Technology for Life Group
Agenda for the Meeting of the Technology for Life Group
To be held at 11-13.30 on 11/12/2013 at Blind Veterans UK. 12-14 Harcourt Street, London, W1H 4HDH
Http://www.blindveterans.org.uk/contact-us/
Preliminary Items
1. Welcome, Introductions and Apologies for Absence Chris
Chris Lewis Lewis Insight CL Chair
Robin Spinks RNIB RS
Matt Broom V2020UK MB
Martin Roberts Humanware MR
Claire Jennings GD CJ
Harmony Jute (Claire’s support) HJ
Jonathan Wilson RLSB JW
Roget Whitton GD RW
Lucy Winton, NBCS LW
Donna Corrigan, Sense
Apologies
Mike Townsend BCAB
Roger Wilson Hinds Screnreader.net RWH
Sean Page DBUK SP
Anna Zakotti TPT AZ
Mike Brace Independent MBr
2. Declarations of Interest Chris
Clair volunteers for Red Cross but not a conflict
Martin Works for Humanware but although he represents them the opinions he has in the meeting are his own.
3. Notification of Any Other Business Chris
MB Technology conference idea
4. Minutes of the Last Meeting Chris
To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of the Technology for Life held on 1/8/13
Approved and approved to be open access.
ACTION: MB and CL to take a look through them but then make them available to all on the website.
5. Chair summary of discussions with group members since last meeting – The Douglas Adams Technology framework – implications for VI
CL has spoken to most members to determine where the group needs to go
He also Spoke at the optometrists conference and was surprised by how little optometrists knew about technology for blind and VI people.
This is a bigger issue with communications. How do we spread the word about campaigns and technology not only to professionals but also to blind people?
How do we split out activities is it by age or by application? Ie: Children, young adults, working people, older people? Or high and low tech etc
TPT for instance looking at lighting, GD looking at mobility, RNIB cut across most topics.
DC: SENSE deal with people from 0 - old age with either congenital or acquired sensory loss.
MT: There are issues with Apple Tech no matter how good they are. An example is being unable to skip down paragraphs on docs, maybe issues like this could be dealt with by the group.
LW: Apple has become so normal that it’s now becoming standard to have ipads in school which is good and bad
CJ: We need to be saying that it needs to be people first then technology.
MR: Not all technology is appropriate to all. Possibility of the Technology group providing testing through their organisations?
MR: Codefactory have released a suite of applications including a screenreader for windows phones, it is not very good.
CL: Had a go with GoogleGlass very interesting and they are looking to launch next year.
CR: Kevin (Carey?) wrote a good article on this and the potential for it. Especially facial recognition, instant sign language (MB Note sorry couldn’t find a reference to this online so no link).
DC: Does it have Bluetooth?
CR: yes I think so I think that’s how it tethers to you smartphone
DC: so it could be used to connect to hearing aids etc.
CL: Not sure who is connected with the Google Accessibility team
11.54: RS Joined Meeting
RS: Has had access with the Google Accessibility team. Joining up with the conversation RNIB has been having with the Android accessibility team
6. Agency summary of activities – work our way around the table…..
DC: SENSE: Project with manufacturers of Kitchen Scales: Home Medicals, Psalter scales. Did research with their members and now looking at some accessible home prototypes for next year.
Looking at a trial of monitoring technology within care homes and trialling tech for next year.
ACTION MB to forward TPT etc research on telecare
LW: more and more ipads being requested through the NBCS grants programme.
CL: we need to make sure we interact with teaching and School about this perhaps through the V2020UK Children and Young people’s group?
RS: just produced an article on Braille
MR: I think Braille will be used less but in context, emails etc
CJ: Kinect project still being worked on. Looking around to make sure they’re getting the best deal which is hard as it seems only one other place is doing something similar which is in Washington ‘Eyes free yoga’ http://www.allaboutvision.com/lowvision/#news who aren’t interested in working together.
ACTION ALL: If anyone has any other examples Cl would be interested.
CJ. Technology training is an ongoing project looking to send out a questionnaire about technology to people. Hopefully the result will support the development of the technology dept.
The project for ‘Family day out is going ahead’ at Reading station.
DC: Research this year on people with Usher asking similar questions
ACTION DC: Will share contacts and hopefully results
RS: Brief internet use survey 200 people, browsers, assistive tech etc should be published 2nd week in Jan 2014. Underlines need for large concerted research effort 1-2k individuals. Largest ever survey of the technology use of blind and VI people.
CL: can apple or Microsoft track when voiceover etc. is used
RS: Officially no that isn’t tracked but it can be
RNIB navigator app is in Beta testing (IOS App) will be available as a subscription app
ACTION: RS will get CJ hooked up as a tester
RNIB Solutions kicked off in august very large consultation going on at the moment will finish on 3rd Jan likely to be lots of change
Switch on To Technology month Nov 2013 Robin and his team saw over 1000 people in a month UK wide.
Googleglass: much potential
RNIB and Niokia working together to produce an app called Magnifire (?) for windows phone.
Microsoft and Codefactory a screenreader of sorts has launched purely as a compliance measure (it became illegal for Nokia to sell phones in the US without a screenreader) There is however a fully integrated screenreader in the new generation of widows phones in 2014.
RW: Embarked on BYOD. Surface Pro with Jaws 15 lots of gestures etc which seems very odd. Not a good match.
RS: Possibly do a tablet expo for this group in the future?
MT: Lauching powerpoint support on braille notetakers, Prodigy project now shipping. Humanware has been acquired by world’s biggest manufacturer of lens’ Essilor. http://www.essilor.co.uk/news/Pages/Homeware.aspx
7. Technology news section
The Internet of Things – Lighting as a service?
ACTION: return to this topic in the next meeting when TPT are present
ACTION CL will contact CEO’s of TPT and Guide Dogs to talk about technology.
8. Spreading the Technology word
Ensuring that technology activities are disseminated to all parties – As mentioned earlier CL presented at the Optomotrist conference in Stratford-on-Avon.
Concluding Items
10. Any Other Business
Call for Papers: “Blindness, Technology, and Multimodal Reading” 27-28 June 2014 welcome trust http://blindnessconference.wordpress.com/call-for-papers-2/
ACTION Member of the group to consider a joint paper from the group
VISION 2020 conference VISION 2014 activities planning.
MB the conference will be on 12th June at the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre. As soon as any details are confirmed MB will send them to the group
Technology conference? MB
Possibility of a technology conference also encompassing travel and transport? 1day conference with all members being given an opportunity to present on ongoing projects also apple/Microsoft/google presentation? Long lunchbreak for networking and getting hands on with technology
RS: There is a gap in the UK for this sort of conference
CL: Would it be possible to tag this on to VISION 2014 or Sight Village?
ACTION: CL to look into whether it might be possible to add to sight village and who might sponsor
DC: What is the target audience?
RS: Looking at enablers for Blind and VI people as well as Blind and VI people themselves. Possibility of getting google on that agenda.
RS: Showcasing main technology and technology providers but also user presentations
11. Proposed dates for 2014 meetings
Wednesday 5th March 11.00 - 13.00
Wednesday 11th June 14.00 - 16.00,
Wednesday 10th September 11.00 – 13.00
Wednesday 10th December 11.00 – 13.00