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User Innovation Day – Please give us your views! Here you will find some video clips from the User Innovation Day. The event was held at the University of Dundee and co-hosted by Access Equality. Click on the Video symbol to start the videos. There is an opportunity below for you to give us your views. Please do so! Welcome Professor Jennifer Harris, <Click here for Video> Director of IDRIS, University of Dundee Professor Harris gave this interview to STV at the event. Here she says that although disabled people are excited by advanced and assistive technologies, the mainstream market takes little or no account of their requirements. Small buttons on mobile phones can make them inaccessible. Purpose of the Day Professor Jennifer Harris The User Innovation Day was held on 7th October 2008 as part of the project on the use, role and application of advanced technology in the lives of disabled people. The purpose was to bring together disabled people who were part of the research project with designers, engineers, manufacturers and service providers to discuss what works well and what does not – and what we can do about it. Ground Rules David Fullerton <Click here for Video> Access Equality David Fullerton set out the ground rules for the Day. It was felt important that everyone’s opinion was heard and that we adopt a pan-disability approach, considering the requirements of all impairment groups. Raymond Disability Equality Consultant <Click here for Video> Access Equality Through his work, Raymond says he has met a lot of disabled people on benefits who have to use Pay As You Go tariff on mobile phones as people find it difficult to get past the credit checks for contracts. He also says people have been asked for extortionate deposits. What do you think? Should mobile phone companies make special contract provision to disabled customers? George Tayside Association for the Deaf <Click here for Video> George raises the point that when a Deaf British Sign Language user buys a mobile phone the instructions are in English, (which is difficult for BSL users to understand). Also to register the phone, you need to call the central service, but they cannot hear (obviously). What do you think? Should mobile phone companies be required to give BSL users their mobile phone instructions in BSL video format? Wyness Capability Scotland <Click here for Video> Wyness works with people with physical impairment and significant learning difficulties and says that affordability and dexterity in mobile use are big issues. His clients cannot get a mobile phone that they can use in the high street. It is also not clear where the user can get information on the best phone for them. The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 makes it illegal to provide inaccessible services, but this does not cover products or their design. So, for example, mobile phone companies have to make their services reasonably accessible for disabled people, but can sell inaccessible (or unusable) mobile phones. Is it time the law was changed? What do you think? Should the Disability Discrimination Act be changed to make products accessible as well as services? Stuart Hagger Electronics <Click here for Video> There is no law to compel mobile phone companies to make mobile phones accessible and compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act. What do you think? Do you think the law should cover communication so that mobile phone companies have to make accessible products for disabled people? Chris Ricability <Click here for Video> Chris Lofthouse from Ricability said that when the DDA was being introduced his organisation combined with the Disability Rights Commission to argue that ‘universal design’ as a concept should be included in the law but this did not take place. There is no legislation to force designers to design easy to use products. What do you think? Should product design be included in the DDA? Lillian British Telecom <Click here for Video> Some technology users at the Day especially valued the choices that landline and mobile phones gave them and the flexibility and ease of communication. Many disabled people rely on phones to summon assistance from others. Lillian says that a phone is not classed as a utility like water, gas and electricity services, but is seen as a luxury item. She also says that if a disabled person has a problem paying for a utility, it is unlikely to be cut off, but their phone could be cut off, leaving them unable to summon assistance. What do you think? Should landline phones be classed as a utility? Mark Dundee City Council <Click here for Video> Mark asks why are mobile phones classified by governments as a luxury? To disabled people they are a necessity. Some disabled people cannot use public phone boxes and mobile phones are a necessity. What do you think? Are mobile phones a necessity for disabled people? Powerpoint presentation of key points David Fullerton Access Equality Thanks for taking part!
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