Internet banking increases disabled access: An Insider's View
Submitted by Sarah Botterill on Mon, 22/02/2021 - 18:42
Twenty-two years after the launch of the first full-service, internet-only bank an industry insider and a user reflect on the beginning of a sector-wide transformation that improved disabled people's lives.
The First Internet Bank of Indiana launched on February 22, 1999.
Industry perspective: reflections from Barclays’ Paul Smyth
Internet banking enables customers to the bank where, when and how they want.
It also brings a new level of convenience. Online banking transforms lives for some of us with disabilities who'd historically struggled to navigate the physical world.
Barclays’s ambition is to be accessible and inclusive.
However, the early version of our internet banking website wasn’t born accessible.
Listening to disabled customers
Early on, I remember many complaints which led to disabled customers invited in and spending time with our Head of Digital, educating them on accessibility.
This customer feedback helped drive our accessibility programme, as we listened and learned from the disability community.
It's helped us be proactive and deliver digital services accessible by design to ensure our digital services don't unintentionally exclude anyone.
Digital banking enables Deaf customers to connect via virtual sign language interpreters to communicate with their bank. Those with learning or literacy difficulties can use fingerprint or face recognition to pass security in our mobile banking app.
A customer struggling to get to a bank branch can take a snapshot of a cheque on their smartphone and have it processed seamlessly.
Meanwhile, a vision-impaired customer using a screen reader can manage their money independently and barrier-free via their computer or mobile device.
Accessible digital services also offer greater flexibility, choice and personalisation.
The investment Barclays has made in accessibility has significantly helped during the Covid-19 pandemic with the rapid acceleration of digital adoption.
We know there's always more we can do to ensure that our digital services are designed for each of us so that they work for all of us.
We therefore strongly encourage disabled customers with accessibility feedback or suggestions to get in touch via telephone banking, secure chat, social media [@BarclaysAccess on Twitter] or via our complaints process) so that we can continue to remove barriers.
An individual’s view: reflections from AbilityNet’s Robin Christopherson
Being able to manage your finances independently is essential.
With the advent of online banking (and in particular mobile banking), I no longer had to deal with paper or time-consuming interactions on the phone or in-branch.
The simplicity of a banking app makes it straightforward to look at different accounts and individual transactions to stay on top of our finances.
Using biometric authentication such as Touch or Face ID means that the frequent entering account numbers, codes, or passwords are thankfully over.
See AbilityNet Live! to sign up for FREE webinars on technology and disability
Overcoming logistical challenges
Travelling to and navigating around physical branches is often problematic.
There are far fewer branches - and many that remain are inaccessible for those in a wheelchair or with mobility issues.
Phone banking is useful but can challenge older customers or those with hearing loss.
Being blind, access to cash used to present multiple challenges. Without talking ATMs like the ones Barclays provides) I had to ask strangers to push the buttons at the hole-in-the-wall on my behalf.
This is not a recommended approach.
Quick payments using your mobile and tap-to-pay, reduce such barriers.
This is why ensuring that your bank prioritises accessibility and inclusive design in all their digital services is so vital.
Without it, you're just as excluded from financial independence as someone in a wheelchair is when faced with steps into a physical branch - or as we all would be without internet banking during this time of Covid-19.
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.
The first talking computers
Text-to-speech on computers is well-established.
Since the 1950s, computers have been conversing with computer scientists – albeit almost entirely unintelligibly (the speech recognition programme was known as Wreck a Nice Beach – a play on 'recognise speech').
The ability to report what’s on a screen for those who can't see ( 'screen reading software or a 'screen reader') came along a little while later.
The advent of the Graphical User Interface (GUI, or goo-ey) caused uncertainty and anxiety for blind users when it arrived in the late 80s and early 90s.
The writing was on the wall for text-based computing.
Straightforward lines of on-screen text were replaced by a canvas of pixels on which everything – words, windows, images and buttons – were drawn with random abandon and no regard for us blind users at all (or so it seemed).
Worse still you needed something called, a mouse to move and click an on-screen arrow. DOS screen readers and trusty keyboard hotkeys wouldn’t work here.
We were worried.
Imagine if someone told you that you were no longer allowed to look at your computer or phone screen and had to perform impossible gestures (without seeing the results) to be able to continue to use your favourite tech.
To top it all, being blind we didn’t have the option of returning to paper and pen, of course.
We needed innovation to ensure visually-impaired users were included in the new age of graphical computing.
Screen readers were forced to employ cunning, low-level techniques, gathering messages from the operating system and using these to build up an 'off-screen model' (OSM).
An OSM is an entirely separate version of the display's content. Only the required text and other necessary bits of information (that this bit of text is sitting on a button or within a weblink etc.) - is stored.
Tech giants behind leading operating systems needed to cooperate: Microsoft Windows, Mac OS and IBM OS2 – may it rest in peace).
Thankfully, this cooperation was relatively quickly forthcoming.
Bring apps into the equation. They also become accessible, given the all-important proviso that they respect the need to make information visible to this OSM by following the steps outlined by Microsoft etc. Many app developers did. Many have not - even to this day.
The first screen reader for Windows was released in early 1995.
It was called Jaws (great name), standing for ‘Job Access With Speech’ and it soon became apparent that working with these 'Window' things, as a blind person, wouldn't be impossible after all.
Challenging and far more complicated than DOS, undoubtedly, but definitely doable.
Jaws has enjoyed consistent development ever since. It remains the go-to screen reader in the workplace in most countries across the globe. However, it isn't inexpensive, often costing as much as the computer it runs on and with an annual licence of around £100 to boot.
Many other screen readers exist – and competition is a good thing in any market. Until relatively recently, however, they were all relatively expensive.
You get what you pay for with a quality screen reader (and these companies need to cover costs like any other), but the price tag did mean that many blind users were left behind.
We now have an excellent, free screen reader called NVDA which has much of Jaws' functionality, so finally, there are options for those living with no vision on a budget.
What makes a good screen reader?
Creating an effective screen reader is more complicated than you might think.
Think of it as a means to ‘drive’ your computer with the appreciation that not all cars, for example, aren’t created equal’.
You definitely need four wheels, a fifth to steer and at least one seat.
To get there with efficiency and comfort, however, you’ll also need a gearbox, power steering, an array of instrumentation and a myriad of other helpful modern augmentations.
The same is true for a screen reader.
A blind user's focus is only ever in one place at a time; on a single character in a document, on a given item in a menu, on a certain link or image in a web page. We can’t take in the screen as a whole or ‘glance’ around without some help.
That myopic view of the screen means that a lot more smarts need to be applied to speed up the process.
Layers of sophistication within screen readers
All screen readers have keystrokes to help read that focus (a button or link) button, others to speak a line of text, or the title of the app you’re using and so on.
However, it would help if you had several sophistication levels above that to really be efficient – especially in the workplace.
You’ll want a broader range of hotkeys to quickly glance’ at key points on your screen without tabbing multiple times to get your focus there and back, smart regions on the screen that monitor changes and report notifications (“This document has been opened in ‘Protected view’ – click here to enable editing,”).
You’ll also appreciate its ability to analyse a web page and give you the option of handy lists for links, headings and form controls, etc.
In fact, driving a computer using a screen reader often feels more like piloting a plane than tootling along in an automobile.
Screen Readers, adapting to change
Along the way were other challenges.
Operating systems kept updating. Simple websites became more and more like applications in their own right.
New devices like mobile phones needed attention too.
The pace of such changes has only increased over the years.
Thus creating and continually updating a powerful screen reader takes significant resource and budget – and hence the high price tag of high-quality screen readers like Jaws.
It’s worth every penny if you can afford it – but many can’t, so thank goodness for the dedicated community behind free solutions such as NVDA which is well and truly nipping at its fins.
Narrator secures its place in screen reader history
So where was Narrator during this long period of challenges and achievements?
Narrator was once disparagingly referred to in the blind community as the screen reader that you used to download and install the ‘proper’ screen reader.
Yet, Microsoft has become a tour de force in delivering accessibility.
It displayed unfailing cooperation in creating a solid off-screen model for other screen reader developers, and commitment in ensuring all its apps provide OSM-friendly information.
I know for a fact that I owe both my education and my career to Microsoft. Isn’t it amazing that the default operating system and a core suite of business apps in almost every workplace worldwide are accessible? Truly.
In the last two years, the narrator has transformed into a viable competitor in the screen reader arena.
No longer is it a tool whose primary use is to open the lid on a bigger, better version of itself.
It now has much of the features that the likes of Jaws and NVDA offer - including many of those valuable hotkeys to do much of the heavy lifting of screen review and far more intelligent handling of more complex applications (like Microsoft’s own Ofice suite).
For blind users who have for so long been unable to imagine a built-in screen reader for Windows that compared favourably to its counterpart on the Mac, now discovering that it’s undergone a major maturing process in a few short months is a delight indeed.
Options are amazing.
When disability so often reduces them to a handful or even none, we now have a powerful option that requires no financial outlay, no downloads (simply press Ctrl+Win+Enter – give it a go yourself) and reliable access to Windows and all our most-used applications.
I am writing this letter to you on Random Acts of Kindness Day 2021, to say a heartfelt “thank you” for being part of my journey.
Early in December 2015 I was enjoying life and working at a telecommunications provider as a customer service agent, then my health took a sudden twist.
Following emergency surgery, I lost my job and was in and out of hospital needing operations.
What hurt me the most was not being able to help others. I came across an advertisement from AbilityNet advertising for ITCANHELP volunteers and quickly applied.
I was interviewed by Sarah Brain became the Scotland Coordinator as a volunteer.
Five years on, I'm saying a big 'thank you' to AbilityNet.
A big, happy volunteer family
I'd strongly recommend to anyone to volunteer for AbilityNet. The organisation treats everyone as one big family.
We can go to each other; there are forums and WhatsApp groups, and you become friends, and it is good to see that.
This is the best organisation I have volunteered for because everyone is treated the same and opinions are heard.
Don't take my word for it. We've just released our 2020 Impact Survey, which includes survey results as to the experience of all AbilityNet volunteers.
Satisfaction levels remain high and volunteers report good engagement, too.
It is a real honour and privilege to work for this charity. Being out of employment was tough and never thought I would get a job I’d enjoy because of the big gap in my C.V.
AbilityNet is my life, Volunteering and now working it's just great!. I remember being offered the role and I was speechless (and for those that know me – It does not happen much...)
Chris Grant, Community Relationship Officer for AbilityNet
Submitted by Sarah Botterill on Mon, 15/02/2021 - 10:00
Tips from leading experts on how Covid-19 has changed how we work, based on a session on inclusive workplaces at TechShare Pro 2020.
Our panellists were Lucy Ruck, Business Disability Forum; Michael Vermeersch, Digital Inclusion lead at Microsoft; Sara John, NatWest, Neil Eustice, KPMG and Darren Rowan from Eli Lilly.
Experts agree that Covid-19 has dramatically changed how we work.
“Business has had to become more flexible allowing those who can, to work from home,” said Luck Ruck, BDF’s Technology Taskforce Manager. “It has been a big shift for everyone, but potentially more so for our disabled colleagues."
“The enforced working from home, brought a sharper focus,” agrees Neil Eustice, Diversity and Knowledge Manager for KPMG UK.
Microsoft’s Michael Vermeersch says Covid-19 speeded development. “We saw an acceleration in the delivery of technology into our products to ensure everyone can work from home and collaborate virtually much better.”
So how can we ensure new ways of working are inclusive?
Experts tips for inclusive online meetings
There is a range of accessibility features that can make working from home more inclusive for everyone.
Our panellists shared tips on the technology they have found helpful and how to make meetings more accessible.
1. Take advantage of built-in accessibility features
Platforms such as Microsoft Teams have accessibility features built-in, and time getting to know them is time well-spent.
For example, Teams has a ‘raise hands’ feature that means it’s easier to tell when a meeting participant wants to speak up.
Microsoft Teams also includes a Closed Captions (cc) feature that will display subtitles of what speakers say on-screen; useful for people with hearing impairments.
Ofcom found that 7.5 million people in the UK (18% of the population) use closed captions (Jan 2020) but of those, only 1.5 million were deaf or hard of hearing.
There isn’t a one size fits all. Take video-conferencing and online meetings as an example. Some people may prefer to see everyone’s face on the screen.
However, you may have people with visual impairments involved in the meeting who will need to move closer to the screen to see the faces and, in doing so, they are no longer fully visible on the screen.
“All they can see is the top of my head about her right ear or something,” said Rowan. "There's no benefit for me, but I understand it because I live in a largely visual world.”
Offering choice is key. There may be another reason people can’t feature onscreen, for instance, if they experience poor broadband.
3. Understand the impact of different communication channels
Be aware of how different ways of communicating impact participants.
Teams has a chat function, which means people can have a conversation there while a meeting is running. It can act as a great enabler for those who are less comfortable speaking up verbally.
But it also makes for a busy meeting.
Screen Reader users hear what’s going on in the meeting and the chatter from what’s being typed, making it hard to follow everything.
“I don't want to get rid of that,” says Rowan, who is a Screen Reader user. “I know chat is an element that is really useful to talk about certain things. It's making sure that it's managed in the right context for the discussions,” he added.
An alternative to having the chat function turned on is to have someone responsible for keeping an eye on the chat and flagging significant items with the meeting chair.
Online meetings can mean we’re ping-ponging from one meeting to another, often without a break.
There are many ways to manage meeting overload.
Think about the timing of meetings. Not every meeting needs to last for an hour; starting at ten past and/or ten to the hour allows time for a comfort break.
There may be a flip side to shorter meetings, though.
“People who need more thinking and processing time are going to get lost in your meeting,” says Eustice.
Ask whether a meeting is the only option, as NatWest’s John said: “[If] everyone's on meetings all day, it isn't great from a mental health point of view."
"We're trying to encourage people to consider ‘do you need a meeting to answer this? Can I send an email, can I do it use a different part of technology to contact somebody?”.
Vermeersch points out that technology can form part of the solution. Teams enable users to schedule ‘focus time’ using MyAnalytics and change your presence to focusing so that all notifications are silenced.
Don’t rely on tech alone for the smooth running of meetings; create guidelines as well.
A good starting point, says John, is to ask people about their needs before the meeting begins.
“Ask before the meeting, what needs people have for that meeting and address them before it starts,” says John. “Advise people of the different ways that they can join, and contribute,” she adds.
Eustice agrees, saying it’s important to plan. “Ask people long before the meeting, if you can, because some adjustments take time to prepare."
He added, If you can’t use cloud-based closed captions and need to hire someone to type your captions instead, you’ll need to have them ready to sit in on your meeting,” he said.
“Moderating online meetings is a sill,” said Rowan.
“One of the ideas we're exploring is having a template that we start with, one slide that gets people in that mode of thinking inclusively,” he added.
6. Encouraging work-life balance
For many of us, our home is now also our office. It’s important to maintain boundaries. Leaders need to think holistically, says Vermeersch.
“We should be kind to each other and understand that there’s no benchmark for what we are experiencing. Statistically, disabled people generally feel like they, they need to be grateful to have a job and tend to over-perform.”
7. Reasonable adjustments for the home workplace
It’s essential to ensure that people have what they need to adapt a home office and make any reasonable adjustments they need.
“The days are sedentary, and we are sitting still for longer,” said Vermeersch.
“We mustn't forget that that at work, you might have certain adjustments already, like bigger screens and all of that kind of stuff,” he said. “I bought myself a gaming chair because I only have one spine, and I need to treat it well.”
You can record sessions so that people can watch them if they’re unable to attend. The functionality is available in Teams and Zoom.
It’s important to let people know that they are being recorded.
Teams offers automatic transcribing so you can read a transcript as an overview of the meeting if you don’t want to watch it all again.
9. Accessible content for meetings
Make sure that any content you share during, before or after the meeting is accessible. Microsoft offers an accessibility checker that will check for whether images are tagged with Alt Text.
“We introduced the accessibility check,” says John. “It prompted people to add Alt Text and to check their colour contrast, that the reading order in PowerPoint is correct.”
Send people documents before the meeting so that they have time to prepare; this will also flag up any problems with the accessibility of these documents.
10. Match document form to purpose
There may be a temptation to use PowerPoint as the default for meetings, but it won’t suit everyone. Ask if it could be more accessible in Word. It’s still possible to add pictures and to include Alt Text within them.
How AbilityNet can help
AbilityNet is a UK-wide charity that offers individuals support at home, at work and in education.
Submitted by Sarah Botterill on Wed, 10/02/2021 - 15:22
The name IBM turns 97 years old this Valentine’s Day (14 February 2021).
It was on this day the name became IBM having been known previously as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company, founded 110 years ago.
IBM invented much of the technology we use today and also gave birth to AbilityNet.
In the 1990s, IBM American launched the National Support Centre for People with Disabilities in the US, followed by a smaller UK group.
For FREE technology help call AbilityNet’s Helpline 0800 048 7642
UK Support group launched by IBM
The UK group published a phone number offering to help people research information about disabilities.
Within three months it had seven staff and was fielding 700 calls per month.
In 1992 it separated from IBM to become a charity called the Computability Centre, alongside the University of Birmingham and The British Computer Society (BCS).
ITCanHelp founder Ken Stoner who had joined the Board of the British Computer Society Disability Group. Ken had previously been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) launched a pilot of the IT Can Help scheme in 1994.
AbilityNet emerged from the merger of the Computability Centre with its close partner, the Foundation for Communication for the Disabled.
AbilityNet was founded in 1998 with an aim to “improve the conditions of life of people with disabilities [and] to advance and promote for the public benefit research into the use of associated equipment.”
Those principles that ring true, today as we strive for a digital world accessible to all.
IBM Innovating to improve the lives of disabled people
As well as providing technical support, IBM has a history of innovating in the field of accessibility.
In 1992 it launched the IBM Screen Reader/2 for OS2 (1992), and later the IBM Home Page Reader a practical screen reader and voice browser (1998).
Later, IBM helped develop the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, the first World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) web accessibility standard.
That innovative spirit is embedded in AbilityNet’s DNA.
Every year we run the Tech4Good Awards recognising organisations and individuals who use digital technology to improve the lives of others and make the world a better place.
Now in its 4th year, TechShare Pro is organised by AbilityNet and is one of Europe's premier accessibility and inclusive design events.
The event features leaders sharing insights, including business strategy, accessibility leadership and digital practice that shape the future of accessibility.
We have helped 6,878 individuals, which is 27% more than the previous year. Plus, the value of our public benefit increased 46%.
In terms of direct help to individuals, we’ve answered 1,580 Helpdesk queries, and our 300+ volunteers have provided 11,726 hours of FREE tech support.
Volunteers have provided vital support in helping people use technology to stay in touch with family and friends and to access food deliveries and essential services.
During Covid-19, we quickly pivoted services from face-to-face support to providing support via phone and remotely via TeamViewer.
For FREE help and support Call the AbilityNet Helpline on 0800 048 7642
Responding to Covid-19
Plugging the gap left by face-to-face support, the charity launched a series of FREE AbilityNet Live! webinars delivering 30+ webinars informing 4,094 people.
Topics have included caring at a distance, reducing loneliness and social isolation, and how to access local support using the internet.
AbilityNet has also worked with other charities during the pandemic offering support on tablets handed into the community for free.
We’re also working with local Age UK centres to support older people with technology.
Making a difference in individuals’ lives
Our focus is on helping older and disabled people. As our Impact Report shows, we have reached people with mobility, learning, hearing and speech, and vision and colour impairments.
Our end of year statistics shows how we’ve made a difference to individuals’ lives. Of the people we’ve helped 82% feel better able to use technology, 90% feel more knowledgeable, and 78% find it easier to manage day-to-day life.
People also more independent (72%), less isolated (68%) and less stressed (79%) with 65% saying they have greater participation in new activities.
These include My Computer My Way, which can show you how to adjust tablets, smartphones and computers to make them easier to use across operating systems.
In 2020 there were over 1.7 million MCMW sessions.
Our FREE factsheets offer specific advice on topics such as Autism and Computer and Alternative Keyboards and Mice. Over 78,111 were viewed in 2020.
Does your institution need to improve digital accessibility?
Submitted by Annie Mannion on Mon, 08/02/2021 - 08:29
Join the latest in our regular free webinar series focusing on digital accessibility at public sector and higher education institutions. Get valuable tips and advice from accessibility experts and practitioners in our next webinar designed especially for public sector professionals:
In this webinar, learn from Annie Horn, Learning Support Manager at Cardiff Metropolitan University about how she worked with others to identify accessibility needs and make changes to the University's processes and procedures to meet the PSBAR deadline in September last year.
She'll be speaking with Alistair McNaught of McNaught Consultancy, about how the university identified its accessibility needs, prioritised its activities and achieved its accessibility targets.
"This wasn’t just a box ticking exercise but an opportunity to provide the best user experience we could," says Annie.
Find out in this webinar what priorities were set to help Annie and her team focus their accessibility work, and create manageable steps to change.
This webinar is for anyone working in the public sector, particularly those in a higher or further education setting, and those working on creating online content.
The webinar will last for one hour and include a question and answer session.
Version 3.0 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are due for publication but what can you expect and how will they differ from WCAG 2.0? This Q&A is based on a presentation by Nomensa’s Alastair Campbell, who is co-chair of the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group W3C.
Campbell delivered the presentation as part of TechShare Pro 2020.
Help City University create an online course on AI for accessibility
Submitted by Robin Christopherson on Tue, 02/02/2021 - 16:16
City, University of London, is calling all those with low or no vision to help create the ultimate course in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its applications for accessibility. If you have a vision impairment of any kind and think you’d like to help, read on…
How AI helps make the world a more accessible place
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is already helping people who are blind or low vision to make the world more accessible. Smartphone apps that use AI can help you enter text without typing, navigate your environment, and recognise currency, text and objects and tell you what they are. For example, apps like Seeing AI use AI to automatically recognise things in pictures you take with your phone camera.
But do you understand how AI works or how AI for accessibility can help you? There are lots of online courses for sighted people to learn about AI, but nothing that focuses on AI for accessibility for blind and low vision people. With AI being such a hot topic in public debate, City University thinks it is high time that there is something there to fill this gap.
Researchers from City, University of London and Microsoft Research are developing an introductory series of online sessions on AI for accessibility aimed at blind and low vision people aged 16 and above. The series will focus on real world examples and apps from AI for accessibility. They will introduce the core concepts and processes involved in AI used in assistive technology and also discuss the ethical considerations when designing for AI for accessibility.
What's included in the courses?
After completing the sessions, people who are blind or low vision will have a basic understanding of AI problems including object, face and speech recognition and their use for improving accessibility.
The series of online sessions are developed in such a way that, if you are only able to attend the first or second session, it will still prove useful and you will come away with key concepts and information.
The course will mainly be self-directed online, with the possibility of teacher-supported in-person learning. The sessions will give you a basic understanding of AI for accessibility presenting example apps you might be familiar with but also some new ones, including some research projects you might not know. The sessions are also interactive and fun, with hands-on activities and quizzes!
Interested in joining this fun online course on AI and accessibility?
City University is looking for blind and low vision people aged 16 and above to give them feedback on the initial sessions - looking especially for ways to make them more engaging and interesting while being accessible to a wide range of people.
The Blog included tips for students, workplace tips and signposting to organisations that are waiting for you to call them, and to support your mental health.
2. Start a conversation with AbilityNet
AbilityNet supports older and disabled people with technology. While the focus is on technology what really matters is the impact that technology has, and how it can improve the lives of older and disabled people.
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
3. Sign-up for a FREE webinar
For obvious reasons, we’ve had to suspend home visits during Covid-19. However, we know how important it is to keep connecting with other people, which is why we launched our AbilityNet Live! series of webinars. The webinars are an opportunity to hear from experts in the field, including AbilityNet staff. They are FREE to join and there’s always a chance to ask questions.
5. AbilityNet answers your questions about mental health
AbilityNet Helpline’s Alex Barker answers some commonly asked questions about mental health, including “How can I work more effectively”, and “I need to be able to “take time out”. How can I do this?”.
For support with technology for disabled and older people, or if you have specific questions for Alex and the team call 0300 180 0028.
Call AbilityNet's helpline on 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
6. Technology to help older people stay in touch
Older people can be prone to isolation and are potentially also less tech-savvy. In a recent webinar on Tablets for Seniors, AbilityNet featured two solutions designed specifically to help older people stay in touch with family and friends.
You can read specific FAQs about both solutions GrandPad and KOMP.
GrandPad includes a built-in button to initiate a call with support 24/7.
7. Support with mental health: partnership work
AbilityNet has been working in partnership with the NHS, Jangala and others to deliver support to service users in London who need help. We’ve also helped others providing tech devices by providing support notably KOMP, and have also worked with other charities notably The Stroke Association to improve lives by enabling people to use technology.
Charities wishing to explore how we can help can email enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk, or call us on 0300 180 0028.
8. Mental health support for students
Covid has led to challenges for students who have ping-ponged in and out of lockdowns and are balancing blended learning models of home and person-to-person learning.
Internet banking enables customers to the bank where, when and how they want. 
Being able to manage your finances independently is essential. 
Robin Christopherson, AbilityNet's Head of Digital Inclusion celebrates Narrator screen reader's coming of age
The ability to report what’s on a screen for those who can't see ( 'screen reading software or a 'screen reader') came along a little while later.
The advent of the Graphical User Interface (GUI, or goo-ey) caused uncertainty and anxiety for blind users when it arrived in the late 80s and early 90s.
We needed innovation to ensure visually-impaired users were included in the new age of graphical computing. 
Creating an effective screen reader is more complicated than you might think. 
All screen readers have keystrokes to help read that focus (a button or link) button, others to speak a line of text, or the title of the app you’re using and so on.
Random Acts of Kindness Day is February 19, 2021. One of the suggested tasks is to write a letter to someone who has made a big impact on your life.
There isn’t a one size fits all. Take video-conferencing and online meetings as an example. Some people may prefer to see everyone’s face on the screen. 
Be aware of how different ways of communicating impact participants. 
Online meetings can mean we’re ping-ponging from one meeting to another, often without a break. 
The name IBM turns 97 years old this Valentine’s Day (14 February 2021). 
Technology has played a vital role in keeping people connected as Covid-19 kept us apart.
Time to Talk Day is a staple in the calendar and provides an 
AbilityNet supports older and disabled people with technology. While the focus is on technology what really matters is the impact that technology has, and how it can improve the lives of older and disabled people.
Older people can be prone to isolation and are potentially also less tech-savvy. In a recent webinar on