The AT Alliance members
Assist UK leads a UK wide network of locally-situated Disabled Living Centres. Each centre includes a permanent exhibition of products and equipment that provide people with opportunities to see and try products and equipment and get information and advice from professional staff about what might suit them best. There are over 325 advisors throughout the network who respond to an average ¼ million enquiries made each year. Disabled Living Centres also provide a valuable source of information relating to access, design and equipment for daily living. This can be especially useful to carers, older people and healthcare workers, students and manufacturers.
The Disabled Living Foundation (DLF) provides a national audience with trusted information, advice and training to support independent living and choice for those who need assistive equipment. The DLF is widely recognised as an enterprising and innovative charity using interactive technology to bring its services to a growing mainstream audience of those with age-related, temporary or long term physical impairment. Its services include: DLF Data, the UK’s only comprehsnive database of assistive technology; a national Helpline; the largest Equipment Demonstration Centre in the South east; free Factsheets; a guided advice tool AskSARA; Living made easy, an advice and information portal on daily living equipment; an extensive Training programme; and an annual Moving & Handling People event.
The Foundation for Assistive Technology (FAST) works with the AT community to support innovation in product development and good practice in service provision. Its aims are to:
Ensure that development of assistive technology and service delivery is led by the needs and wishes of disabled and older people. Bring together the people who use assistive technology, researchers, developers, manufacturers and service providers to build effective partnerships. Co-ordinate information sharing and collaboration within the assistive technology community. Raise awareness about emerging technologies for disabled and older people. Gather and disseminate information about new technologies to users and professionals. Provide expert analysis and highlight the issues within the research and development of new assistive technology products and services. Get users actively involved in the design and provision of assistive technology solutions. Raise the profile of assistive technology service provision at a national level. Showcase the latest assistive technology on the market.
Ricability is the trading name of the Research Institute for Consumer Affairs (RICA), a national research charity dedicated to providing independent information of value to disabled and older consumers. Under its trading name of Ricability, it researches and publishes consumer reports. They are all based on rigorous research and provide practical information needed by disabled and older consumers. As the Research Institute for Consumer Affairs it also work with manufacturers, service providers, regulators and policy makers to improve products and services. Its aim is to increase their awareness of the needs of disabled and older consumers through specialist research.