# E-Access Bulletin – Issue 199, April 2018

E-Access Bulletin is produced with the support of [Thomas Pocklington
Trust](http://www.pocklington-trust.org.uk).

To forward this free publication to others, please use our forward link
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[e-Access Bulletin Archive](http://www.headstar.com/eablive/?page_id=1480).

Please email questions, comments, article ideas and news leads to:
[eaccessbulletin@gmail.com](mailto:eaccessbulletin@gmail.com).




## Issue 199 contents


### Section One: News

01: Assistive tech can close disability employment gap and end UK’s
‘productivity deadlock’, claims parliamentary committee.
- Government must ‘up its own game’ and lead by example, report
claims.
02: Improve online booking to make live music events disability-friendly,
says report.
- Legal action considered by some customers due to access booking issues.

03: New online travel guide opens up UK attractions for accessible travel.
- Britain’s best sights reviewed for access.



### Section Two: News in brief

04: Global Reach – Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2018.
05: Audiovisual Equality – Accessible media content legislation.
06: Translation Trial – AI-powered translator service in classrooms.

### Section Three: The Inbox – Readers’ forum

07: Ray Vision Rating Required – Smartphone app queries.

### Section Four: Report

08: Can smart tech create smart homes for older people?
Effective care for the elderly is a complex and urgent topic, but a new
report from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers suggests that technology
can help create smart homes that older people can safely remain in for
longer. What’s more, the move could save care services millions of
pounds, says the report. E-Access Bulletin investigates what makes a smart
home.
[Contents ends]




## Section One: News


### 01: Assistive tech can close disability employment gap and end UK’s
‘productivity deadlock’, claims parliamentary committee

A new report from the Work and Pensions Committee (WPC) claims that the
Government – and particularly the Department of Work and Pensions, DWP –
must lead by example and focus on assistive technology (AT) to boost both
disability employment rates and the UK economy.

Other recommendations in the report include widening the scope of Personal
Independence Payments (financial help for people with disabilities) to allow
claimants to lease or buy assistive technology, and updating training for
Access to Work scheme staff to help more people use AT.

Key to the report is the idea that AT needs to be pushed into the mainstream
market to increase its use and effectiveness, simultaneously helping to lift
the UK economy and productivity. The report claims that “The necessary
rapid innovation and mass-marketisation of AT will only happen if the
Government makes concerted efforts to stimulate entrepreneurship and drive
forward advances – in the interests of promoting equality but also in the
national economic interest.”

Writing about the report, Frank Field MP, Chair of the WPC, said:
“Assistive technology could be a real game-changer for the UK economy …
But DWP must vastly up its own game so that employers and disabled people
– in or out of work – are fully able to benefit from all it has to
offer. If we are finally to make any real progress towards closing the
disability employment gap and ending the UK’s notorious productivity
deadlock, Government must put assistive technology at the centre of its
whole approach to supporting disability employment.”

The report was broadly welcomed by charities and disability advocacy groups.
Writing on behalf of RNIB (the Royal National Institute of Blind People),
Lucy Dixon, RNIB’s Policy Manager, called for the DWP to implement the
report’s recommendations “as a matter of urgency” and for the
Government to commit resources to Access to Work, “to ensure that people
with sight loss and employers are fully aware of and able to benefit from
all that assistive technology has to offer.”

Technology access charity AbilityNet also supported the report’s
recommendations, calling on Government to raise awareness of cost-effective
mainstream AT among employers and people with disabilities.

The report’s findings and recommendations draw on a [recent meeting of
the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive
Technology](http://www.headstar.com/eablive/?p=1463">government inquiry into
employment and AT</a>organised by the WPC in January, and a <a
href="http://www.headstar.com/eablive/?p=1517) (APPGAT), which explored the
role of AT in the UK Industrial Strategy.

[Read the Work and Pensions Committee’s report at the UK Parliament
website](https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/work-and-pensions-committee/news-parliament-2017/report-assistive-technology-17-19/).
The report is available in full or summary, in a range of accessible
formats.

[Comment on the ‘Parliamentary committee assistive tech report’ story
now at e-Access Bulletin Live](http://www.headstar.com/eablive/?p=1569).



### 02: Improve online booking to make live music events
disability-friendly, says report

A survey has found that 79% of people with disabilities have been put off
buying live music tickets due to problems with booking access requirements,
and 73% have felt discriminated against when booking, with many of the
issues related to problematic websites and online booking systems.

The findings are taken from the State of Access Report 2018, published by
the Attitude is Everything charity. The report examines the process of
‘access booking’ for live music events, defined as booking ‘reasonable
adjustments’ or access requirements alongside tickets. This could include
wheelchair accessible spaces, step-free seats, or additional tickets for a
‘personal assistant’ to attend a show and provide support.

The State of Access results are based on the experiences of 349 respondents
to a survey, comprised of 293 ‘deaf and disabled people’ (84%) and 56
people who book access on behalf of someone who is deaf or disabled (16%).

Other key findings were that 82% of respondents had experienced problems
when booking access, and 11% had considered taking legal action as a result
of problems encountered.

Although the majority of people (70%) preferred to book online, the report
uncovered a number of issues with the process, including inaccessible
websites and booking systems. As the report notes, “The industry makes
considerable use of splash pages and pop-ups with images overlaid with
embedded text – design decisions which render information effectively
invisible to some users using assisted technology”.

Lack of clear access information was another issue. Respondents noted that
not all music venues provide this information on their websites, making them
reluctant to book tickets for gigs at those venues.

Jacob Adams, Campaign Manager at Attitude is Everything (which works to
improve live music access for people with disabilities), told e-Access
Bulletin that although stricter legislation on website accessibility might
help the situation, the focus needed to be on other approaches. He said:
“We think a bigger priority is to encourage companies to take a joined-up
approach to website accessibility, incorporating not just the technical
side, but the teams responsible for graphics and text-based information. We
want to support the industry to pass on responsibility to all involved in
working together to improve website accessibility.”

Despite the barriers, there were positive findings in the report. Three
quarters of respondents thought that the situation for deaf and disabled
customers when booking access for live music events “had either improved
or stayed the same over the last four years.”

The report also discusses the potential for ticketing companies and venues
to set up ‘online access booking’ – in other words, giving customers
the ability to view and select different access requirements during the
online booking stage.

To help work towards this and address other booking issues, the Ticketing
Without Barriers Coalition has been established, featuring organisations
from across the music industry, including key ticketing companies (such as
Ticketmaster and See Tickets), live music venues (including The O2 and
Barbican in London) and events companies (such as Live Nation and Festival
Republic).

Speaking about the Ticketing Without Barriers Coalition, Adams said: “A
major aim of the coalition is to encourage a uniform approach to access
booking across the industry. An increasing number of ticketing companies are
now engaging with us directly to assist them in looking at their website
accessibility, so we hope that many improvements will be achieved in the
coming years.”

Find out more about State of Access 2018 and read the report in full, in PDF
or text, at the [Attitude is Everything
website](http://www.attitudeiseverything.org.uk/resources/publications/state-of-access-report-2018).

[Comment on the ‘Live music booking’ story now at e-Access Bulletin
Live](http://www.headstar.com/eablive/?p=1574).



### 03: New online travel guide opens up UK attractions for accessible
travel

A comprehensive publication detailing access facilities at venues and
attractions across the UK has been released digitally by travel guides
company Rough Guides and made available for free.

‘The Rough Guide to Accessible Britain’ aims to help people with a range
of access requirements plans trips around the UK. The newly updated seventh
version of the guide features specific information for people with autism
and cognitive conditions.

A wide variety of attractions, sights and cultural hotspots around Britain
are covered in over 180 reviews, including museums and galleries, coastal
trails, sports and activities centres, animal sanctuaries and zoos, markets
and historical landmarks. The guide states that every venue has been
reviewed by a team of writers who either have a disability or have visited
the venue with someone who has a disability.

Reviews feature a summary of each venue and its highlights, and as the
guide’s introduction explains, each review also includes “details about
facilities for disabled visitors, plus ideas for places to eat on site or
nearby.” Separate ‘town reviews’ explore access and attractions in
different UK regions.

Venue facilities are flagged up, including facilities for those with
mobility impairments, facilities for people who are blind or visually
impaired, wheelchair access, guide dog access, accessible toilets and BSL
(British Sign Language) interpreters.

The authors also worked with specialist organisations, including the
National Autistic Society, to highlight features for people with autism and
cognitive conditions, such as quiet spaces and ‘sensory stories’ for
children.

‘The Rough Guide to Accessible Britain’ is available to view or download
for free
at [Motability.co.uk](https://www.motability.co.uk/news-views-and-events/rough-guide-to-accessible-britain/),
a vehicle and wheelchair lease scheme for people with disabilities.

[Comment on the ‘Rough Guide to Accessible Britain’ story at e-Access
Bulletin Live](http://www.headstar.com/eablive/?p=1571).

[Section One ends]



## Section Two: News in brief


### 04: Global Reach

Preparations are taking place across the world for Global Accessibility
Awareness Day (GAAD) on May 17, to raise awareness of digital accessibility
issues faced by people with disabilities. Public and virtual events are
organised to mark GAAD, with the BBC and Lloyds Banking Group being two UK
organisations involved this year. GAAD’s organisers are encouraging people
to experience accessibility problems first-hand on the day, through actions
such as ‘going mouseless’ and surfing the web using a screen-reader for
an hour. E-Access Bulletin’s Accessibility Advisor, Nick Freear, has
created an open source GAAD widget banner-link that can be easily embedded
on any website. To find out more and try it out, [visit Nick Freear’s
blog](https://nick.freear.org.uk/2017/05/14/gaad-widget.html?gaadwidget=force).

[Read more about GAAD at the Global Accessibility Awareness Day
website](http://globalaccessibilityawarenessday.org/).



### 05: Audiovisual Equality

Media service providers in Europe will need to make audiovisual content more
accessible for people with disabilities, thanks to new revisions to the
European Union’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive. The changes have
been informally agreed and look likely to be transposed into law later this
year. If this happens, the new rules will apply to broadcasters, streaming
services and video-sharing platforms, including Netflix, Facebook and
YouTube, and should mean increased audio-description and subtitling.

[Read more about the Audiovisual Directive at the European
Parliament website](http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-3567_en.htm).



### 06: Translation Trial

The artificial intelligence-powered Microsoft Translator service is being
piloted at Rochester Institute of Technology in the United States, to help
1,500 deaf and hard of hearing students. As professors speak in lectures,
their words are translated into high quality, real-time captions on screens
using speech recognition technology, which can be sent to students’ mobile
phones using the Microsoft Translator app.

[Read more at Microsoft’s Artificial Intelligence
Blog](https://blogs.microsoft.com/ai/ai-powered-captioning/?utm_source=press&utm_campaign=74863).

[Section Two ends]



## Notice: Thomas Pocklington Trust

E-Access Bulletin is brought to you with the kind support of Thomas
Pocklington Trust, a national charity delivering positive change for people
with sight loss. Find out more about their work at the [Thomas Pocklington
Trust website](http://www.pocklington-trust.org.uk).

[Notice ends]



## Section Three: The Inbox – Readers’ Forum


### 07: Ray Vision Rating Required

Regular correspondent Anthony Bernard gets in contact to ask for advice
about a mobile app called RAY Vision. The app is designed for people who are
blind and visually impaired, and aims to make smartphones easier to operate
without relying on a visual interface. Users can work features on their
phone through gestures and voice operation, such as sending messages via
the WhatsApp communication tool or emailing.

An optional add-on is a series of adhesive tags that are stuck to the back
of the user’s phone, producing temporary ‘tactile buttons’ that create
shortcuts to different functions. Anthony would like to find out more about
the app from anyone who’s used it:

“Dear fellow readers, I am interested in the RAY Vision mobile app. Can
any readers tell me about their experience of using it, including
installation procedures and what phones it will work on? Also, can anyone
tell me more about the hardware sticker that can be stuck on to the back of
the phone? Some phones have fingerprint identification on the back, so will
this prevent the RAY Vision sticker being attached there?”

If anyone has any experience of or knowledge about RAY Vision, please let
Anthony know by contacting us on
[eaccessbulletin@gmail.com](mailto:eaccessbulletin@gmail.com). And that same
email address can be used for any other questions or comments.

[Section Three ends]



## Notice: RNIB Connect Radio and e-Access Bulletin

E-Access Bulletin will be appearing on RNIB Connect Radio each month on The
Early Edition programme. Hear more about the Bulletin and upcoming content
appearing in each issue, as we discuss the latest accessible technology news
and readers’ questions with Allan Russell.

Episodes will be available after broadcast as podcasts from the RNIB Connect
Radio site. Listen to RNIB Connect Radio online or via television,
smartphone or radio. Find more information about the Early Edition at the
[RNIB Connect Radio
website](http://www.insightradio.co.uk/early-edition.html#.Wm3FxJOFiRs).

[Notice ends]



## Section Four: Report


### 08: Can smart tech create smart homes for older people?

The phrase ‘smart homes’ may bring to mind images from science fiction,
and thoughts of robots vacuuming and cooking for their human masters, but
the reality is far simpler and within reach – and it could save the NHS
and social care services millions of pounds per year.

Smart home technology is, in fact, already being used (the Amazon Echo, for
example) and will only keep on growing in popularity. But its use and the
types of technologies need to be assessed and accelerated in order to
address a crucial and often-overlooked issue: care for the elderly.

A report from the [Institution of Mechanical
Engineers](https://www.imeche.org/), ‘Healthy Homes: Accommodating an
Ageing Population’, explores how home technology can benefit older people
and allow them to stay healthy and independent, remaining in their homes for
longer and therefore taking pressure off care services.

As ambitious as that may sound, it doesn’t have to mean creating
incredible devices or building brand new homes fitted out with connected
(and expensive) technology. As the Healthy Homes report highlights,
retrofitting or adding “simple technological adaptions” (which could
include something as basic as fitting handrails or changing the location of
appliances to make them more accessible) can vastly benefit occupants and
help drive a market for devices designed to assist older people.

Crucially, the aim of smart homes from this perspective is not to create an
environment that does everything for an older person. Exercise, both
physical and cognitive, is key to remaining healthy as we age. The report
points out that “The objective is to encourage physical activities while
performing routine tasks, by maximising [the occupant’s] activity in-line
with their health ability.”

This could include a chair that assists an older person in standing, but
still requires them to expend some effort in the process. Stepping it up a
notch, those sci-fi devices are out there if you do want them, as Dr Helen
Meese – Head of Healthcare at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and
author of the Healthy Homes report – explained to e-Access Bulletin.

“One technology I like is the ‘fall prediction’ carpet, which can not
only raise the alarm if you do fall, but through sensors built into the
fibre weave, it can analyse your gait and predict if you are going to have a
fall before it happens. This kind of technology could have a significant
impact on hospital admissions and save the NHS millions.”

While smart carpets for every home may be a way off, smart home tech is
already very much underway. Over 433 million smart home devices were shipped
in 2017 and market research firm IDC predicts that 940 million devices will
be shipped by 2022. Meese points to figures from research firm Gartner,
predicting that by 2020, the average home will have more than 500 connected
devices. While this doesn’t focus exclusively on technology that benefits
older people, it shows that things are moving fast.

But if it’s clear that home technology can help older people, why isn’t
it being used more widely? Joe Oldman, Consumer and Community Policy Advisor
at [Age UK](https://www.ageuk.org.uk/), flags up a number of barriers,
including lack of awareness of both the technology available technology and
its benefits, both in older people and health professionals advising them.
Oldman also points out that lack of internet access, particularly in rural
areas with poor or non-existent Wi-Fi, will have an impact here.

Rachael Docking, Senior Evidence Manager at independent charitable
foundation the [Centre for Ageing
Better](https://www.ageing-better.org.uk/), also cites lack of awareness as
a barrier to adoption of smart home technology. “Many people in later life
do not self-identify as needing to adapt their home or make other changes to
help them as they enter later life. Those technologies and smart home
solutions which are available are not necessarily driven by what older
people themselves want or perceive as needed in their home.”

This is the root of a much larger problem in terms of assistive equipment
for elderly people, as Docking explains: “There is a lack of understanding
of who products are being designed for and the wants/needs of that market.
It should be less about making new products and more about looking at how
current products are marketed. There is no visibility of home aids and
adaptations in the mainstream retail market.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, these problems and related issues are unearthed in
the Healthy Homes report, as Helen Meese confirms when discussing some of
its key findings: “All too often, technology aimed at older people
emphasises their growing frailty and decline, and is regularly aimed at
healthcare providers rather than actual users, rendering the product overly
clinical and unappealing.”

So, what can be done to change the current situation? With such a range of
factors at play and so many different parties involved (older people,
technology manufacturers, retailers, government, housing associations, home
builders), the solutions are varied and often long-term in scope.

However, it’s not difficult to see key themes emerge in these solutions.
Raising awareness for everyone involved can only help the situation and lead
to a deeper understanding of the benefits of home technology and what this
technology needs to achieve.

And when it comes to raising awareness in end-users, this may not be as
difficult as some might assume. “I think the assumption that older people
don’t like technology is a misnomer,” says Meese, pointing to
information in the Healthy Homes report: “Today’s over 65s are
relatively well-informed about technology and often want to be engaged in
decisions and processes regarding their health and care.”

Looking to the future, organisations that design and build homes will have
an increasingly important role to play in creating effective smart homes.
“Home builders need to think about the incorporation of age-friendly
design into new homes that make the application of assistive tech
easier,” says Joe Oldman. “The development of smart homes needs to be
linked to improvements in building regulations to make homes more
accessible and healthier. For example, improved design features to help
people avoid trip and falls.”

Those involved with the design and manufacture of technology and assistive
devices will quickly find themselves in an increasingly competitive
marketplace. Speaking about the report’s recommendations, Meese explains
that suppliers and manufacturers must prepare for increasing customer demand
for devices that assist older people, or else “face losing out to more
responsive, age-friendly businesses.”

As Meese puts it: “Manufacturers should be mindful of designing products
‘for all’ which offer self-improvement, stimulation and enhance
lifestyle, not focusing on limited specialist use. Creating discreet devices
and equipment that can either be worn or built into clothing – or hidden
in home furniture and appliances and put away when not in use – must be a
priority. The report highlights that incorporating simple technological
adaptions could not only change the way we live, but create economies of
scale for age-friendly devices.”

Rachael Docking also stresses the need for improved retailing and marketing:
“We are currently completely missing the wider consumer market/universal
design market and practical innovations that can support people to remain at
home. We need to focus on how we stimulate design in aids and adaptations,
and work with retailers to take those products to market. Until the products
are right, people will not want them in their home.”

As all the experts we spoke to pointed out, however, the importance of
utilising, fixing or updating existing devices already in homes cannot be
underestimated. “There is a danger of being dazzled by new technology and
forgetting the basic housing features that make a home comfortable, safe and
accessible for older people,” says Joe Oldman.

Perhaps, then, the message is that until the day when those super-smart
robots can take care of all our smart home needs and provide that perfect
level of care for older people, it might be best to put aside the sci-fi
dreams aside for a while and concentrate on what technology and care options
are just around the corner – and what’s already out there. Ignoring this
simply isn’t an option anymore for anyone, regardless of age or ability.

Find out more and read ‘[Healthy Homes: Accommodating an Ageing
Population](https://www.imeche.org/policy-and-press/reports/detail/healthy-homes-accommodating-an-ageing-population)’
in full (PDF only).

[Comment on the ‘Smart homes’ story at e-Access Bulletin
Live](http://www.headstar.com/eablive/?p=1580).

[Section Four ends]



## End Notes


### How To Receive E-Access Bulletin

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### Staff

Editor: Tristan Parker
Technical Director: Jake Jellinek
Accessibility Advisor: Dr. Nick Freear
ISSN 1476-6337.

ISSUE 199 ends.