On 14 June, The ATech Policy Lab launched its first report – Frontline Accessibility, at London Tech Week 2023, hosted by Plexal and in partnership with Tech London Advocates Tech For Disability. The report is kindly sponsored by the Ian Karten Charitable Trust.

The report reviews the current provision of fundamentals-level ATech training to frontline professionals and shows that this training can be highly effective – shaping a more inclusive culture in organisations and enabling frontliners to share ATech awareness with their clients, patients and learners. The report recommends that the Government partner with disabled people, public service organisations, and the ATech sector to radically scale the delivery of ATech fundamentals training – with this partnership led by a senior champion within government.

The speakers were:

• Tom Pursglove MP, Minister for Disabled People
• Alli Gaskin - Ace Centre
• Hector Minto - Microsoft
• Dawn Green - Karten Network
• Mary Lavender - Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust

The launch event was chaired by Robert McLaren, Director of the ATech Policy Lab.

We were joined by report author, Geena Vabulas, contributors from local and national government, as well as those from the tech, policy and academia worlds. Tom Pursglove MP, the Minister for Disabled People, welcomed the report’s focus on ‘transforming awareness of ATech across society’ and shared his vision to ‘make the UK the most accessible place in the world to live and work with technology’.

Read the Minister’s speech here: LINK

The ATech Policy Lab is a partnership between the cross-party think tank, Policy Connect, Bournemouth University and the charity, Ace Centre.