Assistive technology services awarded for having accessible communication

A disability charity has been awarded a communication accessible accreditation as a result of its work in rolling out assistive technology in care homes in the northwest region of England.

Leonard Cheshire was accredited as Communication Accessible by Communication Access UK, an initiative developed by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists in partnership with charities and organisations that share a vision to improve the lives of people with communication difficulties.

The accreditation includes a listing in the CAUK national directory, with Leonard Cheshire completing the free training and committing to the standards to become Communication Accessible.

Leonard Cheshire is also now eligible to display the Communication Access symbol in its services that support its assistive technology regional rollouts.

The Communication Access training will support inclusive communication, while the symbol indicates this to those who have communication difficulties.

The accreditation reflects the work Leonard Cheshire is doing to enable more communication opportunities and choice for its clients and how it supports individual communication needs.

It further reflects the work that its learning and development team has done in uploading training in an accessible way so that all of its staff are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to use assistive technology to support disabled people with its services.

According to Leonard Cheshire, millions of people across the UK experience communication difficulties every day which can lead to social isolation and loneliness. Its pioneering assistive technology project and the staff training programme it has in place to support it is helping disabled people to break down barriers and connect over a variety of different ways. This helps people to feel happier, more connected, and more fulfilled.

The Southampton City Telecare team recently obtained accreditation with the Telecare Services Association (TSA) having successfully demonstrated compliance against standards such as customer experience, safety, continuous improvement and innovation.