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Telework and people with disabilities This page is adapted from a wider study of Telework, Teletrade and Open Electronic Networking undertaken by Management Technology Associates for the UK Department of Trade and Industry in 1992 -1993. Although the work was done in the UK the results and recommendations seem appropriate for more general consideration. Note that the terms "open electronic networking" and "electronic networking" are used in this report to imply "people communicating with each other across the Internet", or what the ETD initiative calls "telecooperation". Published online by the European Telework Online website with permission from Management Technology Associates. Overview A high level of interest in the needs of the disabled among the Study's Advisory Group led two members, John Lewis and David Firnberg, to undertake a supplementary study of this particular topic, with modest support from the project budget. The conclusions and recommendations are the result of wider discussion across the overally study team, led by Horace Mitchell of Management Technology Associates and Eric Trodd of Brameur Limited. We conclude that: Telework and electronic networking can be of immense benefit to a very high proportion of the UK's 1.9 million disabled people, can enable many of them to make a positive contribution to the country's economy and to the community, and can enhance the contribution made by those who are already active economically or socially. Telework/teletrade techniques can be used to deliver enhanced services to the disabled in more cost effective ways, enabling them, according to their particular environment and competencies, to enrich their lives and reduce their dependence on public or charitable support. There is an opportunity to develop profitable export markets in this field by stimulating development of a more effective local market in telework/ teletrade and other technology based products and services for the disabled. We recommend that Government should initiate a very high profile programme to make the UK the first country world wide to provide all housebound disabled people with the advantages of electronic networking. Study Findings The study team consulted with many people and organisations already active in the development and delivery of IT and telecommunications based products and services for the disabled and the recommendations below build on the excellent work that has already been done in this field. Based on the work of the supplementary study we find that: Although a lot of good work has been done, the opportunities are not yet widely enough known and recognised throughout the many agencies and organisations, public and private, that are engaged in the delivery of products and services to the disabled. Given the low and reducing cost of both telecommunications and the 'end user' technology, it would now appear practical to provide electronic network communications to all housebound disabled people in the UK. Further research will be needed to scale and timetable this but 'within this decade' seems a feasible goal. Such a programme will have a transforming effect on the lives of housebound disabled people and throughout the delivery chain for all kinds of services. It can become largely self funding, through enabling a higher proportion of housebound disabled people to become economically active and self supporting, and through establishing a world leading home base for the export of relevant products, services and techniques. Although the most obvious impact is on housebound disabled people, many disabled people who are partially mobile are constrained in the radius of travel within which they can seek work and in the kinds of jobs they are able to do 'on site'. These too can benefit from the same programme. High level strategic policy recommendation Our key recommendation is that a formal study should be established to develop a costed timetable for provision of electronic networked services access to all housebound disabled people in the UK. Because of the obvious public interest in such a programme and the expectations it might arouse, the study should be undertaken in confidence by a small team, looking purely at the costs and strategic aspects. Subject to confirming the feasibility and economic justification of such a programme, a public statement should then be made, inviting consultation and comment from all interested parties, and leading to a White Paper setting out the Government's intentions and approximate timetable. Implementation would be largely in the hands of the private sector, working through established agencies, charities and the like, perhaps supported by a task force with Ministerial backing. Given that this key recommendation is at a very high strategic level, and has significant political and policy implications, we also set out below a number of more immediate, practical recommendations that can take effect whether or not the key recommendation is followed up. We have not generally attempted to assign Departmental policy interests to individual recommendations. For brevity, we have assumed a reasonable working knowledge of existing practices and support mechanisms in the field.   Specific, near term recommendations Theme 1 - helping disabled people to become socially and economically active We observe that while much attention is paid to the use of technologies to deliver services to and for disabled people, and to alleviating specific disabilities, inadequate attention is paid to the empowerment that new technologies can provide, and through which disabled people can become more in control of their own lives as well as developing their own mechanisms for wider social and economic participation. Recommendations: Assessment methods should be developed for use by PACT teams and others through which the telework/teletrade opportunities and requirements of individual disabled persons can be cost effectively determined, so that suitable support and technology can be targeted accurately. Provision of such assessment services should not be dependent on a prior job offer. (Note 1) Targeted training should be provided, recognising the disabled as a priority group, and should include access to self-managed and self-elected training, so that those who are not positively diagnosed by 'assessment' have every opportunity to demonstrate their potential through personal effort. Training and support should include positive assistance with finding paid work or becoming successfully self employed. Awareness programmes (and where appropriate, training) should be targeted at all those in the "support chain", whether in the public or the private sector, so that the benefits of telework and of electronic access for disabled persons are more widely understood and can be very rapidly made available to all appropriate disabled persons. (Note 2) Staff at Job Centres and similar agencies should be trained to identify work that is suitable for disabled teleworkers and to make employers aware of the opportunities to employ disabled teleworkers. Funding schemes for provision of equipment to support disabled persons in PAYE employment, should be extended to the self employed. Equipment funding schemes should extend to cover the cost of appropriate functional training beyond basic equipment familiarisation training. When a disabled person is loaned equipment as part of a training programme or assessment scheme, they should have the opportunity to retain the technology at low or no cost so as to make themselves employable or self employable. Allowances, grants etc for unemployed and self employed disabled persons need thorough examination to ensure the net effect of financial and other arrangements encourages rather than discourages work at any level and of any kind. This should include consideration of extending the 'make up pay' scheme to teleworkers and graduated 'tail off' arrangements to ease the transition from invalidity benefit to gainful telework employment. (Note 3) A charity or similar should be encouraged to establish a 'marketing and quality assurance' 'front end' supplying products and services developed and supported by disabled teleworkers, rather as the Remploy business has done for disabled factory employees, and as organisations such as Telecottages Wales are doing for teleworkers generally. (Note 4) Disabled teleworkers retained by companies should be recognised as part of the employer's target for disabled employees, regardless of whether they are on the payroll or self employed. Government should set an example by encouraging the use of disabled teleworkers in professional and support roles in Government projects and contracts. Theme 2: electronic delivery of products and services to the disabled Much good work is being done at the detailed level in adapting IT products for disabled users and in exploring the use of electronic networks by disabled persons. There is a need for the many strands of this to be brought together so that the 'total effect' of such technology can be properly understood and best practice can be more widely disseminated. Recommendations: For that large proportion of the disabled who suffer either mobility problems or social access problems, a research programme should be instituted to identify all the ways in which electronically delivered products and services can provide them with access to fuller participation in the community; help to overcome social access problems resulting from prior experience of isolation, disregard or poor self image; help individuals to identify opportunities for themselves to make productive contributions to society or to the economy; promote effective networking among charities and individual volunteers that provide help, care, training and support in the same way that such networking enables enhanced cooperation in commercial activities. The results of such a study should be widely disseminated to all relevant agencies, charities etc to encourage the spread of best practice. The study should identify technology development opportunities and requirements. There should be formal allocation of a proportion of science and industrial research and development budgets to ensure that this market receives appropriate attention, and that we move from 'disabled' versions being 'tacked on' to mainstream products towards a proper view of this as a major market in itself. It is important that appropriate R&D projects compete only with other 'disabled products and services' projects, rather than against all other R&D projects. Relevant products, training and support should be made available to victims of accidents immediately, rather than awaiting legal or insurance proof of liability and compensation claims. Someone disabled as the result of an accident is disabled, whoever was responsible. (Note 5) The technology of such products and services, plus the know how to deliver them, present a major world market opportunity. Most research should therefore be market oriented and should be undertaken by industry with support from academics and charities, rather than as 'pure science' or 'neutral investigation'. There is of course scope for academically led research into longer term requirements. Theme 3: developing the market and the export opportunities Although the total market for technology for the disabled is large, in the UK and globally, it is highly fragmented, with many small firms, often run by engineers or specialists with little business or commercial experience and on an inadequate capital base. There is also a tendency to develop projects 'on the cheap', based on anticipated low volume sales, and for Government, charities and others investing in the purchase of products to seek 'best price' from the supplier rather than considering the impact of their purchasing decisions and commissioned work on the overall development and cost effective delivery of effective products to serve the disabled. Although many ingenious and useful products have emerged, the highly fragmented nature of the market means that we are not applying the best available know how to the opportunities to improve life for the disabled. Fragmentation also means inadequate cross fertilisation of developments internationally, and high unit costs associated with low production volumes. Recommendations: [ETO editorial note. In this section, reading "Europe" for "UK" appears to yield recommendations that are equally valid for Europe in 1997 as they were for UK in 1993!] Government should encourage and support the formation of a suitable grouping or groupings of suppliers, supported by the major trade associations and industry bodies. Awareness programmes are needed to assist the development of an efficient market in the UK and to stimulate exports, recognising that the market has special characteristics - for example, the fact that those who select and purchase products may not be those who use them, or even those responsible for distributing them and supporting their use. To provide focus and encourage swift progress, an export initiative should be planned and announced some two years ahead, with a structured lead-in period through which companies are helped to properly package their products and services for the UK market and prepare for the export programme. The DTI/FCO Joint Directorate should seek the involvement of relevant UK and International bodies (eg The British Council, The Commonwealth Secretariat, appropriate world-class UK based charities) in preparing and sustaining the export campaign. The Internet and other global networks should be used to alert 'network aware' people world wide to the positive outcomes of the UK 'neworking for the disabled' programme. The UK should act to stimulate attention at world level to the opportunities presented by computer communications for the disabled, through the UN, EC and similar organisations. This should be coordinated with the campaign to prepare UK suppliers to become effective exporters. Government Departments and Charities that invest in technology for the disabled should be educated to understand the market and how their purchasing decisions can help or hinder the development and cost effective distribution of successful products. They should recognise that their role is strategic (in developing the right 'total environment' for the disabled long term) and not just tactical (securing the best short term bargain). Special steps should be taken to ensure the small firms concerned have access to appropriate advice on such matters as patent protection, trade names, copyright etc. DTI should work with Employment Department and Social Services Department to bring together a national forum/SIG (Note 6), embracing suppliers, relevant charities, caring agencies and employers (through BIC/CBI), as the continuing focal point of market awareness and market stimulation. Theme 4: political leadership A successful programme to develop and exploit computer communications on behalf of the disabled and as an enabling and emancipating technology for the disabled, will combine the elements of caring, job creation, social responsibility and economic development in a way that can be made very attractive to industry and politically. We believe a purposive programme to bring electronic networking to all housebound disabled people can be undertaken at a relatively low cost or may even be self funding through its impact on increasing the employment rate among disabled people and stimulating exports of the technology and know how. The UK can set a lead as the first country world wide with the vision to provide our disabled people with the advantages of electronic networking, placing them at a advantage compared with many able bodied people in the population. The result will be to unleash a significant flow of additional 'brainpower' into the economy and into the global network. The concept has the merit of being easy to understand, newsworthy, very popular (if properly presented) and attractive both economically and socially. The success of the programme depends on combining a high level of energy and initiative, clear insight into the mechanisms of the market and good communications among Departments and with all relevant agencies, with strong leadership to ensure that barriers and obstacles are rapidly identified and overcome or circumvented. We recommend that this overall topic receive urgent attention at senior Ministerial level and that, after a short planning and preparation period, the programme should be launched as the personal initiative of a Senior Minister and followed through by that Minister as 'personal champion' of the programme. The UK report was first published Spring 1993. Editorial notes by ETO team Note 1: UK support to the provision of technology for people with disabilities was linked to evidence that employment would result. This appeared to the study team to be counter productive in that skills in using the technology and prior connection to the networks are essential in finding work opportunities. Return to position of Note 1 in text above Note 2: The study team had concluded that the attitudes and expectations of people and institutions in the disabilities support supply chain were in themselves a barrier to progress. Later experience strongly reinforced this view! Return to position of Note 2 in text above Note 3: There seemed to be a Catch 22 associated with novel opporunities for people with disabilities. Those who were most closely involved wer most strongly aware of the disabilities and barriers and therefore pessimistic about outcomes of novel initiatives. There may be a need for special intervention outside the conventional supply chain in order to create a sufficient critical mass of positive exemplars before such attitudes can be changed. An "act of faith" approach is needed to start the snowball rolling and get it to critical size, rather than "steady lack of progress". Return to position of Note 3 in text above Note 4: The "marketing front end" approach is needed partly to compensate for the pessimistic stance of existing insitutions and partly to bring relevant expertise to bear in tapping into the goodwill that exists in the market in the form of a desire by employers to assist. Return to position of Note 4 in text above Note 5: The study team were astonished to find that ascertaining blame delayed the implementation of support for someone disabled as a result of an accident. However it turned out that this was not untypical of a general tendency to focus on (a) types of disabilities and (b) support processes rather than on the needs of the disabled customer as an individual. Return to position of Note 5 in text above Note 6: Fragmentation of the supply chains and the opportunities chains is a natural consequence of the emergence of specialised charities (eg Royal National Institute for the Blind). This has many positive results, in that a blind person does have different needs from that of a person with locomotive disabilities. However in the advent of an information society and a networked economy its equally important that society should bring together all the energy and goodwill it can muster around the overriding causes of "building an information society that is accessible" and "empowering people who have been excluded from the built environment and the industrial society to become active participants and contributors". Return to position of Note 6 in text above