Robin Christopherson, Head of Digital Inclusion at AbilityNet, and an experienced campaigner
for accessible technology, talks to Go ON Gold.
The power of technology, and in particular, inclusive technology -- that's technology
that has been designed in such a way that almost everybody, regardless of their impairment
and their ability, are able to use it -- cannot be underestimated.
The pure, transformative ability for somebody who has got no access to handwriting, to -- in
my case -- seeing, to mobility, to be able to overcome those barriers, through adaptive
technology, inclusive technology, just opens up every life's opportunity for them, through
education through employment, to just be able to socially interact with people or do their
shopping independently and have things delivered to them.
Every day, AbilityNet assesses disabled individuals in the home, in education, in the workplace,
and takes a wide range of different technologies and adaptations and makes sure that they're
able to use those technologies to the full.
For example, not being able to see -- if it hadn't been for technology, I wouldn't
have been able to get through my education, I wouldn't have been able to have a job,
and I would be one of those, sadly, 73% of visually impaired people in the UK at the
moment that are still out of work.
It's a huge problem. Technology is the solution, technology bridges that gap. But nevertheless,
we still have this huge journey to go on with employers, to make sure that disabled people
are able to realise their full potential.
This lack of awareness does lead to real discrimination. So there are disabled individuals out there
that are, frankly, terrified to tick the box that discloses that they have a disability,
for fear of employers not offering them to apply, not shortlisting them for interview,
and sadly, there is hard evidence that does reinforce that, and of course this is discrimination
and it's totally illegal.
So the biggest challenge is helping employers, line managers, HR, occupational health, to
realise that, often with a very few simple adjustments, these people will be able to
be recruited and give the value to the organisation that they've got
to offer.