: I'm the Group Chief Executive of Good Things Foundation. I've been working in Digital inclusion and in online education since the mid-eighties.

We are a digital and social inclusion charity based in Sheffield . All of our work is about how we support people who are on the wrong side of the digital divide; who can't use the internet or have never used the internet or are using it, but in a limited way.

It's about helping people to learn how to use the internet in a supported way in order to help them, for example, to get work, to feel less isolated, keep in touch with friends and family to access health services to be able to get up-to-date information. 

For help from one of AbilityNet's 300+ volunteers call our FREE Helpline on 0800 048 7642

MW: So, how does it work?

HM: We work through a network of thousands of community organisations. We call these hyper-local community organisations and they're all over the UK.  And they support people locally to learn how to use internet. 

Image shows members of starting point receiving their Tech4Good AwardMW: Some of the texture in terms of the centres....

You're very much woven into the fabric of the community. My favourite one has always been that the fish and chip shop in Stockport that won the [AbilityNet] Tech4Good Award 10 years ago, but so many different examples where you're enabling people to get support.

HM: I call it a big club with the shared vision… we're all independent, but we have the same belief that there are more than 9 million people in our society who need support and help to be able to use the internet and to benefit from everything that brings.

So, you've mentioned, the fish and chip shop in Stockport but there's lots of community centres and those community centres might, for example, run a community cafe, they might do after school clubs for children, they might do recycling programmes or food poverty programmes.

Have digital skills to share? Become an AbilityNet Volunteer


Or there are other for example small local charities that might support older people or people with disabilities. 

Anybody who wants to be part of this club is free to be part of it. Anybody who cares about digital inclusion can be part of that big club and can work with us in that coordinated way to try and tackle this and to close that digital divide.

MW: There's clearly a connection to social inclusion. How much of the digital divide do you think is technology, and how much of it is linked to other factors?

HM: I would say it's all linked, but there's a massive overlap between digital and social exclusion.

The two main factors are age and income. If somebody is older and has a low income, they're likely to be digitally excluded; either, they've never used it, they don't have access or they have very limited skills. What we mean by that is they use the internet very rarely, or they use it for a very small number of things, for example, less than five apps or websites.

You've then also obviously got other factors such as educational attainment and disability. 

Disability is another one of those factors that means that people are much more likely to be offline. There's also a big overlap between people who, for example, don't have work or have low incomes and also, and age and people with disabilities as well.

MW: Where does disability pop-up within the broad framework of what you're doing?

HM: I like to think of it as a layered approach. The big club with the shared vision, so we call it the online centres network. 

So that is clearly something that specifically targets people with disabilities in the communities that they're in and with, you know, the many disability charities that are in the online centres network. T

here are some that absolutely specialize, but everything that we do is we make it as inclusive as possible. We have an online learning platform called Learn My Way. And it's been set up with a very low levels of literacy. So, people with a reading age of nine can access it, but we also have text to speech so it's all read out as well. 

So if people can't read it or can't see it, they'll then be able to access it as well.

Then within the community centres, there are staff and are volunteers. AbilityNet has helped us to train some of those. We're helping about a quarter of a million people a year. 

It could be as simple about helping people to set up the existing accessibility tools that people have on their devices; on their smartphone or on their laptop or their tablet, they will already have accessibility and support built in. So, helping people to use that. And it's really important that we're training the staff and the volunteers to make sure that they can, they can help people in that way.

Find out how to adjust your device with AbilityNet's My Computer My Way

MW: And, and your blueprint looking ahead that was published in September, I think?

HM: Yes, September.

MW: Can you tell us what's, what's the motivation behind that? 

Image shows the cover of the Good Things Foundation's digital blueprint. Text reads 'Blueprint for a 100% digitally included UK'HM: The blueprint is very much focused on policy makers, politicians, and other stakeholders. We’re calling for three things. The first is a great digital catch-up on a mass scale. We're calling to halve the digital divide; 9 million people in the UK can't use the internet without help. 

And so to have a program that tackles 4.5 million of them and actually we've costed that and we can do that, that just 2% of the investment that's going into broadband infrastructure. 


So that's really important and what we would love to have a specific great digital catch-up for people with disabilities to make sure that we're bringing in partners like AbilityNet and, and also looking at devices potentially with slightly more hardware and software for the people with disabilities.

The second one is a data poverty lab because one of the things we found within Covid is that there are a lot of people who just can't afford the internet. 

So, we can help them with devices. We can help them with, with mobile data, you know, six months, 12 months, but that's going to run out. We've supported over 10,000 people during the pandemic with new tablets, with new mobile data but when that runs out, we really need a cross sector program.

Read how AbilityNet supported the roll-out of devices in the community


I think we should set ourselves a target of two years to close that data poverty gap to make sure that people who can't afford it can get it for free or very, very, very low costs and clearly government the, the technology and telecom sector and charities need to work together on that.

And the third one is a digital strategy that really works for everybody. Government can't digitize government services without bringing people with them.

So, if there are still millions and millions of people over 5 million disabled people who have never used internet or who are limited users, then that's not okay. We need to make sure that the digital strategy talks to this as an issue, not just about the possibilities of the tech sector. 

How AbilityNet can Help

For support from AbilityNet call our FREE helpline 0800 048 7642

Adjust your computer for changing needs using My Computer My Way

Read our factsheet on Visual impairment and computing

Watch recordings of FREE AbilityNet Live! webinars and sign up for new ones 

Find out more about AbilityNet's Digital Accessibility Service

Accessibility tips from the BBC

What do the BBC, accessibility and the Tardis have in common?

Fifteen years ago, the three combined to help jumpstart the BBC’s accessibility journey as accessibility lead Gareth Ford Williams explains. 

“I was told to go in and meet Robin Christopherson [AbilityNet’s head of Digital Inclusion]. We did a workshop session on accessibility in 2005 with Robin.

"Robin's a bit of a Sci-Fi nerd and we went off and found a Tardis at television centre.”

Fast-forward to today and Ford Williams continues to champion accessibility across the BBC. Here are his top tips for embedding accessibility across an organisation?

1. Involve users in the design process

Do we still need to keep telling user stories? Absolutely, says Ford Williams. 

“In the 1960s and 1970s, there weren't disabled kids in mainstream schools. We just started having VI [Visually Impaired] kids just as I was coming towards the end of school in the late 1980s. 

“We have a different way of interfacing with the world and we have different needs and different requirements. The BBC is trying to get to 12% members of staff with disabilities at the minute. It's really important we all understand each. 

“If you separate people out, empathy is hard.”

2. Build allies across your organisation

Image shows fibre option lights in a cluster or networkedChampioning your cause is vital, Ford Williams says, “One of the first things I did is get permission to send out a division-wide email and just say, ‘I'm going to be in, in the boardroom this one lunchtime with a load of sandwiches and tea, and with no friends. I'd love to have a chat.’” 

“And it was packed. We couldn't fit everyone in the room, and it wasn't just the sandwiches, because BBC sandwiches aren't that great.

“Somewhere around about 2011, 2012, we were chatting with someone who, who just said, you know, there's champions networks in places like Yahoo but there was no such thing as an accessibility champions network, and we kind of formalized it.”

3. Listen to other people

“I went to people and said I need to understand how you do your job. And I need to make sure that this works for you. I'm not going to tell you how to do your job. I'm not going to slap a load of guidelines in front of you, and put 'thou shalt not', in cross stitch over the bed. It's none of that. It was just as an accessibility manager, I had to understand how to integrate.”

4. Tackling one problem at a time

“It's building that case and building something that is, is easy, understandable, and scalable and sustainable because you don't want to end up in an auditing sausage machine.

The first thing we did was create subgroups to tackle each of the different questions that we were. We looked at the semantic structure, and we all decided how many heading level ones we were going to have because we couldn't find any pages that were marked up the same. Ee just tackled one problem. 

“The business treats headings exactly the same everywhere now and no one really knows why. And that's because we sorted it out 15 years ago.”

5. Take accessibility to the top

“You have to listen. You have to be a good listener to be an accessibility person and yes, seek forgiveness, not approval. 

“Just go and knock on the CEO's door and have a chat. Find out when they get in the lift, pop in with them and have a natter, you know, do that be cheeky. No, one's going to have a go at you for talking about something that's very important, very ethical.”

6. Building success one project at a time

Tony Aggy [former BBC controller] said to me, we've got this project, a prototype called BBC Imp [now iPlayer]. 

“He said write a bunch of requirements and I'll mandate them. We're just going to experiment. Let's find out how it works, test it, make sure it works and then spread it and then we've got a place where we can say, look, it's working over here.

“So, we built it and it. There's no accessibility lead in iPlayer, but it just became part of the thing. That's what iPlayer is, as accessible as it possibly can be.”

How AbilityNet can help

Unblocking the power of Android: Google's Action Blocks

Help relatives and friends unlock the power of their Android phones using Google's Action Blocks.

Action Blocks is an App from the Google Play Store that allows you to set them up for a specific function or task that is accessible from the home screen and actioned with a single tap.  

It also offers a way to interact with the in-built voice assistant but without the need to remember commands or gestures or the need to be understood by speech recognition.

Check out our FREE factsheet on Communication Aids


Google's Action Blocks are useful for people with dexterity impairments because you can resize individual buttons from a tile that takes up the same amount of screen space as four icons (about a quarter of the screen on a smartphone) to something that can cover the majority of the screen itself.

This presents a much larger target than the default icons and is far less likely to be accidentally dragged off the screen and lost.

Why should I use Action Blocks?

Buttons and tiles are customisable, so you can include a picture that illustrates the action. There are a number of possible applications, for example, you could set a picture of a glowing lightbulb on one button to turn the lights on and a picture of a dark bulb on another to turn them off (your lights will need to be smart lights, to do this). 

You can also do things like use a photograph of a person on a button that will dial that person's number.

Read how one of our volunteers set up a smart solution for a woman with MS


Or how about a picture of a radio on the button that opens up the BBC sound app and the stream of a person's favourite radio station?

Tapping a picture of a recognisable item makes a link with a service despite the change in how the person accesses the service. 

How do I set up Action Blocks?

A smartphone screen showing 4 simple action blocks with corresponding pictures including the face of a person and the action 'call my daughter'Setting up an action requires that you are reasonably comfortable with using a smartphone or tablet and most use cases assume that you will therefore be a person setting up the Action Blocks on behalf of someone who is struggling. 

When you first set up an Action Block, you are given a series of suggested actions, common tasks you might want to do with your phone; send a message, make a call, play music, set an alarm or a reminder, or get directions. You can also control connected lights or heating. 

The selection the app suggests are common actions, but you can create an Action Block to carry out any action on your smartphone or tablet that you could trigger with a voice command. It's best to stick with simple commands like "turn on the hall light" as more complicated sequences tend to be a bit more hit-and-miss, but you can experiment with what works.

For support using technology call our FREE helpline on  0800 048 7642


Setting up the action itself can be done by voice or typed and you can then test out the action to check it works before moving to the next stage.

When you test the action, your command will be read out in a fairly fast, robotic voice as it is this that triggers the action using the voice-based Google Assistant, but you can switch this off as soon as you’re happy the command is doing what you want it to. 

You can then select a picture for the button. This is particularly useful for people who may struggle to remember symbols or associate concepts; a picture of someone that will trigger the action to call that person is a simpler concept than learning how to search and navigate a contacts list. It also requires far less dexterity than attempting to dial a number using an on-screen number pad. 

It's also a simple reassurance should a person find themselves in a stressful or distressing situation, that they can go to this simple action, or hand their phone to someone else who will be able to see this action clearly.

Get Action Blocks to Read Aloud

As well as the use cases above, Action Blocks can turn your smartphone or tablet into a simple AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) device where buttons can be assigned words or phrases that can be read out-loud when pressed. You have a choice of a male or female-sounding voice, but both have American accents. The list of default phrases is:

  • “Hello, my name is...” (which can be edited to include a name)
  • “Excuse me, I have something to say”
  • “Please help me”
  • “Yes”
  • “No”

You can also create a ‘custom phrase’, to say anything you would like and the phrase can then be assigned a picture and a name. This is useful for anyone non-verbal or for anyone who may struggle to articulate themselves. For example, you could set up a phrase to ask for a return bus ticket to the town centre or set up a button to explain your condition or barrier to a stranger, should you wish to.

The Android Accessibility Help has more information on Action Blocks.

How AbilityNet can Help

    For support from AbilityNet call our FREE helpline 0800 048 7642

    Adjust your computer for changing needs using My Computer My Way

    Read our factsheet on Visual impairment and computing

    Watch recordings of FREE AbilityNet Live! webinars and sign up for new ones 

    Further resources

    How to adapt the workplace for future generations

    An ageing population, technology and a global pandemic raise challenging questions about tomorrow’s workforce said experts at the Future of Ageing Conference 2020.Image shows a man in a suit holding an Apple. Behind him is the Apple logo and the slogan 'think difefrent'

    “Across the G20, one in three workers is aged 50 and over and that is set to increase to four in ten in the next 20 years,” said Lily Parsey, Global Policy and Influencing Manager for the International Longevity Centre (ILC), the organisation behind the conference.

    “I don't think anyone would question that we have a multigenerational workforce, or that intergenerational tension exists,” said Jodi Starkman, Executive Director of Innovation Resource Center for Human Resources hosting the online panel.

    Covid-19, she said, has reignited a debate that competition for jobs will increase. 

    Covid-19, an opportunity for older workers?

    The reality is that the pandemic – alongside advancing technology – has empowered people of all ages to work more flexibly from home. 

    “During the pandemic, more people are working from home, collaborating with people from across companies and geographies, interviewing, socializing and learning new skills, all enabled by technology,” said Starkman.

    Our working from home review will help you adjust your home workspace


    A picture of Apple CEO Tim Cook - behind him are a set of logos from AppleShe added that it’s a myth older people can’t use technology. “It’s part of a workplace myth that older people can't use it [technology]. In reality, it is helping to democratize the workplace by supporting a wide range of employee circumstances and needs,” added Starkman. 

    “As Apple's 1997 commercial said, it’s time to Think Different.”

    Fellow panellist Stuart Lewis, CEO of Rest Less, a digital community for the over 50s, agrees. 

    “The generation of someone turning 50 today is digitally native. There are over 12.5 million Facebook profiles over the age of 50. Jeff Bezos is in his fifties, Tim Cook leading Apple, touching 60, Tim Berners-Lee who invented the internet is in his mid-sixties, and has just gone into his new venture.”

    “There is absolutely nothing around age and technology,” he added. 

    For FREE support using technology call AbilityNet's FREE helpline 0800 048 7642

    Career planning in middle life

    What technology can’t do is help people develop, and adapt their career paths as they age, said fellow panellist Lucy Standing of Brave Starts.

    “I’ve just done a survey of the top 16 freely available career survey tools, and they will never work,” said Standing whose not-for-profit organisation seeks to provide older employees with career change programmes.

    She points to the example of an African woman in her late forties who had never worked, who Brave Starts helped place on work experience with one of the UK’s leading fashion designers and now runs her own African fabric, design business.

    Lewis similarly points to the fact that many careers peak in our forties and fifties.

    “Most FTSE 100 company leaders are in their fifties and sixties. Many politicians are in their sixties or seventies, and those corporate leaders will look around the boardroom [and] see lots of, uh, experienced workers,” he said. 

    He added, “It is in middle management that ageism and age begin to bite.”

    Brave Starts believes companies have a responsibility in this middle age to help employees to re-evaluate career paths and give them ownership to make a change. They run three-to-four-month programmes and arrange for people to spend time learning about jobs they may want to do before they quit and retrain. 

    AbilityNet offers rewarding opportunities for volunteering to support others with tech


    “We find that 42% of the time people don't quit. They don't give up their job. But they do maybe drop down to three or four days a week so that they can work on a side hustle;18% do go on to do career change. Teaching, counselling, youth work.”

    Standing advocates employers encourage employees, especially long-standing ones, to explore options. “There is a clear relationship between tenure and engagement in work. The longer you’re in a job, the more likely you are to be bored.”

    Those options might be spending time in another department, which will in turn break down silos, or taking time out to explore other career paths. “Monzo is a great example of this. They give their employees 30 days off every single year to do whatever it is that they want to do next to build that next career. You can imagine what that probably does for their employee proposition,” said Standing.

    She added, “It doesn't cost much money compared to expensive executive coaching leadership development coaching. And what do you also do?”

    Innovating to tackle ageism in the workplace

    ILC has launched a consultation paper to look at innovations designed to support an ageing workforce. 

    “Work for Tomorrow is a two-pronged approach; the consultation paper and international innovations competition, which will seek to identify and reward the most promising innovations in this space,” explained Parsey. 

    The consultation paper explores four key elements of an ageing workforce:

    • Maintaining good health
    • Building knowledge, skills, and competence
    • Addressing discrimination and supporting diversity
    • Adapting the workplace

    Parsey explained the detail behind each of the areas, starting with good health. 

    “We know poor physical health, or poor mental health, is one of the key barriers[and] way too many of us drop out of the workforce early,” said Parsey citing caring responsibilities as a factor that contributes to mid-life stresses. 

    “In the context of an ageing society, we're much more likely to be providing care,” she said. “Often, we'll find ourselves with multiple caring responsibilities at the same time; you know, the term sandwich carers. We might be caring for a parent at the same time as caring for children. There has to be more flexibility because again, otherwise, we are just going to lose out on talent,” said Parsey. 

    There is also a need to tackle ageism, and to embrace technology.

    “The pandemic is an accelerator in this space and has shown employers that people can be productive even if they're working from home,” she said. 

    How AbilityNet can help

    AbilityNet supports older and disabled people to adapt technology.

    For support from AbilityNet call our FREE helpline 0800 048 7642

    Adjust your computer for changing needs using My Computer My Way

    Watch recordings of FREE AbilityNet Live! webinars and sign up for new ones 

    Find out more about AbilityNet's Digital Accessibility Service

    For support for employers and employers in the workplace visit our workplace services

    Why technology companies need to adapt for seniors

    Older people have embraced technology during the pandemic; now tech companies must embrace them, say experts at the International Longevity Centre’s (ILC) Future of Ageing Conference 2020.  

    Older people have turned to tech during the health crisis, figures from EY reveal. “People over 55 are using technology far more than they have in the past,” said Shaun Crawford, Global Vice Chair of Industry, EY.

    The survey found that during the pandemic, 36% of all respondents had tried video calling for the first time. The adoption of online shopping had been highest among those over 65.


    People have also used existing services, more.

    “Forty-five per cent of all households have used the internet more often for browsing; 41% have made more group video calls since the crisis began,” said Crawford. 

    One in five of over 65s have also increased the number of phone calls made. 

    Cross-generational communication needs

    Shows screenshots of Caribu. Text on screen reads: 'play, draw and read in a video call', and 'your grandkids can't wait to play'The need for communication has been heightened during this time of physical distancing. Older generations want to feel connected to grandkids.

    Caribu is an app that enables multiple generations to interact and play games and has just been named one of Apple’s top apps of 2020

    “We bring families together through virtual playdates. So, we allow grandparents to read, draw, and play games in a video call with their grandkids, no matter how far apart they are,” said Maxeme Tuchman CEO and Co-Founder of Caribu.

    “Grandparents are having the most difficulty with the pandemic, not being able to see their grandkids. We had a grandmother in Canada whose grandkids are in the US, and she was starting to get depressed because of the social isolation.”


    Using Caribu, they were able to connect. “She said that Caribu lit up her world and that it was a game-changer for her and her family,” said Tuchman who says they have seen a ten-fold increase in usage of their app as a result of Covid-19.

    The app has customers in over 100 countries. 

    Supporting people with tech in care homes

    Technology also has a key role in connecting people in care homes, said fellow panellist Jisella Dolan Chief Advocacy Officer for Home Instead. “We know the importance of connecting with their families, their children, and their grandchildren, and the ability of our home care services and technology working together,” she said, adding “Our motto is 'relationship before task'.”

    “Like everything in the world, we see the digitalization of our industry. We're testing models of delivering tablet-based care in the home. So, it's ways for people to do video chats, virtual chats, listen to music, radio, read about the news.”

    Home Instead has been delivering this through the GrandPad, a tablet designed with the elderly specifically in mind

    AbilityNet volunteers offer FREE support on a range of devices. Call 0800 048 7642

    Tailored solutions for older people

    Both Caribu and Home Instead have learned the importance of technology adapting to the specific needs of older generations. Caribu works directly with older people and coined the phrase ‘Glam Mas’ to describe their typical service user. 

    “We had to meet grandparents where they were; they were on the web. They want to see things bigger, right? They want to have that full experience with their grandchild. The grandchild's running around with a phone, but they wanted on the web,” said Tuchman.

    Discover how to adapt your tech to suit you with My Computer My Way


    Caribu also needed to adapt its approach to customer support. “We had to install a phone number because we couldn't rely on the FAQ. We realized a lot of our grandparents didn't know the question to ask. They didn't know is it my router? Is it my Wi-Fi? Is it my operating system? They just didn't even know that those words existed,” explained Tuchman. 

    With GrandPad the technology that has adapted to the specifics of ageing, as Dolan explained.

    “As we age, our skin on our finger changes so older people can struggle on an iPhone. [One of the reasons we work] with GrandPad is it has a set of ‘super seniors’ on their board in their eighties and nineties that inform them and pilot and test the GrandPad and get feedback.”

    It’s not only the screen that’s an issue, but the super seniors also revealed that a long cable made it difficult to charge the device. 

    Caribu is similarly looking to build a panel of seniors to inform product development. 

    Are you designing a website or service? Our accessibility consultants can help with a range of services to ensure it is accessible to all.


    Others would be wise to follow suit, said Dolan. “In the US, women in their 40s to 70s will manage most of the GDP of America for the next decade. So, if you're in business and offering services and products, you should probably be thinking about what they might want,” she said.

    “Let's think about how we connect with seniors. And I would suggest do like GrandPad and bring in older people and bring younger generations in to connect with the older generations so they can empower and share as well.”

    Read more about the Business Case for Accessibility.

     

    Further information and support

    Download Caribu for Android 

    Download Caribu for iOS

    GrandPad: Tablet for the elderly

    How AbilityNet can Help

    For support from AbilityNet call our FREE helpline 0800 048 7642

    Adjust your computer for changing needs using My Computer My Way

    Read our factsheet on Visual impairment and computing

    Watch recordings of FREE AbilityNet Live! webinars and sign up for new ones 

    Find out more about AbilityNet's Digital Accessibility Service

    Pages