Portland College

October 15 2009

Aspire to host first ever Assistive Technology Conference

Leading UK spinal injury charity, Aspire, will hold it’s first ever Assistive Technology Conference later this month, on Tuesday 27th October and Wednesday 28th October at Portland College, Nottingham. 

The Aspire Assistive Technology Conference aims to help both Aspire volunteers and NHS staff improve their understanding and use of Assistive Technology for spinally injured patients. Aspire provides the NHS with equipment and technology including a range of software and hardware, such as voice recognition programmes.

The two day conference is the first of its kind and organiser, Christine Robinson, Aspire’s Spinal Services Co-ordinator, is anticipating a great event: “I’ve spoken to many occupational therapists in the past year and there was a clear consensus that more training in Assistive Technology is needed. There are still holes in people’s knowledge of how Assistive Technology can best be used to help people with a spinal injury regain their independence. I am confident this conference will equip volunteers and staff working in Spinal Injury Centres to offer an even greater service to patients as part of their rehabilitation and we look forward to running future conferences,” said Christine.

Both days of the conference will include a range of interactive activities and seminars to inform and train delegates in using the Assistive Technology Aspire offers. Specifically it will include patient assessments, workshops and live demonstrations in technology such as sensory software, optical and head technology, music software and digital recorders.

The Aspire Assistive Technology Conference will be attended by Aspire volunteers and NHS staff who use Aspire facilities in rehabilitation programmes. “Many Aspire volunteers are ex-patients,” explains Christine. “This is rewarding for both parties as it allows the volunteer to get into the community, train as a teacher and share their own personal experiences. For the patient, training is more personal as they know their tutor has faced similar challenges and has come out the other side.”

Portland College is centrally located to a number of UK Spinal Injury Centres and is also close to East Midlands Airport, making it ideal for the many delegates attending from Ireland and Northern Ireland. The conference will be opened by David Edwards, a Trustee of Aspire. 

A total of 55 delegates are expected to attend the two-day conference, but registrations are still open for medical professionals and volunteers who wish to attend. For more information contact Christine Robinson at Aspire on 020 8420 6735 or visit www.aspire.org.uk.