 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(February 2017) |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1983 |
| Headquarters | Cambridge, UK |
| Services | Assistive technology |
| Website | www |
iansyst Ltd is an assistive technology supplier providing products and services designed to benefit people with a range of disabilities such as: dyslexia, visual impairments, dyscalculia, developmental coordination disorder, Repetitive Strain Injury.
The company was founded in London in early 1983 by Ian Litterick, [1] primarily to supply software for training and education.
By 1995, now based in Cambridge, iansyst was distributing the monologue Text to Speech Synthesis software. This type of software was considered useful by people with dyslexia to help those who struggle with a reading disability.
In 1996, iansyst became involved with the framework of the DSA-QAG (the Disabled Students’ Allowance Quality Assurance Group), as well as becoming a supplier of assistive technology and training for students who have received the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) Award. Founder, Ian Litterick has been an active member of the Right to Read Campaign which was launched in 2002.
During 2009/2010 iansyst partnered with XMA to deliver the Home Access initiative from the Government to supply children with severe disabilities or Special Educational Needs, of low income families with the Home Access package of a computer, internet access and assistive technology. [2] The partnership between iansyst and education experts XMA was recognised when they won the Working Together Award in 2012 from Technology4Good. These unique awards were organised by AbilityNet and BT and brought together a range of charities and businesses whose work enables people to improve their lives through the use of IT.
In early 2012 iansyst was awarded funding by Jisc TechDis via the Plain Sailing Competition to develop MyDocStore. This was done in partnership with a consortium of organisations led by iansyst: they include Raspberry Software and ECS – Electronics and Computer Science from the University of Southampton. The aim of MyDocStore is to make it quick and easy to transfer files between devices whilst simultaneously converting them into an accessible format for the user; i.e. text to audio, text to large format and combinations of both. In 2013 the project was launched as the web service azzapt.
Executive Chairman, Ian Litterick is a founder member of BATA British Assistive Technology Association. BATA campaigns for the rights and interests of those needing Assistive Technology.
Managing Director, Janine King leads iansyst's support as Members of the Business Disability Forum (BDF).
Assistive technology (AT) is a term for assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and the elderly. Disabled people often have difficulty performing activities of daily living (ADLs) independently, or even with assistance. ADLs are self-care activities that include toileting, mobility (ambulation), eating, bathing, dressing, grooming, and personal device care. Assistive technology can ameliorate the effects of disabilities that limit the ability to perform ADLs. Assistive technology promotes greater independence by enabling people to perform tasks they were formerly unable to accomplish, or had great difficulty accomplishing, by providing enhancements to, or changing methods of interacting with, the technology needed to accomplish such tasks. For example, wheelchairs provide independent mobility for those who cannot walk, while assistive eating devices can enable people who cannot feed themselves to do so. Due to assistive technology, disabled people have an opportunity of a more positive and easygoing lifestyle, with an increase in "social participation," "security and control," and a greater chance to "reduce institutional costs without significantly increasing household expenses." In schools, assistive technology can be critical in allowing students with disabilities access the general education curriculum. Students who experience challenges writing or keyboarding, for example, can use voice recognition software instead. Assistive technologies assist people who are recovering from strokes and people who have abstained injuries that effect their daily tasks.
Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" and "indirect access" meaning compatibility with a person's assistive technology.
Computer accessibility refers to the accessibility of a computer system to all people, regardless of disability type or severity of impairment. The term accessibility is most often used in reference to specialized hardware or software, or a combination of both, designed to enable the use of a computer by a person with a disability or impairment. Computer accessibility often has direct positive effects on people with disabilities.
Special education is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual differences, disabilities, and special needs. This involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials, and accessible settings. These interventions are designed to help individuals with special needs achieve a higher level of personal self-sufficiency and success in school and in their community, which may not be available if the student were only given access to a typical classroom education.
Landmark College is a private college in Putney, Vermont, designed exclusively for students who learn differently, including students with a learning disability, ADHD, autism or executive function challenges.
Dysgraphia is a learning disability of written expression, which affects the ability to write, primarily handwriting, but also coherence. It is a specific learning disability (SLD) as well as a transcription disability, meaning that it is a writing disorder associated with impaired handwriting, orthographic coding and finger sequencing. It often overlaps with other learning disabilities and neurodevelopmental disorders such as speech impairment, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or developmental coordination disorder (DCD).
Debra Ruh is an American business woman and advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities. She founded TecAccess, which provides software and services for information technology accessibility for people with disabilities and for Section 508 compliance.
Benetech is a nonprofit social enterprise organization that empowers communities with software for social good. Previous projects include the Route 66 Literacy Project, the Miradi environmental project management software, Martus, and the Human Rights Data Analysis Group. Current program areas include global education, human rights, and poverty alleviation.
Fraser Academy, located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is a private, non-profit, co-educational, non-faith, non-residential school that serves children from grades 1 to 12 with language-based learning disabilities such as dyslexia. Its teaching methods are based on those found at the Kildonan School in New York, using the Orton-Gillingham approach. Besides daily individual tutoring for language, students take the same courses as other students in the province, in which courses a multisensory approach is also used.
Kurzweil Education is an American-based company that provides educational technology.
The Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) is a Government grant in the United Kingdom (UK) available to students in Higher Education, originally established by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).
SIMS is a student information system, i.e. a school management information system, currently developed by Education Software Solutions. It is the most widely used MIS in UK schools, claiming over 80% market share across the primary and secondary sectors.
Motability is a charity in the United Kingdom. It oversees Motability Operations Ltd, which runs the Motability Scheme intended to enable disabled people, their families and their carers to lease a new car, scooter or powered wheelchair, using their disability benefit. Currently, the scheme has more than 650,000 customers.
Special educational needs (SEN), also known as special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the United Kingdom refers to the education of children who require different education provision to the mainstream system.
CapturaTalk was an assistive technology software developed by Mobispeech, a joint venture by Iansyst Ltd and Raspberry Software Ltd. When installed on a mobile phone or tablet device, CapturaTalk allowed the user to take a picture of a text heavy image to have it converted to speech and read aloud. The Mobispeech software was primarily designed to aid people who either required literacy support for disabilities such as dyslexia or for students learning English.
Learning Ally, which was previously named Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D), is a non-profit volunteer organization operating nationwide in the United States. It produces and maintains a library of educational accessible audiobooks for people who cannot effectively read standard print because of visual impairment, dyslexia, or other disabilities.
The DO-IT Center is based at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1992, DO-IT’s mission is to increase the successful participation of people with disabilities in postsecondary education and careers, in STEM fields and careers, and in computing fields and careers throughout the U.S. It directs the national AccessSTEM program, and co-directs the national AccessComputing Alliance focused on engaging people with disabilities in computing fields.
Disability is an issue that directly affects a significant proportion of the population of the United Kingdom. Section6(1) of the Equality Act 2010 defines disability as:
"A person has a disability for the purposes of the Act if he or she has a physical or mental impairment and the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities."
Oswald Labs is a Dutch-Indian based accessibility technology company that builds products for individuals with disabilities. It specializes in enterprise web accessibility, offers smartphone apps, and also runs a startup accelerator. It was established in 2016 by Anand Chowdhary, Nishant Gadihoke and Mahendra Raghuwanshi after their product, Oswald Extension, won an event at the AngelHack hackathon in New Delhi.
In the Philippines, disability is one of the social issues affecting a portion of the Philippines' population. To ensure the equality and rights of disabled persons, there are Philippine laws and policies that were passed regarding persons with disabilities (PWDs). There are also numerous non-government associations that seeks to encourage and help improve the wellbeing of people with disabilities.