Workshops

Aidis Options Open Workshops

Aidis gives workshops for young disabled people and their carers. These workshops give disabled people the confidence to believe that, through technology, they do have options and can have futures to look forward to.

The benefits of these workshops are clear and direct. They give increased knowledge of opportunities and technology available to disabled people and promote usage. In this way they give disabled people increased confidence and independence. These workshops have proved very successful and we are looking for further funding to help us expand them in other areas of the country.

The Need

A May 2004 study commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that the use of computers and the internet could be a great benefit to disabled people and a major force in promoting an inclusive society. However, whilst two-thirds of disabled Internet users in the study said that they required assistive devices (aids, equipment, adaptations) to access a computer or the Internet, almost half had problems using them. As a result the study concluded that training was of the utmost importance and "greater support for organisations providing information on assistive devices and training would do much to overcome these barriers."

In the 28 years since Aidis was established, we have also come to realise the importance of proper training. Without it, expensive equipment can remain unused. Options Open courses provide the training and support disabled children and their carers need to get the most out of the opportunities which technology can afford them.

The programme of workshops

Options Open workshops are offered free of charge once the necessary funding is in place. Under the Options Open programme Aidis can give three main types of workshop for disabled people and their stakeholders:

1. An interactive session involving parents, disability professionals and disabled young people, outlining the ways in which computers can be customised and technology harnessed to open up possibilities for disabled people who struggle to use standard equipment and/or software.
2. A training session for parents and professionals enabling them to make the best use of all the features and options of the assistive technology they already have. This could be disability related software such as Clicker5 or Read & Write for those with Autism and learning disabilities, speech recognition software for those unable to use their hands, or magnification/screenreading software for the visually impaired. It could also be disability related equipment such as head pointers, special needs rollerballs or large keyboards with guards.
3. A visit orientated towards the needs of disability specific groups of young people. These workshops are tailored to tackle specific ICT difficulties which arise from their specific disability and how it specifically affects them. We look at what they want to achieve and determine how, with the right adaptations and skills, they can achieve.

OPTIONS OPEN workshops help to promote integration into our computer literate society and more specifically move disabled young people towards further education, employment and independence.

For further information or if you have any questions regarding Aidis Workshops, please email training@aidis.org