At the beginning of January Aspire held a training day for Occupational Therapists and two new volunteers at the National Spinal Injury Centre in Stoke Mandeville.

Aspires’ Assistive Technology service, supported by the James Tudor Foundation, provides specialist IT training to individuals with a spinal cord injury. Based within the Spinal centres, our volunteers train patients in the use of a range of tools and aids in order to access computers, tablets and mobile phones.

Using a computer or a mobile phone is an everyday experience for many of us, whether for work, school or fun. When you are in hospital, miles from home, keeping in touch with loved ones and staying connected to the outside world becomes even more important. For many, having access to email and the internet is vital in maintaining this communication. But for those with limited or no hand movement, standard computer keyboards and mice are simply of no use.

Andrew Kell, Assistive Technology Manager, led sessions on the Integra Mouse, Dragon Voice recognition software and SmartNav technology. Through a combination of demos and hands-on practice, participants eagerly got to grips with learning how to set up, install and use these devices to perform basic tasks such as browsing the internet, word processing and checking emails.

If you are interested in becoming an Assistive Technology volunteer we have vacancies in Stanmore.

For more information please click here to go to our jobs page.