CareFree Smart Homes began from a desire to enhance the lives of people with disabilities. As a disabled-owned company, we recommend all of our products to anyone disabled who is looking to utilise technology to enhance their level of independent living. During an interview with CEO Josh Porritt, this is what he said:
1. What is a Care Free Smart Home?
A CareFree Smart Home is one that provides the occupants with useful automation and voice controlled features that make it easier to control their home.
2. Are Care Free Smart Homes wheelchair accessible? How?
Products available at CareFree Smart Homes can help wheelchair users by enabling them to do more from their chair without having to move around as much or stretch for switches.
3. Are Care Free Smart Homes digitally accessible? How?
CareFree Smart Homes is all about technology. Whether you want to control your home whilst you’re there, or somewhere completely different. We have a website and are available on all major social media platforms plus live chat and WhatsApp.
4. Do Housing Corporations know about your company?
We are open to working with housing corporations and welcome them to contact us.
5. Are Care Free Smart Homes legal?
All our products and services comply with the law.
6. When did you start Care Free Smart Homes?
CareFree Smart Homes was incorporated in July 2022 and began operating in September 2022.
7. Does a Care Free Smart Home, work without Wifi or Internet connection? Sort of, at the moment. The ability to control your smart home without an internet connection is becoming more and more possible every day. There will come a time where every smart home accessory can be controlled independent of an internet connection.
8. You say that you like solving problems. Which problems arose for you to start building Care Free Smart Homes?
It’s often difficult for disabled people to navigate properties, whether it’s fully adapted or not. As a disabled person, I understand this problem first hand. Coupled with the fact I’m obsessed with technology, I’m ideally placed to advise on how smart technology can be used in the homes of everyone, including disabled people.
9. How do you build Care Free Smart Homes?
Whilst there’s a broad range of smart products available, we focus on providing products and solutions that are ‘plug and play’. We believe that ‘plug and play’ products, if they can’t be installed by the purchaser, are suitable to be installed by family members, friends, carers, handymen, and for certain products, a short visit from an electrician
10. Do you eventually wish to go global/international?
At this time we are focused on establishing our name within the United Kingdom and making life easier for as many people as possible through use of technology.
For more information about his company, you can check out his website at: Home Automation For Disabled Persons | CareFree Smart Homes https://www.carefreesmarthomes.co.uk/
The International Symbol of Accessibility, that white stick figure in a wheel chair on a blue background, was developed in 1969. It was borne of a contest held by the International Commission on Technology and Accessibility, which was won by Susanne Kofoed of Copenhagen, Denmark. Kofoed’s original design didn’t include a head (probably because she was trying to keep the figure unisex) so it wasn’t used right away; but once the head was added, it became quite popular.
The Commission chose the blue background simply because it provided a nice contrast with the white stick figure, making the symbol easily visible on all kinds of surfaces. That said, the little stick figure might change some time in the future, as some parties are arguing that not all disabled people use a wheel chair and the figure needs to be more representative of other disabilities.
This is a good start for disability representation and wheelchair accessibility. I hope the little stick figure changes in the near future so that it can change our worldview on medical conditions and the general outlook on life for people with different exceptionalities.
Web accessibility, or e-Accessibility, is the inclusive practice of ensuring there are no barriers that prevent interaction with, or access to, websites on the World Wide Web by people with physical disabilities, situational disabilities, and socio-economic restrictions on bandwidth and speed.
Misconception #1: web accessibility is about disability.
It’s not. Web accessibility is about universality. It’s about making something that can be used by as many people as possible. Different environments, different devices, elderly, different cultural backgrounds, non-English speakers and impaired abilities. 11.2 million people in the UK, are registered as having a disability. Eighty-three percent of disabled people acquire a disability during their working life.
Disabled people in the UK are estimated to have the spending power of at least eighty billion per year. The majority of disabilities are not visible. Less than eight percent of disabled people use a wheelchair. We need to make our websites easy to use for everyone, including the hearing impaired, those with limited mobility, those with reading difficulties and anyone using hand-held devices.
So why do we do it?
By making your content more accessible more people in more locations can read your information and they will understand it more easily.
After all, you want everyone to get your message, right?
Accessibility is also a legal requirement under the Equality Act of 2010.
Misconception #2: web accessibility is not my problem.
It is. Web accessibility is everyone’s responsibility. We’re all in this together what you do makes a difference.
So what do people need?
People need information that is easy to read that works on different devices and that is easy to navigate. It also needs good design and colour contrast, images and graphs that are described well, has video captions or transcriptions, has documents and attachments in a format that can be used by everyone everywhere. Remember what you do at the start makes it easier at the end and your content gets published faster.
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself. A: My name is Daniella Jade Lowe. I am a university graduate with a BA degree focused on History and Politics from the University of Bradford, England. Journalism and Politics are my passion. I am an emerging Journalist, Politician and Disability Advocate. My motive behind doing this was to be an advocate for people with disabilities. I am also marketing myself as an Access Consultant.
Q: What is your experience of life as a disabled person? A: I have advocated for Wheelchair Accessibility in Bermuda, by writing various articles for numerous publications on the subject. In fact, one of the reasons why I pursued further education and started my career in England was due to Wheelchair Accessibility. During Middle School and High School, I used a Garaventa StairTrac for navigating the school for classes. I have even represented Bermuda at the London 2012 Paralympic Games as a reporter for Bermuda’s Paralympian Jessica Lewis. During the games I also assessed the level of Wheelchair Accessibility at the event.
Q: How would you describe your disability? A: I was diagnosed with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus at birth. This condition is neurological. It comes with mobility issues and learning difficulties. As a result, I use a wheelchair for mobility.
Q: What is accessibility like where you live? A: Accessibility is terrible in Bermuda. Accessibility is much better in England.
Q: Where is your favourite place for accessibility & why? A: Bradford and Ilkley are great for Wheelchair Access because there are plenty of ramps, lifts, and flat surfaces. Leeds has Disability Confident companies too.
Q: What is one accessibility improvement that you would like to see? A: Travelling around London can be improved especially when using the Tube or the Underground. Gatwick Airport is better for WheelchairAccessibility than Heathrow Airport is.
On December 3, 2020, I was a panelist for a Virtual Conference hosted by the WindReach in Bermuda. This virtual conference was held in honour of ‘International Day of People with Disabilities’.
Conference objective:
Due to COVID-19, but even before, the needs and voices of People Living with Disabilities were often not made a priority in our social world, in our workplaces, in our schools or even in their own care and goals. Focusing our main topics of understanding on the history of disability, employment, accessibility, stigma, people’s misperceptions, and encouraging self-advocacy, we hope to address many of the issues facing Bermudians living with disabilities.
This conference is meant to shine a light on the disability community as a whole, give space for their voices to be heard and to work on solutions to better the lives of all individuals. Everyone benefits when we collectively move towards a more inclusive society. There were ASL interpreters present throughout the whole conference. It was well organised and things went smoothly.
During the conference, I shared the subject of Disability & Accessibility in Bermuda (Panel) alongside Chris Bulley, Vince Godber from Vision Bermuda & Keith Simmons.
This discussion was between Panelists on the state of accessibility in Bermuda, what are the issues facing individuals accessing public and private establishments, transportation, and health care from an access perspective. Examine what laws are in place to address this, how they are used and how we can move forward to create a more accessible Bermuda.
I also discussed how I’ve explored the option of marketing myself as an Access Consultant, and how we could do with more in Bermuda.
I have always advocated and written articles on the subject of Wheelchair Accessibility, especially while growing up in Bermuda. This has been a longstanding issue in Bermuda, at least since 2006. I’ve even attended a ‘Brown Bag Lunch’ with Bermuda’s former Premier Dr. Ewart Brown, to discuss subjects like Wheelchair Accessibility amongst other things.
This is a photo of former Premier Dr. Ewart Brown’s first Brown Bag Lunch.
Accessibility can be viewed as the “ability to access” and benefit from some system or entity. The concept often focuses on people with disabilities or special needs (such as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) and their right of access, enabling the use of assistive technology.
Bermuda is not wheelchair-friendly. But in the City of Hamilton, some roads have disabled-friendly sidewalks. Bermuda’s sidewalks are often very busy with pedestrians, can be steep, are not always on both sides of the road and traffic on the main road between sidewalks is often dense. It is a very hilly, with few flat places, not good for disabled people confined to a wheelchair who are not accompanied by a spouse or caregiver with the strength to lift them. Main roads are very narrow and almost always busy during the weekday especially. There are now sidewalks with sloping ramps uniformly throughout the most frequently traveled tourism and international business areas of the city. The Town of St. George is slowly improving. It is semi-rural. http://www.bermuda-online.org/disabledinBermuda.htm.
Wheelchair Accessibility and mobility issues are additional problems that wheelchair users face daily. I experienced this many times in Bermuda, especially at school. Access alleviates the amount of limitations and restrictions on wheelchair users. Failing to ensure wheelchair accessibility is neglecting to provide reasonable adjustments. It is like functioning in dysfunction. Fortunately AccessAdvisr helps to tackle this in England. I still think that people must be mindful.
Accessibility Consultation and Disability Services (ADS) provides inspections, assessment, and consultations for accessibility requirements like ramps, door sizes, for new buildings and renovations. The purpose of this service is to help ensure and promote accessibility for all. The Accessibility Officer reviews planning applications, upon the request of the Department of Planning or the applicant, to help ensure buildings meet accessibility requirements. For more information about the Building Codes in Bermuda visit The Department of Planning Website: https://www.gov.bm/accessibility-consultation.
The Department of Planning has Building Control. Building Control consults with other government agencies, reviews building permit applications for compliance with Building Codes and may require professional engineer certification of structures before issuance of building permits.
Building Control building and electrical inspectors visit the sites where construction is underway to inspect work and determine if work is in accordance with the planning approval and the building permit. It is the responsibility of the property owner to ensure inspections are requested and the owner may be required to obtain a professional engineer certification of works which have not been inspected. Requests for Certificates of Completion/Occupancy, whether partial or final, must be made in writing: https://planning.gov.bm/index.php/building-control/.
Additionally, Bermuda businesses are taking steps to improve accessibility. In 2019, Bermuda joined the UK’s business initiative called ‘Purple Tuesday’. Companies and individuals can register in advance using an online form or can speak with accessibility advocates in Hamilton, where sign-up details are taken in-person and additional information is available.
This initiative is part of a National Tourism Plan effort to ensure Bermuda becomes a more accessible destination for people with disabilities, an effort that will not only set the island apart but also benefit Bermudians, too.
However, I get really annoyed with drivers who park across dropped kerbs. Dropped kerbs are meant to make it easy for wheelchairs to enter and exit sidewalks. Some drivers even park on top of the sidewalks blocking the walkway. We need to clamp down on this with a fine both in the UK and Bermuda.
One solution to resolve this is through installing ramps and lifts.
Having this event is one good way to make some noise about Wheelchair Accessibility. The purpose of this virtual conference is to find a common ground on this relentless issue so that we can move forward together as a community. Finding a solution might mean compromising things for the greater good to move Bermuda forward.
But we need more help. We need more allies, pressure groups, focus groups and need to get more people with disabilities in Parliament and The Human Rights Commission.
I am very thankful and happy that I was given the opportunity to be a panelist for this virtual conference. I hope this virtual conference can encourage positive change and bring about a ‘new reality’ for disabled Bermudians and disabled tourists.
Disabled shoppers now have equality in business called the ‘Purple Pound’. The Purple Pound represents the spending power of the disabled household. A disabled household is a household in which at least one of the members has a disability.
The Purple Pound here in England is equivalent to the Black Dollar in America. This is England’s way of ensuring Inclusive Marketing for the disabled population.
Organisations are missing out on the business of disabled consumers due to poor accessibility (both physical and digital) and not being disability confident in their customer services approach. Out of this came ‘The Purple Shopper’.
The Purple shopper was created to make the disabled person’s shopping experience a personal one, where stores are accessible at their convenience. No more queuing at checkouts, no over bright and loud environments.
Businesses can join this initiative and become a Purple Shopper by signing up on their website at http://www.purpleshopper.co.uk.
The Power of the Purple Pound
In the UK, it is thought that some seven million people of working age have a disability, which all adds up to an awful lot of spending power.
It is reckoned to be worth around £249 billion to the economy.
According to statistics, 75% of disabled people have left a store or website due to inaccessibility. To combat this, ‘Purple Tuesday’ came into effect.
Purple Tuesday 2020 is a change programme for organisations of all sizes from all sectors to get involved in, with the common goal of improving the customer experience for disabled people 365 days a year.
Purple Tuesday is about creating a step change improvement in the awareness of the value and needs of disabled customers. It is about making the customer experience accessible.
Participating organisations will make public commitments (a minimum of one new activity or initiative) to ensure sustainable changes are made. For organisations, this will result in the opening up of products and services to the disability market.
Access consultants provide professional advice on how to develop inclusive environments in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. They help to reinforce this law.
Wheelchair accessibility and mobility issues are just some of the problems that access consultants look at and try to solve. Businesses are required by the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments to allow anyone to use a building or a facility, including those who, to pick just one example use wheelchairs.
A prime example of what access consultants do is Access Rating.
WHAT IS ACCESS RATING?
Access Rating is an idea established by and for the community of disabled people based in the UK. Inclusion is the concept. Nowadays, there is an app for it too. This app helps access consultants do their job efficiently: it is available for Android and IOS and is called, appropriately, “Access Rating”
This app is the brainchild of Mark Esho, Rich Copson and Jignesh Vaidya. It allows customers and access consultants to critique businesses’ compliance with the access criteria set out in the Equality Act.
Mark Esho and Martyn Sibley recently assessed the disabled community’s opinion of the app during The Daily Sib Show via YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxtiRAMiSSA
This app shows to business owners and operators that the disabled community can add value to their business: most businesspersons do not see the physically impaired as customers – but they spend money and contribute to the economy just like anyone else. Neglecting wheelchair accessibility is also a good example of bad customer service.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
you can submit a review in 30 seconds
upvote and downvote reviews
over 240,000 venues are included
you can suggest new venues to add
BENEFITS OF THIS APP
Free to download and use
broad scope of wheelchair accessible venues in the UK
makes event planning easy
accurate
plans to make it international
It works as a digital travel directory for the physically challenged. This app also exposes discrimination and promotes inclusion. It revolutionises the way wheelchair users socialise and is extremely useful for access consultants in their research. For more information, feel free to browse the website at https://www.accessrating.com/app/, or email them at info@accessrating.com.
This is the first segment of my article series ‘Dealing with Disability’. In this article, I will cover Dealing with Disability on the Job, using examples from my personal experiences.
Lived Experience
How does one handle disability in the workplace?
While living in Bermuda, I’ve had sporadic summer jobs and work experience. One paid job was working as a Junior Counselor at an inclusive Summer camp for disabled and non-disabled children.
Another paid summer job included representing Bermuda at the London 2012 Paralympic Games as a reporter. That was fun and unforgettable.
However, after graduating from university in 2017, my real career development and job searching began. My personal experience with job searching has been very tough.
Job hunting can be quite frustrating for the disabled community. We have special skill sets based on level of ability.
The problem is, we need a job to get work experience, and we need work experience to get a job. Going from interview to interview without any success can be quite discouraging.
Nowadays, there are an increasing number of disabled people starting businesses because the job searching and interview process is proving to be difficult.
If you desire to apply for benefits, you must be eligible for it. Before one is eligible, they must have a financial assessment. The unemployed who are actively seeking work can apply for the Jobseekers’ Allowance which is paid into their bank accounts from their local Jobcentre, fortnightly.
There is also the Employment Support Allowance and Universal Credit that one can apply for.
Business owners are entitled to the Income Support Scheme. All of this is provided at the local Jobcentre Plus through the Department of Works and Pensions.
Purple Tuesday is an accessibility initiative for businesses and I am proud to know that Bermuda has joined this community. This initiative promotes inclusive marketing for the disabled shopper.(www.purpletuesday.org.uk)
All employers are expected to make reasonable adjustments, especially for wheelchair users. They’re also expected to conduct risks assessments for health and safety reasons. They should also provide a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan in case of any emergencies like fires or flooding.
From personal experience, I know that, the Park Place Jobcentre in Leeds, England, definitely prioritises and values the disabled community because they take precautionary measures first.
For example, during a placement that I completed under the Department of Works and Pensions at the Park Place Jobcentre, I had to complete a risk assessment for them to make reasonable adjustments in order for me to start the placement. This included checking the accessibility of escape routes for fire drills.
All employers have some level of a duty of care and can be held liable for accidents.
Employers must look at job design. Job design should play to people’s strengths. Talents and skills are important.
Employers should not give disabled people jobs out of sympathy. Problem solving skills make disabled people good candidates because they always have to overcome barriers which could make one employable.
Inclusive Workplaces
Channel 4 is a Disability Confident employer and they judge job applicants on their abilities against job descriptions. They try their best to recruit from groups in society that are underrepresented.
Job Agencies for the disabled include Remploy, Evenbreak and Scope. Remploy helps get our disabled community into cleaning jobs unless they have alternative career goals.
There’s a consultation agency called Inclusive Employers which also does this. Inclusive Employers is an organisation created to help employers develop an inclusive workplace, avoid the pitfalls of discrimination and get more from their workforce.
Inclusive Employers provides knowledge and networks to help build workplaces where people feel valued, and can add value. Their employer members are committed to creating an inclusive workplace, maximising the potential of all employees. They strive to lead the way in breaking barriers and building success.
Delsion Ltd. is another inclusive employer known as the People & Development Consultancy. They’re the award winning specialists in Learning & Development, Diversity & Inclusion and all things that help people and organisations reach their true potential.
Why should organisations employ disabled people? Why not? Political correctness is the enemy of inclusion. Political correctness is the avoidance of forms of expression or action that are perceived to exclude, marginalize, or insult groups of people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against.
The alternative is working from home but it doesn’t necessarily promote inclusion or diversity neither does it clamp down on discrimination.
Another interesting aspect is blind interviews vs physical interviews. Blind interviews are better than physical interviews because candidates are judged on skills not memory or tests.
Using technology and specialist equipment can make workplaces more inclusive for people with disabilities too.
Wheelchair Accessibility and mobility issues are just some of the problems that wheelchair users and the physically challenged face daily. Access alleviates the amount of limitations and restrictions on wheelchair users. Failing to ensure wheelchair accessibility is neglecting to provide reasonable adjustments. It is like functioning in dysfunction.
According to the British Government, the British can apply for dropped kerbs. However, I get really annoyed with drivers who park across dropped kerbs. Dropped kerbs are meant to make it easy for wheelchairs to enter and exit sidewalks. The Government needs to clamp down on these drivers with a fine. The same should happen in Bermuda.
AccessAdvisr helps to monitor wheelchair access. Disabled people going places. AccessAdvisr Board members are Rob Trent and Martyn Sibley.(https://accessadvisr.net)
The AccessAdvisr website allows disabled people to rate and find first-hand accessibility information. Photographs can also be uploaded alongside reviews. This helps to tackle wheelchair accessibility issues. It also encourages accountability and inclusion.
So, in ‘Dealing with Disability on the Job’, we must work towards inclusion, equality and diversity in the workplace by creating inclusion in the workplace, and inclusive workplaces. This could possibly help to improve the economy on a global scale. All jobs should be Disability Confident. I think Bermuda should also adopt this scheme to work on a better future for Bermudians.
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