Dr. Gerald Craddock:

Getting back to what universal design is fundamentally about, how do we mainstream this? I mentioned public procurement earlier. If this is built into public procurement, it will cut down the cost of any product. A classic example is the telephone, which was invented by Alexander Graham Bell for his house assistant who was deaf. Now it is a ubiquitous product and a high number of assistive technologies are built into the telephone. My colleague mentioned Alexa, which is a mainstream product. We did work with Alone about two years ago on house adaptations, such as electric door and window openers and so on, but the number one outstanding element that the 30 individuals thought was the best piece of technology was Alexa. They could operate their telephones, lights and so on. It is a mainstream product that people can buy for €100.

We see procurement as critical. As I mentioned, we have done work with the Office of Government Procurement. My colleague mentioned assistive technology. The WHO and our parent Department, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, produced a report which looked at a whole new system for assistive technology delivery in Ireland. All going well, it should be published before Christmas. Adaptations in the home are very much part of that.