AbilityNet - 11/01/21

Monday was Irvine Seagate Rotary’s first meeting of the New Year.  President Hugh Hutchison welcomed members back after the festive break, and members reported on their activities during lockdown.  For some it has been socially distanced work as usual, and many are walking more than usual, often with dogs or golf clubs. 

The speaker on Monday was Heather Sneddon, South West Scotland coordinator for AbilityNet.  This charity, partly funded by IBM and Microsoft, exists to help older people, and any aged disabled people, to access appropriate technology.  It is a free service with an advice helpline, and volunteers can help set up PCs, Tablets, Phones or any other devices such as smart TVs for anyone who is not confident with modern electronics or who have specific needs such as sight or hearing difficulties or restricted movement.  They also offer on line courses on digital accessibility for designers and companies.  The talk was an interesting insight into the possibilities of what is available to ensure that everyone can benefit from the modern world, and how it can make life significantly easier for some.  There were questions, and a Vote of Thanks was proposed by Jim Fairgrieve.