For the record, Autreach is a loose network of like minded autistic activists here in the UK and abroad with ongoing connection and sharing of views. Autreach IT is my bit of this network - a social enterprise offering IT services run by autistic people for the autistic people who need them most see www.autreachit.co.uk for more

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Why has Information Technology including Internet become a Human

Rights issue?

• United Nations has declared it a human rights violation to withhold Internet access

www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/06/internet-a-human-right/

see also the Cisco Connected World Technology Report (CCWTR)

www.cisco.com/assets/sol/ent/business_trend/borderless/ccwtr/CCWTR-infographic.html

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UN

• “Article 21: - Freedom of expression and opinion, and access to information”

• • “States Parties shall take all appropriate

measures to ensure that persons with disabilities can exercise the right to freedom of expression and opinion, including the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas on an equal basis with others and through all forms of communication of their choice, as defined in article 2 of the present Convention, including by:”

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Much legislative support from both this and the previous government

• Valuing people now (DOH 2009) “Addressing

the issues for people with complex needs is really about embedding the principles of personalisation within all aspects of planning, commissioning and delivery of support services. It is also about recognising that the very particular support needs of an individual will mean very individualised support packages, including systems for facilitating meaningful two-way communication.”

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Award .D. (2009) Ratification of the UNCRPD: United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Raidiowaves https://www.radiowaves.co.uk/story/43493/title/ratificationoftheuncrpdunitednationsconventionontherightsofpersonswithdisabilites Accessed 9/10/2011

Blackstone .S. (1992) Rethinking the basics. Augmentative Communication News 5(3) Care Services improvement partnership (2007) Safeguarding Adults with Learning Disabilities

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CF0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww2.hull.ac.uk%2Ffass%2Fpdf%2FSafeguarding%2520Adults%2520Report.pdf&ei=k7eRTtOuFIi1hAfJ653rDw&usg=AFQjCNG_P2Evzq0lsoW4CDjRZB1xR1N_tA&sig2=-WpBkulyenT3j9ZST8uh7Q Accessed 9/10/2011

Department of Health (2010) Equality and excellence: Liberating the NHS. Department of Health

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_117353 Accessed 9/10/2011

Department of Health (2009) Valuing people now: a new three-year strategy for people with learning disabilities Making it

happen for everyone http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_093377 Accessed 9/10/2011

Department of Health (2007) Services for people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour or mental health

needs http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_080129 Accessed 9/10/2011

Office of the Communication Champion (2010) Augmentative and alternative communication: a report on provision for

children and young people in England, September 2010 http://www.herefordshirelink.org/files/downloads/page/2010/12/augmentative_and_alternative_communication_a_rep_17952.doc Accessed 9/10/2011

NHS Choices (2010) Specialised Services National Definitions Set. NHS Choices

http://www.specialisedservices.nhs.uk/documents/index/document_category_id:26 United Nations (2006) United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/conventionfull.shtml Accessed 9/10/2011

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Why? and Why it specially matters if

speech is too challenging.

Not being able to speak does not mean not being able to think, or

contribute, or enjoy oneself

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Not being able to speak does not mean not being able to think, …

• see Richard Mill’s Introduction to this talk for

some of the evidence

• also please see www.scientificamerican.com/article....al-of-autistic-kids

• and www.autismandcomputing.org.uk

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Background understanding of autism in this talk

• in autism there is a different distribution of processing resource N such that switching from one interest to another is painful/ shocking or at least challenging - the steeper the attention tunnel formation tends to be, the harder it is to shift processing resource to a new focus and the harder it is to handle sudden extraneous events. In our view this pattern, with intensive deep absorption and potential super levels of local processing activity alternating with confusion and perhaps cognitive defeat, underlies the social issues in autism and the linguistic ones as well as the often found sensory and coordination challenges. This is based on the interest model of mind I proposed in my PhD Language and Interests (UCL 1986) which makes sense of a wide range of research results re cognition and perception across the whole spectrum of humanity.

• please see www.autismandcomputing.org.uk for varied supporting arguments

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Why does anyone like IT?

• it spares so much effort

• it gives so many opportunities to develop and exchange ideas

• its pace, and its time and place in our lives can be controlled

• it makes communication so easy 9

Why do autistic people like IT?

• it spares so much effort

• it gives so many opportunities to develop and exchange ideas

• its pace and its time and place in our lives can be controlled

• it makes communication so easy

PLUS … communication is the key to unblocking issues with society

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IT plus Internet = Access

Access to

– current culture: arts, sports, politics

– encyclopaedic information

– communication – family, friends; key people, bureaucrats, MPs, social workers, etc

– social networks

– armchair commerce

• bargains

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poor people worldwide benefit most

• education

• opportunity

• scope

• connection

• employment

most autistic adults are poor

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Why does anyone like touch screen handheld devices?

all the above PLUS

• portable

• personal

• intimate

• immediate

• shareable

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Why do autistic people like touch screen handheld devices?

• As above, very keenly felt

AND

• communication is the key to unblocking issues with society

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Why do people who don’t use speech like these devices?

Possibly all the above PLUS

• Voice Output Communication Aids - VOCAs

• non-speech options

– creativity, play, music, video

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http://carlysvoice.com/ - changing the world of autism

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http://carlysvoice.com/

Carly’s Voice – changing the world of autism

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Why people say they need these devices

• on tap entertainment

• on tap connection with friends, family, and the levers of power

• on tap sharing and communicating with people near and far

• on tap recording

– video, audio

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why people who don’t speak need these devices

• all the above PLUS

• equal footing, well, relatively equal

• communication potential – not speaking does not mean not having something to say!

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Some of Drew Goldsmith’s videos

• www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfOgXSCNp-g

• http://vimeo.com/20504935

• www.pbs.org/pov/voicescape/2011/drew-morton-goldsmith-middleton-wis.php

SEE ALSO for more by Drew and several others

www.modelaircraftmuseum.com/apps/videos/show/12786381-something-about-us

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Being treated as an equal

• texts

• emails

• voice output communication aids

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The Alternative:

• typically, people who don’t speak

– are meagrely entertained

– are minimally connected with others

– have little to share

– have no means of communicating effectively

– have no access to the levers of power

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• Individually they tend to be seen as idiots • collectively they tend to be= seen as disposable: all

cost no benefit

https://ballastexistenz.wordpress.com/ • commercially they are seen as both a source of funds

and a drain on those funds – sometimes a spectacular drain!

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sanctions?

• Few and rarely enforced legal penalties for failure

• Costly alternatives of angry and unfulfilled people

• see NAO 2009 report www.nao.org.uk/publications/0809/autism.aspx

• and Knapp 2007 www.autismspeaks.org.uk/document_downloads/Reports/economic_costs_of_autism_knapp_romeo_beecham.pdf

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cost in cash

• two staff for every outing

• ‘secure’ setting

• over all high staffing levels

• replacement of materials

• staff turnover

• empty beds

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cost in Quality of Life

• exclusion

• depersonalisation

• stupefaction

• neglect

• abuse

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what could the benefits be?

• a sense of personal efficacy

• opportunities for creativity and play 27

• a sense of personal efficacy

• freedom from boredom

• opportunities for creativity

and play

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what could the benefits be?

• opportunities for discovery and lifelong learning

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• recognition as a real person, who can be understood

• ability to be socially useful 30

.capacity to join the ongoing

discussions that constantly reshape the social world

.chances to connect with other

people on an equal footing

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• service providers have the satisfaction of doing their jobs properly

• personal emotional rewards of seeing people fulfilled and engaged with evidently valuable concerns and projects

• save money

• everyone will be happier? 32

excerpt from CBS 60 minutes…

• Autism Apps

• produced by Karen Sughrue

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Thanks due

Too many to say but, specifically for this talk

• Wendy Keay Bright for Reactickles and Somantics clips www.reactickles.org

& www.somantics.org

• Saskia Baron for getting us the CBC Apps DVD

• Charlotte Stace for research, advice and feedback

• to

for a small grant and much support to Autreach IT

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