In theory, being connected to the internet gives you access to virtually unlimited information (credible and not so credible), products from all over the world, services, courses, videos and much much more.
But often websites are developed without considering that many members of our community live with disability and have different needs when it comes to accessing digital sources.
This starts with more cosmetic elements – such as font size, spacing and colour selection (for example, avoid white text on light colours) – and extends to building the back end of a website to allow users to engage with the page in a variety of ways, including with the support of assistive technology.
So, what makes websites more accessible? Here are three key elements:
About to build a new website and unsure of how to make it accessible to everyone? Well, lucky for you a group of digital experts has developed extensive Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) that you can access – so make sure you take a look at the guidelines to maximise accessibility of your website. It’s much easier to build a website with those guidelines in mind, rather than retrofitting them.
But it’s not just websites – daily communication tools such as documents, spreadsheets and emails also need to be accessible. You can use Microsoft’s ‘Check accessibility’ button to see how you can improve the accessibility of those assets, and there are free web-based services that check colour contrast and how to improve it.
Digital accessibility is so much more than just having access to the internet via a computer or smart device. It’s about being able to access what’s online based on your individual needs – and even if we’re not web developers, we can play our part in making the online experience better for all.
We might not have the hoverboard from Back to the Future and the flying cars from The Jetsons have yet to zoom in, but technology is opening up access in ways we wouldn’t have dreamed of in previous generations.
In Apple products alone, there are tonnes of accessibility options designed to support people with disability, from vision impairment, hearing loss and deafness, through to mobility limitations and cognitive impairment.
This article in TechGuide comprehensively explains options for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, AirPods and Apple Watch, but here are some of our favourites.
Don’t be alarmed if your screen time report increases after you implement some of these options! You’ll be using your device to its full capability.
The 22 year old uses an eye-gaze device to support his communication and explore his interests, with a camera built into the assistive technology device to track Christopher’s eyes and enable him to focus on and select symbols for communication, search YouTube videos and play music.
Christopher loves a wide variety of music, with Eric Clapton, Bob Marley, and Bruce Springsteen among his favourites. However, his all-time favourite video is Survivor’s ‘Eye of the Tiger’ – and it’s hard for anyone to persuade him to select anything else! But recently, Christopher surprised his speech pathologist, Nur, with an unexpected video selection.
Nur recently mentioned to Christopher that her favourite singer was Adele, and soon after their discussion she heard Adele’s mezzo-soprano voice playing from Christopher’s computer. Using his eye-gaze device, he had scanned Adele’s videos on YouTube, then maintained his gaze long enough to activate his selection – a milestone moment.
“Christopher usually looks at the top right of the screen, but to choose Adele, he had to look to the centre and left. This was a fantastic achievement,” said Nur. “I’m really happy for Christopher and delighted to see what he’s achieved with his eye-gaze.”
Assistive technology is a ‘life changer’ according to a report issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). In Christopher’s case, it has supported him to communicate more effectively with his community, explore his interests, and even to do something special for others in his life, like Nur!
For more than 45 years, NovitaTech – a division of South Australian disability services provider Novita – has been providing assistive technology and equipment services for people with disability. Recently, it opened the largest and most comprehensive assistive technology retail experience in Australia to provide people with disability, people rehabilitating from injury or surgery, and older people with direct access to the equipment they need to live independent and fulfilling lives.
The NovitaTech store, located in Adelaide, spans more than 1000 square metres of showroom space, and features more than 1000 products and equipment items – from consumables and off-the-shelf products to complex, scripted disability products – designed to support independent living.
The store includes a wheelchair basketball and sports court, fully equipped homecare displays, and a café operated by participants in Novita’s Transition to Work program, which supports school leavers with disability to enter the workforce. Individual and private therapy consultation rooms are another feature of the NovitaTech store, enabling therapists – both Novita-based and external – to meet with clients to discuss the devices and equipment they need.
“We’re so proud to bring this new concept in mobility and independent living solutions to light,” said Novita CEO, Greg Ward. “It underpins Novita’s commitment to innovation and improving outcomes for clients like Christopher and their families.”
To find out more about the new NovitaTech store, or to shop online, visit novitatech.com.au or call 1300 668 482.
Released last month, the Global report on assistive technology captures for the first time a worldwide snapshot illustrating countries’ need for, access to, and preparedness to support assistive technology.
The report also features stories illustrating the profound impact assistive products can have on people’s lives and offers evidence of the economic and social return on investment in assistive technology.
The report’s release coincides with the launch of Australia’s largest assistive technology store, NovitaTech, owned by South Australian disability service provider, Novita.
So, what exactly is assistive technology? And how can it be accessed by people with disability through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)?
Assistive technology is equipment or devices that help people perform tasks that might otherwise be difficult or impossible to achieve because of a disability. It’s a broad term that refers to many tools which can be low or high tech.
Some examples of assistive technology include:
Not all equipment or technology can be classed as assistive technology. If a tool is something that everyone uses, and isn’t related to achieving something that might otherwise be difficult or impossible to achieve because of a disability, it isn’t assistive technology. Examples include kettles, radios and everyday household furniture.
The NDIS will fund assistive technology that meets NDIS funding criteria. When assessing assistive technology, the NDIS will consider whether it:
It’s recommended that new NDIS participants seek advice about assistive technology during their planning meeting. If a participant has a current plan, they might be able to use funding in that plan for assistive technology. Alternatively, they can request a plan review.
In all cases, evidence about the assistive technology will need to be supplied so the NDIS can assess it against funding criteria. The evidence required depends on the category of assistive technology. There are three categories:
The NDIS has created helpful assistive technology guidelines which cover everything you need to know about accessing assistive technology through the NDIS. If you’d like to ask a question about assistive technology or hear about other people’s experiences, head to Kinora – a free online community created by My Plan Manager.
Kinora helps people with disability and their supporters to connect with peers, NDIS experts, disability sector professionals and service providers, assisting them to build lasting connections with the people and businesses who can support them throughout their lives. There’s lots of value in there for consumers and providers, so check it out!
My Plan Manager’s Provider Portal is a simple way for National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) service providers to keep on top of business, just like it is for Ala Mobedi (pictured above).
Ala has a company called Mentoring All Men, and uses the My Plan Manager Provider Portal to submit and track invoices, and cut down time-consuming paperwork.
Watch this video to see how he does it:
He said the portal is quick, efficient and very easy to use, and lets him focus on what he’s good at, and what he cares about doing.
“The passion we have is the work that we do. We don’t have passion in sitting behind a laptop and sending invoices and doing paperwork,” he said.
“The less time I spend behind a laptop and the more I’m out there helping and exercising with {my clients}; that’s the dream.
Here’s a quick video that shows how the portal works:
The My Plan Manager Provider Portal lets you to submit and track invoice payments whether you’re at work or on the go without complicated tech.
It’s a simple process to view your invoices and to check your payment status.
And it’s just as easy to upload an invoice or create an e-invoice within the portal.
Click here for more information about our provider portal.
My Plan Manager’s client portal is a better way to stay on top of your National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plan’s budget, just like it is for Linda and Adrian.
Adrian said that when he first started helping his sister Linda to manage her life, he struggled because he not only had to learn the NDIS, but all of the agencies that help her.
He knew there would be invoices coming in every day.
“I thought there’s no way I can juggle both of those things. So when someone told me about My Plan Manager, I went Yes Please!”.
He realised that if someone could help him manage the invoices, it would help him learn more about the NDIS.
Which freed up his time to learn more about what they can provide to support his sister.
Watch the video below to see Linda and Adrian's story:
Adrian said that when he knew he had a portal that showed him how {Linda’s} budget was going, and ‘little doughnuts’ showing how much {she’d} spent in each area, it helped him monitor and track his sister’s NDIS plan budget, and see how things were going.
“I actually thought that one day I’ll take the invoices back {from My Plan Manager} and start managing {her budget}, but now that it’s managed so well, maybe not!”
The My Plan Manager client portal helps you or your carer stay on top of your NDIS plan’s budget, to get the most out of the NDIS.
Here's a quick video that shows how the portal works:
The My Plan Manager client portal is simple to use and offers real time information about your budgets and invoice payments.
It lets you view support categories and support areas:
You can even add support items, and check the details of all past and current claims and get copies of invoices:
And you can forward new invoices to My Plan Manager through the client portal simply by starting a new claim. As soon as they’re approved for payment you’ll see your budget updated:
The client portal is not only accessible but has the latest security features to protect your private information.
Sign up to My Plan Manager to unlock client portal access, remove time-consuming admin and have invoices processed seamlessly.
If you use the My Plan Manager Client Portal, you would have noticed the new passwordless login feature, which will probably be a different to what you’re used to. We’ve been listening to your feedback and questions about the new login system and are making some small changes to make it smoother for you, however we also want to take the time to explain why we have decided to use passwordless login and why we think it’s better for our clients.
How many internet sites do you have a login for? Chances are there’s a few: Facebook or other social media accounts, email accounts, bank accounts, online shopping accounts and a range of others.
Surveys estimate that most people have from 92 user accounts, up to 130 accounts. Remembering passwords for that many websites is really hard! Most people simply can’t do it, and even if they could it would take a huge effort.
This creates a big opportunity for hackers: reports estimate that up to 80% of hacking related data breaches are related to weak or compromised passwords.
If all of this information about passwords has made you feel a bit anxious – don’t worry. We and many other organisations are on the case. In fact, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Mozilla and many others have been working hard on this problem, and the industry has agreed that passwordless login technologies are the future. In fact, some organisations predict that passwordless will be the most common way to login within the next 8 years.
We will eventually remove traditional password login from the client portal. We are doing this in stages – the first stage (which we are in now) is to introduce our passwordless login and make sure our clients aren’t having trouble with it. For now, you can still use the old username and password login as a backup.
Whether you have an NDIS plan, or you're hoping to have one soon, you're probably aware of 'Assistive Technology' - but you might not know just what it is, if it's for you, or even how to access it. It's one of the most commonly asked questions we get here at My Plan Manager, so let's take a closer look.
The NDIS take their definition of Assistive Technology from the World Health Organisation, which deems it to be "Any device or system that allows individuals to perform tasks they would otherwise be unable to do or increases the ease and safety with which tasks can be performed".
Don't let the word 'technology' confuse you - Assistive Technology doesn't necessarily mean the latest most expensive gadgets - though it covers them too! Assistive Technology can often be low tech or even no tech. It covers a diverse range of items, from something as simple as a curved piece of plastic to help open a tin of food, all the way up to a complex, custom power wheelchair with tilt, raise lower functions and more.
The NDIS has categorised Assistive Technology into four complexity levels:
Level 1 (basic): is low-cost, low-risk and participants will mostly identify and source this themselves. Examples include: nonslip bathmats, large print labels, doorbells, etc.
Level 2 (standard): are typically 'off the shelf' Assistive Technology that many participants can test and trial before making a final choice. Examples include: bath seat, handrails, ramps, etc.
Level 3 (specialised): is similar to Level 2 Assistive Technology, however it often requires modification to suit the needs of the participant. Examples include: desktop electronic magnification, home modifications such as bathroom adaptions and pressure mattresses, etc.
Level 4 (complex): are typically custom made or 'off the shelf' but configured uniquely for the individual. Examples include: cochlear implant speech processors, complex home modifications that require major structural change, etc.
If it is determined that a participant does need technological assistance to overcome barriers, their NDIS plan will include funding for an Assistive Technology assessment. This assessment can help both a participant and the NDIA to understand what the most appropriate Assistive Technology solutions are.
The NDIS states: "Low cost and low risk items (Level 1) do not need a form to be sent into the NDIS. Participants with Assistive Technology funded supports in their plan can seek advice and buy it themselves. Supply of Levels 2 – 4, require an appropriate assessment form which needs to be completed by or with the oversight of an Assistive Technology Assessor with suitable experience in that Assistive Technology. Some Assistive Technology will need greater consideration due to particular participant or environment issues."
If you still have questions, don't worry! Our team here is happy to help you out. Contact us
