I was invited to speak at the Naidex’s conference at the N.E.C in Birmingham in March. Naidex; innovations for the future of the independent living industry. Naidex is Europe’s biggest and most far- reaching trade, professional and consumer show dedicated to the care, rehabilitation, and lifestyle of people with a disability or impairment. The topic of my presentation was ‘Inclusive technology and how to make it more mainstream’ along with snippets and referrals to my own story. Knowing the nature of this event I had imagined not only a variety of people presenting and showing equipment but also a mix…
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I was asked to be closing speaker at Camp Digital last year and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Not only did I enjoy it immensely it also opened many new doors for me in ways I had not considered. That presentation seemed to bridge a gap in bringing together the designers and developers and an understanding of needs and end user requirements, also that accessibility is not about ticking boxes on a checklist but more about real people, grey areas and solutions. My work involves accessibility and usability consulting along with keynote speaking alongside my charity work raising awareness of the…
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One thing most (god willing) will not avoid is growing old! It doesn't seem to matter how fit we are ageing brings new challenges. I have always had the best relationship with my Grandparents and since losing my Nannie 10 years ago I have grown particularly close to my Grandad and spend as much time with him as I can. Grandad can be quite a grump but I love his wisdom and his belief in me. The funny thing is although there are 55 years between us we have lots in common when it comes to how we get…
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Accessibility - Able to be reached, approached or entered via Oxford Dictionary I found myself in the world of accessibility almost by accident. I did not even realise I had specific accessibility needs until I began to go blind. In real terms I have accessed the world very differently to most because of need, however, I wonder how many really understand that they too use lots of features in accessibility. It seems that until things become "trendy" or "cool" they are sadly not in the majority of mindsets, so do we try to make accessibility trendy or just hope it…
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At the end of my work and networking trip to the other side of the world, Mum and I made a trip to the beautiful Bali to spend the last 10 days relaxing. Arriving in Bali was surreal, it was very dark outside, I hate arriving anywhere in the dark as I see so little. Our body clocks were already extremely confused! The intense humidity hit us as we looked for our taxi service. We were met at Denpesar Airport by a sweet Balinese gentlemen dressed in traditional Bali attire, I felt quite important when Mum pointed out this…
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