Accessibility Policy Connect is pleased to announce a new project exploring how accessible and assistive technology (ATech) can help disabled people in Kent and Medway overcome barriers to employment.
This pilot comes against the backdrop of a significant disability employment gap. Kent County Council’s latest Disability in Kent analysis found that 58.6% of disabled working-age people in Kent were in employment, compared with 81.3% of non-disabled people, a gap of 22.7 percentage points.
The aim of the project is to examine how assistive technology, combined with personalised employment support, can help address some of the barriers contributing to this gap. It aims to do so by supporting disabled people to build both the confidence and skills needed to use ATech effectively, and in doing so, enable them to use this technology to both find and sustain work.
The project is funded by the UK Government through the Crisis and Resilience Fund, administered by Kent County Council’s Financial Hardship Programme, alongside funding from The Henry Smith Foundation. It is delivered by The Education People, Policy Connect, the British Association for Supported Employment (BASE), and AssistiV CIC, with support from Microsoft.
Supporting Connect to Work
Disabled people taking part in the Connect to Work programme in Kent will be supported to use AssistiV – an app designed to support cognition, communication and self-management.
Connect to Work is a major supported employment programme across Kent and Medway, designed to help disabled people, people with health conditions, and others facing barriers to employment to find and sustain work. Across Kent and Medway, the programme aims to support more than 9,000 people by 2030.
As part of the new project, The Education People (TEP) are training their Employment Support Officers to use AssistiV and to help clients get the most from the technology.
Importantly, this will be a two-way process. AssistiV CIC will adapt and develop its product with input from TEP colleagues and clients, so that the experience of disabled people themselves helps shape the technology and how it is used.
AssistiV CIC is a partner in the Microsoft for Startups programme, and Microsoft will provide guidance on responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI).
Building on Kent’s assistive technology partnership
The project also builds on an established partnership between Kent County Council, Policy Connect, and partners across Kent and Medway to demonstrate how assistive technology can improve lives and create new opportunities.
Through the Assistive Technology for Social Care Commission, partners including Kent County Council, Medway Council, Policy Connect, colleges and education providers worked together to secure investment, establish assistive technology hubs, develop new curriculum resources, and create opportunities for young people to gain skills in this growing sector.
That work has now received national recognition. The Commission was recently Highly Commended in the Digital Skills category at the Connected Britain Awards 2026, as well as being a finalist for the Public Sector Trailblazer Award.
The new project takes that partnership into another important area: using assistive technology to break down barriers to employment.
Learning what works
The British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) will independently evaluate the pilot. The evaluation will look at employment outcomes, alongside the independence, confidence, and wellbeing of the clients, coupled with the experiences of their coaches, and employers.
Policy Connect will share the outcomes of the project with policymakers and supported employment providers, helping to ensure that lessons from Kent can inform policy and practice across the UK.
The project will therefore look not only at whether assistive technology can help individuals overcome barriers to work, but also at what employers, employment support services and policymakers can learn from the experience.
Stuart Hill, founder and CEO, Assistiv CIC says:
Everyone should have practical support at work when they need it, in a way that makes sense to them. This Kent and Medway pilot will expand access to personalised guidance through the AssistiV app, so people can build confidence and independence in everyday tasks. Feedback from participants and support teams will help us keep improving the technology.
Laura Davis, CEO, and Sofia Negri, Research and Policy Manager, BASE say:
We are delighted to be contributing to this important project. At BASE, we believe assistive technology has enormous potential to remove barriers and support disabled people to access, sustain and progress in good-quality careers when used alongside the expertise of Supported Employment professionals. Through our independent evaluation, we hope to generate practical learning about what works, helping to strengthen the evidence base and ensure technology enhances, rather than replaces, the expertise that changes lives.
David Stenning, Service Lead, The Education People says:
We are very pleased to have been a part of this project, supported employment is at its best when we continually adapt our approach around the individual. This pilot gives us a real opportunity to understand how assistive technology can enhance the support our Employment Support Officers provide. Every person has different strengths, ambitions, and barriers. While technology has the potential to give people new ways to overcome those barriers. By combining assistive technology with high-quality supported employment, we want to help people feel more confident, more independent, and better equipped to find and sustain the right job for them.
About the project partners
Policy Connect is a cross-party think tank bringing together parliamentarians, government, industry, academia and civil society to develop practical, evidence-based policy. Its ATech Policy Lab focuses on improving policy and practice around assistive and accessible technology.
Kent County Council administers the UK Government-funded Crisis and Resilience Fund contribution to the project through its Financial Hardship Programme. KCC is also leading the wider Connect to Work programme locally, supporting people facing barriers to employment.
The Henry Smith Foundation is an independent charitable foundation funding organisations and projects that tackle disadvantage and create opportunities for people and communities across the UK.
The Education People (TEP) provides education, skills and employment services across Kent. Its Employment Support Officers will work directly with Connect to Work participants, helping them use AssistiV as part of their personalised employment support.
British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) is the national membership organisation for providers and professionals delivering supported employment services. BASE will independently evaluate the pilot and its impact on participants, coaches and employers.
AssistiV CIC develops assistive technology designed to support cognition, communication and self-management. It will provide the AssistiV app and develop it further using feedback from participants and employment support staff during the pilot.
Microsoft is supporting the project through its relationship with AssistiV CIC, which is part of the Microsoft for Startups programme. Microsoft will provide guidance on the responsible use of AI.
For more information, please contact Milly Holdstock at
milly.holdstock@policyconnect.org.uk
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