Imploring every organisation to become disability-friendly and meet the legal requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act¹, assistive technology specialist iansyst Ltd (www.re-adjust.co.uk), will be providing free advice and guidance for visitors to the CIPD Annual Conference & Exhibition 2010. iansyst’s team (stand C195) are keen to talk to HR personnel about the importance of disability awareness across all levels of management and how this can help ensure that disabled employees are properly supported and achieving their full potential.

Further supporting the wellbeing and productivity of disabled employees, iansyst will be showcasing new assistive technologies which organisations can implement to help staff overcome their difficulties and work more efficiently. Visitors to the stand can see the latest developments in note-taking software including the Livescribe Pulse SmartPen which records and links audio to what you write and Audio Notetaker which allows employees to explore, annotate and organise digital files in real-time and add notes and supporting materials such as PowerPoint files alongside their recordings.

Available to see for the first time at the show is the latest version of award-winning voice-recognition software Dragon Naturally Speaking V11. The software, which can be loaded onto a desktop computer, laptop or iPod, enables employees to convert their voice into documents, e-mails and instant messages up to three times faster than typing.  This software can be helpful to every employee and is particularly useful to people with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia as it enables them to get their ideas down quickly. The software is compatible with most applications and can control the computer, including browsing the web and sending emails using voice commands.

iansyst believes it is crucial that employees with learning or physical disabilities feel able to be transparent about their condition at work. For this to happen, the management team must be aware of the disability in order to secure appropriate provision, facilitate better support and develop the most efficient way of team working. Generally, more information is available and businesses are developing a better understanding of learning disabilities; dyslexia in particular, but there is still much work to do.

Employers prepared to make changes to support employees with a disability can significantly increase business productivity. Whether it is a shift in workplace culture or disseminating an accessible disability policy, supporting employees with disabilities such as dyslexia will improve staff morale. By making the appropriate provisions companies ensure that the whole workforce is operating at full capacity which, in turn, allows the business to improve its performance.

Michael Pitcher, Assistive Technology Specialist at iansyst Ltd, comments: “Whilst it is important that employers know and meet their obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), it is vital that changes in attitude are organisation-wide. It can be difficult to alter long-standing work processes – this is especially true for older employees. As such, re-education is critical to levelling out the playing field in the workplace for those with disabilities. We are here to help employers and employees work together to create a healthier, more pro-active and motivated workforce, so come and see us at the show.”

For further information about iansyst, please visit stand C195 at the CIPD Annual Conference & Exhibition, visit the web site at www.re-adjust.co.uk or tel: 01223 420101.