Clever gadgets known as Assistive Technology (AT) can make a big difference to the lives of people with sight loss, improving their independence, but many who could benefit simply don’t know about AT. We have launched a new initiative where a team of Assistive Technology Champions will promote AT to older people with sight loss.At the same time a new Good Practice Guide gives practical advice to staff and relatives so that they too can explain AT to the people who need it most.
“AT can change lives for the better but many people don’t know what’s available,” said Sarah Buchanan, Research Director.“Our scheme aims to introduce people with sight loss to the benefits of AT by getting staff, relatives and volunteers who have sight loss to promote, demonstrate and provide trials of some of the amazing products on offer.”
Assistive Technology ranges from high-tech products such as scanners and audio readers that translate documents into sound, to simple solutions such as tactile and audio labels or one touch can openers.Different products will appeal to different people depending on their personal needs.
But in research, we found that both support staff and older people with sight loss had low awareness of AT products.Older people with sight loss were not aware of what was available, but they were interested in using new things if they felt those could help them in their everyday lives.
Staff were worried that time spent learning about, and promoting, AT could detract from time needed for personalised care.In fact, research showed that promoting the products freed up time as older people with sight loss were able to do more for themselves instead of asking staff to do those things for them.
The new initiative seeks to overcome the barriers that might prevent the use of AT.
Twenty new Assistive Technology Champions, all volunteers with sight loss, will explain AT to people with sight loss in our nine housing schemes and resource centres. They will be trained by a specialist sensory rehabilitation worker to find out what people want to be able to do, identify gadgets that can help and demonstrate those in ways that boost people’s confidence to use them. Over two years the Champions aim to work directly with at least 500 people with sight loss.
As part of their work the Champions will gather information about AT.Insights into what works and what doesn’t will be fed back to designers, manufacturers and providers of AT products to shape the gadgets of the future to meet the needs of people with sight loss.
At the same time, we have released a comprehensive guide about how best to promote AT to people with sight loss.“Assistive Technology, a Guide to Assistive Technology in the Home” focuses on low-tech products that make a big difference at relatively low cost and effort.It sets out ways that staff, relatives and people with sight loss can alert others to the potential benefits of AT.These include:
- Sharing success stories - a key first step to increasing people’s confidence to try new products.The guide includes inspiring personal experiences
- Providing products for people to try, buy or borrow.In this way local services can make AT readily available
- Engaging people in the very real benefits of AT, rather than pressuring them to use them.
- And for staff in care homes and housing schemes the guide includes a checklist to help ensure that AT is promoted and used well.
Anna Zakotti, Volunteer Services Manager, is leading the development of AT Champions across the organisation. She says: “I am very excited to be part of the team making AT more accessible to people with sight loss.The success of this service will be through using people with sight loss as Champions.Who better to explain how the technology works?We believe that this initiative, as well as our practical guide for anyone involved in supporting people with sight loss, will increase the use of AT and improve the lives of people with sight loss.”
Good Practice Guide 6: Assistive Technology - a guide to AT in the home (PDF)
Good Practice Guide 6: Assistive Technology - a guide to AT in the home (Word document)
