News

Equality Time wins the Inclusive Design Prize!

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Note from Joe: this is a pretty big thing, so I’m going to just deliver the press release for now.  Our ‘personal reactions’ will be in a later post. 

The inaugural Inclusive Technology Prize has been awarded to AzuleJoe, an open-source project that will help give people with communication difficulties a voice, highlighting how innovative technologies can make a real difference to the lives of disabled people.

The Inclusive Technology Prize aims to support innovation in assistive tools and products that will benefit the 12.2 million people with a disability or a long term illness in the UK, stimulating creativity through the use of new technologies, materials, design and manufacturing. More than 200 ideas, created with or by disabled people, were entered from across the country, and the finalists included a 3D printed, functioning bionic hand for amputees, and a wheelchair lap belt that can be attached and released using one hand.

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AzuleJoe is led by designer Joe Reddington and speech and language therapy technician Kate McCullum, who both have younger brothers who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices. AzuleJoe is intended to give greater access to the technology by making it easy to use and free at the point of delivery. AzuleJoe has been built almost entirely by a team of volunteers from all over the world, many of them whom have experience with communication disabilities.

AzuleJoe allows users and carers to design their own speech aid using a template in PowerPoint before uploading it to the AzuleJoe server and seeing it instantly converted into a fully functioning communication device that will run on a variety of platforms, including iPads, laptops and Kindles, without a complex set up, making it accessible to as many people as possible.

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AzuleJoe’s source code is entirely open and available on GitHub so users and supporters anywhere around the world can contribute to its future development.

Inclusive Technology Prize finalists, who received financial and development support, also included Nimble, a one finger package opener, and Active Hands’ Fine Motor Aid and Limb Difference Aid, gripping aids that can help with everything from using gym equipment to applying eye liner. You can read more about the finalists and the Prize at www.inclusivetechprize.org.

The Inclusive Technology Prize is run by Nesta’s Challenge Prize Centre in partnership with Leonard Cheshire Disability and with support from the Department for Work and Pensions, Innovate UK, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and national law firm Irwin Mitchell.

 

Constance Agyeman, Senior Programme Manager at Nesta, the innovation charity managing the Prize, said: “The Inclusive Technology Prize has helped bring to light some new innovations helping people to overcome daily challenges. AzuleJoe is a great example of how new technology can make something previously accessible by few, available to many. We are excited to follow its development and hope to embark on a follow up prize later this year to identify even more life changing tools.”

The Minister for Disabled People, Justin Tomlinson, said: “The technology may be complex, but the ambition is simple: to harness the power of the latest advances and use it to address the barriers faced by disabled people on a daily basis. The technologies we’ve seen in the Inclusive Technology Prize have the power to transform the lives of disabled people and support their independence. Each entrepreneur can be proud of their contribution towards this.”

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Designer Joe Reddington said: “This award will make a real difference to a massive number of people all around the world. We”re proud and humbled to receive it”

The Inclusive Technology Prize was intended to help raise the profile of innovations in the sector and has inspired external investment from a philanthropic trust for two of the finalists. Evolvable Walking Aid, a modular range of parts which can be assembled to form a walking stick, frame or crutches, has been awarded £35,000 and How Do I?, an app which uses Near Field Communication technology to deliver instructional videos to young people with learning difficulties, has been awarded £15,000.

 

Photos here are credited to Beth Crockatt.

New Shows prepared for Supertitle

New shows have been prepared for Supertitle this week:

As a couple of notes – Spot-Bots and Andy’s adventures are testing files – so the translations change rapidly.   We’ve added some adult content as well. Eastenders has arrived by popular request – as has the nature program Life in the Air. Both of the adult programs haven’t got speaker information – if your group is ready for that level of program then they’ll be ready to cope with that change!

 

All episodes are available at this page – we’re looking forward to seeing what our groups can come up with!

Communicate and AzuleJoe: Theory of Change

As part of the Inclusive Technology Prize. Kate and I are designing a development plan for CommuniKate and AzuleJoe to look at how hope the projects will unfold in the next fewyears. Part of this process is the creation of a Theory of Change.

So many different things are called a ‘Theory of Change’ that the term is increasingly somewhat unhelpful. We’ve seen diagrams, documents, spreadsheets and PowerPoint decks that all claim to be a ‘Theory of Change’.

Our summary is: a theory of change is any way of structuring your plan in such a way that shows the overall goal and the conditions that are needed to achieve that goal. You can then list your activities to check for conditions that have been overlooked or activities that are unhelpful. This is the sort of slapdash definition that makes my girlfriend‘s blood boil, but it will do for now.

When preparing our Theory of Change Kate and I concentrated on the overall problem space, rather than our bit of it. We asked “what sort of world do we want?” and the answer was:

Everyone in the world should have free speech

I like this a lot. It’s a big change. Everybody should be able to communicate. Regardless of wealth, regardless of what country they are in, what nationality they call themselves, everyone should have free speech.

It gets a little interesting, when you brainstorming on the individual parts… you need some free software, open source ideally, to run on powered communication devices. And you need some free page sets to run on the software. But you also need some low-tech solutions so you need some freely available communication boards. Then there are more social conditions: professionals must be comfortable recommending free solutions; the public must be aware.

Our complete theory of change is Communication Theory of change and we welcome any feedback.

Children in Need interview

We had our  Children in Need grant interview for the Supertitle project today.

It was interesting – the interviewer was thorough, and I certainly expect that any project with problems would have fallen to bits in the 90 minutes. Even thought (I like to think) we have a sound project I was caught out by some management questions. Even if the grant goes another way, the call was worthwhile as ‘proofreading’ of how we run eQuality Time. There were a few questions that we have an good answer to, but that we’ve yet to write down anywhere.   There are also a few policies that we have but haven’t got a system for reviewing.

I filled a couple of pages with notes that will make eQualty Time better.  I also need to get better at the process: there were figures and files that I should have had at my fingertips, and searching for them wasted both the interviewer’s time and my own.  Also the interviewer pointed out a problem with my code, which was embarrassing.

We’ll let you know how it goes.

 

Band-it

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Today’s gust feature is from Hannah Scoones who has just launched a crowdfunding campaign to fund Band-it. I asked her to share her story.

One of the difficulties if you have lost some of your sight is navigating everyday objects. Things that are straightforward to do with full vision, such as cooking a meal or washing your hair, can become more difficult when you are not sure which bottle to use for what in the bathroom or which tin to open for lunch.

This is where Band-it comes in. Band-it is a product designed with and for people who are visually impaired, to give greater independence in their own homes. It is a set of tactile rubber bands which can be stretched over different household products to make them more easily identifiable through colour and touch.

 

A Crowdfunder campaign, crowdfunder.co.uk/bandit, is fundraising to enable this product to be manufactured.

“The bands were great and made it very easy to distinguish between storage tins that were the same texture and size. Probably the very best was being able to know what was in each spray can in the kitchen – so easy to spray the dining table with oven cleaner rather than polish but with the bands there can be no mistake,” says Sue Harold, a visually impaired product tester.

The initial concept was developed by Hannah Scoones in her final year studying Sustainable Product Design at Falmouth University, and has been further developed since graduating in 2014. She became interested in the area of inclusive design, which is design for all ages and abilities, whilst studying. This product is one that she hopes will be the first of many in this area of design that comes to fruition through Band-it Products Ltd.

Screen Shot 2016-04-01 at 16.53.03She says, “I’m excited to see what was just a concept a year and a half ago be turned into a reality, and I hope that it will improve many people’s daily lives.”

The product is made from silicone rubber, and has the stretchiness of an elastic band, which was designed after trying many different ways of attaching the bands to different sized objects, where other fastening methods are too complex.

The tactile shapes have also gone through a rigorous process to end up with shapes that are distinct enough from each other and large enough so that they can be easily distinguished.

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The bright colours are very important as many people who are visually impaired still have some level of sight, and so these help to draw attention to the objects they are used around.

There is one final design feature which is an indented line on one side of the band. This enables the bands to be used to identify a side on an object, for example if put on a spray can, this can be lined up with the nozzle to give confidence in which way the spray can will spray.

Often the simplest solutions are the best, and the hope is for this product and others that follow to not only positively impact the lives of those who are visually impaired, but many others as well.

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Band-it is available as a Crowdfunder reward from the 1st -30th April 2016 at £10 a set. Please follow Band-it on www.facebook.com/banditproducts/ or @BanditProducts on Twitter to be kept up to date with the campaign, and visit bandituk.com for more information.

 

6 Must-Do’s When Hairstyling Someone With A Neurological Disorder

Today’s guest feature is  by Cory Thomas, CEO/Founder of The Traveling Barbers “Hair Professionals For The Disabled”.  The Traveling Barbers, based in Trenton, New Jersey,  provide a home hair care service for the disabled community by send licensed barbers and hairstylists to the residences of those who has trouble making it out to a conventional barbershop or hair salon.   I asked Cory to put together some tips for anyone cutting hair in the disability space.

 

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  1. Make sure wheelchair wheels are properly locked.

Before beginning the hairstyling process this is always first on the to-do list. You don’t want to ruin your client’s haircut or hairstyle because of their wheelchair constantly moving while your trying to work.

 

  1. Guard against flying hairs.

To safeguard your clients from the little hairs that can infiltrate their wheelchair when doing haircutting, using an old bed sheet can be good. It can rap around both the client and their wheelchair and stay in place with the use of a clip; it’s a very handy tool.

 

  1. Make sure your clippers aren’t too sharp.

Clippers shouldn’t be as sharp as they would be when working in an conventional barbershop or salon, so as to not hurt or bruise the client’s head from any sudden quick motions that may take place with someone who has a neurological disorder.

 

  1. Beware of the use of straight razors and scissors.

Avoid the use of sharp cutting instruments like straight razors and sharp scissors. Again sometimes sudden quick reactions can take place from the client, and when that does happen the last thing you want in your hand is something sharp; they also now make “ safety hair styling scissors” that are great for this so problem.

 

  1. Sometimes less is more.

When providing hair care it can sometimes be better to go the more “traditional” route as opposed to different kinds of elaborate haircuts and hairstyles. This can cause the hair care process to become much longer resulting in the client getting  frustrated.

 

  1. Familiar faces provide a comfortable atmosphere.

Sometimes to get the best results out of your client and get the best hair care service, having someone who is familiar with the client in the room can put them at ease and sometimes in a more cheerful mood.

AzuleJoe Development Snapshot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RM6bg1Q03o

This is a demonstration video showing the state of our AzuleJoe project as it is right now (for developers, the video was made around this commit).  The script for the video is included below.
This is a demonstration video for AzuleJoe. We’re going to walk you through setting up an online speech aid for a new user.  Just to let you know. The screencast portions of this video are running at double speed so that we can fit under five minutes. 
I’m going to start by opening the AzuleJoe page. This link is currently live and you are all welcome to use it. 
We provide a copyright free template for people to get started with, which I’m going to download.  
For this particular user I’m going to quickly alter the about me page. PowerPoint lets me quickly and easily move around images and text and I’m taking full advantage of this. 
I’m going to quickly save the presentation so far, and upload it to our server. I choose the nationality of the voice, and the size of the grid I’m using.  
Once the file is uploaded, AzuleJoe generates an online speech aid, which I’m going to give a quick check to.  
I’m also going to check it on my iPad, My Kindle Fire, and my Tesco Hudl.  In case of an emergency, I’m also going to check it works on a phone. All systems go.  Let’s see how the user likes it. 
I’m sending the link to the user’s staff team to see how they get on.  This is the video that I get back: 
Richard likes it, but he’s objecting – I’ve accidentally put the wrong age in.  No problem, it’s quick and easy for me to make edits, even 200 miles away.  
That’s your four minute introduction.  Hope you are willing to give it a go yourselves! 

Singing for our supper

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Note from Joe: this note was written in the middle of February, and I’ve just found it, ironically, on the date that the Nesta prize was announced.  I’m presenting it unaltered here. 

Yesterday was a big day for eQuality Time.  We were one of 10 finalists who pitched to Nesta’s team of judges for a £50,000 prize to launch AzuleJoe more widely.
It was a simple 10 minute pitch followed by 15 minutes of Q&A and I have, of course, spent the last 24 hours thinking of all of the *better* answers I could have given.
It was pleasant to catch up with the rest of the finalists as they either came out of or went into their panels – they’ve all got excellent ideas and we’ve known them for the best part of a year now so one feels closer to them than most of the people who are technically helping.  This was very clear when one of the other teams left us alone with their prototype for five minutes before their presentation.
I was ready for how much today mattered to eQuality Time. The Nesta prize would ensure that eQuality Time was solvent and functional for at least one more full year and it would come at an amazing time for us.
I was less ready for how much of a toil the day was going to take on me personally. My only success for the rest of the day was ‘inhaling several thousand calories of carbs’ and staying awake enough to nod periodically while my girlfriend picked us up from the station, cooked dinner, entertained Kate and was generally everything one could wish for in terms of support.
The winner of the Nesta Prize will be announced at a ceremony in Nesta’s offices on March.

Children in Need Application

At eQuality Time we believe that the more transparent an organisation is, the more effective it will be.

One of the things we’d like to be more transparent about is the funding application process.  We’ve just sent off one to Children In Need so we wanted to share the application here (Some personal details have been redacted).

Here’s the resulting  PDF: Small Grants Application Form – from Sept 2015

We`d like this to be a regular thing, but there are various other demands on time so it will have to be on a case by case basis.  Obviously we’ll be posting on the results of this application when it comes back.

EMDR: How and Why?

 

Shulamit Lando working with a client

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) was a nontraditional and quite new style of psychotherapy in the late 80’s when it came my way. It rapidly became popular, especially for treating PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and any kind of other smaller ‘T’ trauma.  It has proven to be highly efficient and fast for people who have been suffering for years from symptoms that make their lives dysfunctional.

As the names says, it is based on the patient’s own rhythmic eye movements. It is said that the eye movements alternately stimulate both sides of the brain. The result is an evident reduction in the charge of the traumatic memories. On the other hand, the mind gets into a fast forward processing mode, captures what was happening in a clearer way, and makes a reframe of the original meaning we gave to the traumatic event. The new processed information is then ‘saved’ in a different place making a more functional experience possible so that one can utilize your own inner resources and go on living in a better and more serene way.

I had just been diagnosed with MS. The words had stick like tattoos in my brain: “incurable, degenerative, debilitating”. Orthodox medicine had nothing to offer me. Go home, put your things in order… and order yourself a wheelchair, I was told.

I was at a friend’s house in Cuernavaca, Mexico, when an American therapist whose specialty was EMDR came to visit. She was very interested in bringing EMDR to Mexico, would I help her? I had heard wonders about this modality but I had never experienced it myself. She offered to give me a session. I was in shock from the terrible news I had just received so I accepted her assistance immediately. My experience was a unique one.

I loved actually that I hardly even had to say much about what had happened in order to have the process occur and switch me and my experience internally.

It was a fascinating trip, like being taken on an ascending spiral. We started at a distressing memory and the negative belief I had acquired at that moment along with the sensations that the image stirred in me. My mind very fast associated, remembered and re-experienced, like in a huge tsunami. I went up in distress and down to deeply experienced fear, despair and helplessness. Then, as if the wave had swiped the shore clean, somehow, as if by magic, something inside me shifted; what started like “My life is over”, became an open question: “What now?”  I had found the strength to go on. That shift was something that came from the depths or heights of my soul, not my logical mind. Right there and then I stopped suffering and started searching for what became my life from then on.  I became an EMDR therapist myself and have helped and treated many people with it, especially those facing a difficult diagnosis.

33 years after I started that journey, I finally put my experience in writing in HOPE BEYOND ILLNESS where I offer a guide (with EMDR self-help tools at a high place) to help people live WELL with whatever cards were dealt to them. You may be fortunate to be living in a healthy body. But, in general, what persona alive does not have some chronic discomforts, maybe part of being an adult is that life itself becomes a “chronic condition”. In this book I share everything I found to help myself and others deal till you heal… in the true sense of the word.

~Shulamit Lando, TheraCoach (Psychotherapist, Life and Medical Coach)