Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos

Shannon Murray is an actress, writer, disability consultant and a solicitor, on top of this she is also an accomplished keynote speaker. Shannon was left paralysed from the waist down after a diving accident when she was 14 years old and first received international media attention a few years after her injury when she won the first ever search for a disabled model.She has since campaigned for the better representation of disability in the media for 20 years and has gone some way to improving that, appearing in a number of successful dramas for the BBC and Channel 4 as well as being the first disabled model to feature in a high profile advertising campaign for the British store Debenhams.Links: -Hand controls push pull fitted to an automatic Walking stick with marble/bone handle Raised toilet seat of various heights.  

Andy Healey is an aerospace writer and published author. He blogs on mobility and disabled travel at JohnnySombreroRides.com (http:// JohnnySombreroRides.com) . Andy flew helicopters in the Royal Navy and subsequently for an air-taxi operator near London, before breaking his back in a 1985 flying accident. Since then he has written for most UK national newspapers and presented for the BBC and Channel 4. He wrote ‘Leading from the Front; Bristow Helicopters, the first 50 years’ (Tempus) and ‘The Rough Guide to Accessible London’ (Rough Guides); he is currently editing a book for a major aerospace manufacturer. In our conversation, Andy shares his thoughts about his travels and the equipment he uses to make getting around that much easier. If like him you're a bit of a globetrotter take a listenLuggage Bag     https://www.phoenixinstinct.com/ Freewheel for manual wheelchair http://bit.ly/2oZhmDpRGK Tiga FX. http://bit.ly/2o8W8CKGTM Mustang. http://bit.ly/2ogmvGAAndy’s Website and Blog  http://www.johnnysom

Jamie Knight is an autistic web developer, writer, speaker and mountain biker. Lion is a plushie who goes everywhere with him.The duo has spent almost 10 years at the BBC working on everything from iPlayer Radio to children’s gaming. Millions of people use Jamie’s code each day. Lion’s BBC career has mostly been in antelope management. Jamie has been speaking about his autistic life for over 10 years. He’s also contributed to books, magazines and co-presented a podcast series for the BBC.In this edition of our podcast, Jamie explains the importance of the tech he uses and the vital role it plays in helping him to manage communication, mood and life generally.Jamie and Lion’s Gadgets list:Proloquo2Go http://bit.ly/30taTyyApple Watch https://apple.co/32XSdHXPhillips Hue Smart lights https://amzn.to/330eFzZNest Smoke alarm https://amzn.to/32V6V2o

Dr Alice Maynard CBE is an experienced Non-Executive Director having worked since the early ‘90s as a Trustee of several Charities and a member of two Housing Association Committees.Alice was Chair of Scope for 6 years, a £100m turnover charity providing services to disabled people with high support needs and campaigning for disabled people’s equality.Alice is a Chartered Director (Institute of Directors) and has worked in the private, public and third sectors and she has established two successful businesses of her own (Equal Ability and Future Inclusion (http://www.futureinclusion.com/) ).Alice has spinal muscular atrophy and uses a powered wheelchair to get around. She lives in Milton Keynes.Here are the links to the products and services Alice mentioned:-Hot tap Insinkerator  http://www.aquathermservices.com/.  Adam Thomas redesigned her kitchen. http://bit.ly/2VB5nr6Electric Toothbrush Oral B http://bit.ly/2D9BPtcAmazon Echo  (Alexa)  as a way of using SKYPE in an emergencyhttps://amzn.to/2WlsaYtRemote c

In this Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos episode from the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RIDC), I’m in conversation with Vivek Gohil who has managed to find ways to enjoying gaming by bending technology to his will.Vivek is 29 and from Leicester, he lives with the muscle-wasting condition Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, he uses a ventilator to help him breathe and is a powered wheelchair user. He is a Blogger, Speaker, Accessibility & Assistive Tech Consultant and Freelance Writer for the gaming website Eurogamer. Vivek primarily writes about disability representation in all forms of media, assistive technology, gaming, mental health and his lived experience. He’s worked with Microsoft testing their Xbox adaptive controller, Logitech reviewing gaming mice and game developers to improve accessibility and disability inclusion. Comics, Sci-Fi, Robotics, Superheroes, Space and Psychology interest him so if you’re not busy then he can talk your ear off about those topics. You can learn more by visiting Vivek’

Born in 1960, Rosie’s impairment is four-limbed Phocomelia caused by the drug Thalidomide.After graduating with a BSc., (Hons) Degree in Psychology through Cardiff University in 1985, Rosie joined the Civil Service and remained with the Department of Trade and Industry at Companies House Cardiff until 1993 at Executive Officer level.In 1995 Rosie formed the RMS Disability Issues Consultancy, out of a genuine desire to deliver first-class training in the field of Disability Equality and Disability Issues.Rosie received an OBE in the Queen’s New Years Honours List in 2015, “For Services to the Equality and the Rights of Disabled People.”Rosie was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from Cardiff University in 2017.Married, with one son, Rosie has a particular interest in radio, television and the arts.  Rosie has been the subject of several documentaries. She has worked with the BBC, Sky and ITV, and can be heard regularly on BBC Radio Wales.  She is a freelance TV and Radio Presenter.Links:Single use flexible straws

Rick Williams runs his own business based in Brighton. The company have been around for about 20 years and supply consultancy and training services to organisations that want to improve their employment and services provided for disabled people.Rick went blind in his mid-40s as a result of retinitis pigmentosa and this explains his lifelong commitment and passion for ensuring that disabled people, particularly those with sight impairments, lead as independent and inclusive a life as possible.In this edition of Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos Rick discusses a variety of things which enable him to have a very full and active life.Freeney Williams http://www.freeneywilliams.comiPhone and Ipad has a Text to Speech FunctionFree Navigation support https://www.bemyeyes.com/Jaws Screen Reader http://bit.ly/2DEWztkApple Vis https://www.applevis.com/Talking Microwave http://bit.ly/2DB3K5xTactile Measuring Jug https://amzn.to/2DF77stDymo Tape http://bit.ly/2DDBfEw

I’ve known Simon Minty for many years in fact for a number of those years we were business partners, so I feel I know him pretty well. In this conversation, Simon talks about the things he finds invaluable in helping to maintain his level of independence and I must admit there were one or two surprises. Simon has delivered training and consultancy in the field of equalities since 1997. He has personal experience of disability, being of short stature and of limited mobility.Based in London, Simon works throughout the UK and internationally. Simon’s passion for equality, his innate and learned knowledge of disability, his ability to listen and address the issue in hand combined with an infectious sense of humour has enabled him to successfully work with clients from a small NGO to a multi-national investment bank.  He’s produced numerous videos and co-produced and performed in the sell-out Edinburgh Fringe comedy show Abnormally Funny People in 2005, returning again in 2015. He is a host of BBC Ouch podcast and

Hello everyone and welcome to this the inaugural edition of the Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos podcast. We’re delighted to welcome as our first guest Geoff Adams-Spink one of the trustees of Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RiDC).Geoff was born with multiple impairments as a result of thalidomide. He has  shortened upper limbs, a missing right eye and extremely restricted vision in his left eye. He left the BBC in 2011 to set up his own disability equality consultancy and to Chair an international federation of organisations for those affected by congenital limb difference (EDRIC). As a trainer and public speaker, he has worked extensively in the UK, many EU countries, Ukraine, China and Thailand. He has an outward-looking world view and seeks to help international business, public and third sector organisations to learn from each other by spreading best practice in the field of disability equality. In my conversation with Geoff he talks about the things that he uses to overcome the difficulties that his

Hello everyone just a quick note to let you know that I’m planning to develop a new podcast in which I interview disabled people about the things they use to overcome the barriers they face because of their disability. I’ll keep you posted as to when this will become available. In the meantime you might want to take a listen to this as it tells you a little more than I have here.