The Accessibility Award has been with us since we launched the Tech4Good Awards in 2011, celebrating organisations that have accessibility and inclusion at the top of their list.
Lifelites were the first to take home the Award, for bringing fun and educational technology to children’s hospices across the UK. In 2012 LexAble won the Award for tackling dyslexia with their intuitive software tool, Global AutoCorrect. In 2013 it was Barclays Bank’s accessible cashpoints that won them the Award, and finally in 2014 SpecialEffect won the Accessibility Award for enabling anyone, whatever their physical disability, to enjoy video games through modified technology and bespoke software.
This year we have four fantastic finalists in the running for the Accessibility Award. In no particular order, we have Talking Birds Theatre Company, Barclays Bank and SignVideo, Open Bionics and EVA Park. Find out more about them here, including the hashtag you need to tweet to vote:
#T4GTalkingBirds is a small, independent, site-specific theatre company making work that is accessible for anyone in the audience, from those who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, sight-impaired or disabled.
Next we have #T4GBarclays. Working in collaboration with SignVideo, Barclays Bank now offer a more accessible service for all deaf or hard-of-hearing customers visiting their local branch, cutting out the need to book in-branch interpreters, which could often take several weeks. Their online app-based solution allows branch staff to connect instantly to a fully qualified British Sign Language interpreter.
#T4GOpenBionics is dramatically cutting the cost of fitting hand amputees with robotic prosthetics. This dynamic startup uses 3D scanning and 3D printing, offering a bionic hand for £1,000 (compared to £20,000-£80,000), and printing it in just five days.
Finally we have #T4GEVA, a research project at City University that created a multi-user virtual world giving people with aphasia, a language impairment typically caused by a stroke, a unique way to practice their speech and establish social connections in a tranquil, engaging and quirky online space.
Visit the Finalists 2015 page to find out who made it to finals this year, and how you can vote for them to win the People’s Award.
Don’t forget, any of our 27 finalists can win this Award, regardless of whether they win their category. You can tell us who you think should win by voting right here on the website, or by tweeting your chosen finalist’s unique hashtag. You can vote as many times as you like – and don’t forget to tell family, friends, colleagues and service users to vote, too. Voting will be open throughout June.
