Contents

Enabling Information: A report on improving access and raising standards in information services for disabled people and their carers in Scotland.

5 Information Technology

As part of the background to the report, it is important to be aware of the role of information technology in this area. The relevance of IT in the field of disability information can be in three areas:

• in the processing and storing of information
• as a means of overcoming impairment
• as a dissemination tool.

5.1 Background

One of the things which the Coopers and Lybrand report considered would significantly improve the provision of information to disabled people, their carers and professionals was the possibility of linking locally based federations with so called Common Service Providers (CSPs) at national level, possibly making greater use of the developing information technology. In 1988 the role of computers was limited, often being driven by individuals who were enthusiasts, using donated equipment and systems which were poorly supported and conforming to few quality or technical standards. But there was enthusiasm about the potential of IT in providing easily accessible databases, partly as a result of the work of the Technical Liaison group in the Department of Trade and Industry. Coopers and Lybrand argued that standards for data definition and communications between computers should be developed as part of a national framework. (para 4.15). The CSPs could focus on a specific type of disability or a particular issue and wider access to these databases would be encouraged.

The report by PE International in 1990 looked at existing providers and demonstrated that there were considerable problems in relation to compatibility and standardisation. The computer facilities of most national information providers were not appropriate for access from remote terminals, many databases were incomplete, and there was inadequate control of the data held. Considerable investment and development would be needed to produce cost effective and easy to use information systems. The leading databases were only able to be used by experienced professionals. There was also a marked lack of coordination at national level. The report explored the possibility of linking the CSPs with local providers and identified four options, concluding that the most workable option would be for each data provider at national level to choose the medium most suitable for transferring data to local services. PE International proposed that technical support should be provided to potential CSPs to speed their development, as one of the factors which was inhibiting developments in this area was lack of resources.

5.2 NDIP

The project which finally took shape as NDIP had computer support provided by the Computer Development Unit of the London Advice Services Alliance. In addition the 12 pilot projects were given capital grants which allowed them to purchase computer equipment. The initial hopes that new technology could be used to create a "seamless database of disability information" at national level which could be accessed on demand, were not realised. The significant disparities in the level of technology used by national information providers, the lack of resources and skills on the part of local services to access such a system, and the task of creating and maintaining such an information system, all made this an impossible goal.

The following issues were addressed in the course of NDIP, and are ongoing issues in this field.

5.3 Classification and organisation of information

There was a demand within NDIP for the development of a classification system with which to organise paper information resources. Such a system could be used by local groups and if it was possible to agree on a system which could be used as standard, it could also be used by national information providers to pre-classify their information. The scheme developed by the Disability Information Service Surrey (DISS) appeared to be the front runner in this field, and the University of Central England was commissioned to evaluate the scheme and its potential. The report concluded that the DISS scheme had the potential to be developed into such a standard. Several organisations in Scotland are using the DISS classification scheme.

A classification scheme is also needed for organising information in a computer database. This can be a classification system like DISS, or can be based on a thesaurus, a controlled list of terms which are used as keywords. An example of this is the thesaurus created by Gloucestershire GUiDE, the Gloucester Updated Information Service for Disabled or Elderly Persons, one of the NDIP projects.

DIAL UK is currently developing a classification system which it plans to use for paper information and in conjunction with the shell database being developed by the London Advice Services Alliance (see section 5.4.2 below).

5.4 Databases

The advantages of computerised databases is their capacity to store large amounts of data, and for users to access it quickly. This data will include information to be used in answering enquiries, but also information useful in running the service, and statistics. However, the experience of the NDIP pilot projects reflected the experience of other groups in this area, that creating a local database took longer, was more complicated and more expensive than expected. The average cost of creating a database with around 1000 records was around £40-50,000 and took the equivalent time of one person working full time for one year.

Various types of database can now be bought off the shelf:

• complete systems which come with software and information
• shell systems to which data can be added
• database development software.

5.4.1 Complete systems have been developed by DISS, GUIDE Gloucestershire, and Information in Cheshire (INCHES). The information already on the system is national, and local groups can add their own local information. The purchase price varies between £1500 and £3000, in addition to an annual subscription.

5.4.2 Shell systems are considerably cheaper, and, as part of NDIP, the Computer Development Unit of the London Advice Services Alliance has been developing a shell system to meet the needs of disability information services. This is currently being piloted by the Norfolk Disability Information Federation. DIAL UK is considering using this system, currently called Information Management and Retrieval Systems (IRMS), for disseminating national information to local DIAL groups, which could also use it to store local information. IRMS is designed to help agencies manage information about local organisations and contacts; to produce labels, lists and standard letters; and to provide a retrieval system to support advice and information giving.

One of the publications which has come out of the NDIP project is devoted specifically to the management of disability information and contains guidance on the use of databases. (16)

5.5 Networks

Developments in telecommunications mean that information can increasingly be made available through linked computer systems.

In Scotland, the Grampian Caredata project has shown how health and community information can be made widely available. Outlets throughout Grampian Region can be directly accessed by members of the public in libraries, health centres etc., while professionals can access the database in social work departments or within the health service. The database has also been made freely available to advice agencies in the voluntary sector.

One of the NDIP projects, the Devon Disability Information and Advice Federation, provided its database to the local authority mainframe computer system, which meant that it could be accessed in all local authority offices as well as in libraries. The authority has subscribed to the Disabled Living Foundation database of aids and equipment, so access to this is provided for all federation members.

However it is in Manchester that the use of information networks has been exploited most fully. Manchester has developed a sophisticated public access electronic information network called the Manchester Host. Subscribers to the Host can retrieve information from databases attached to it, as well as using it as a means of communication, for E mail and bulletin boards. It is also possible to gain access to the Internet through the Host. The Manchester Disability Information Service (MDIS), one of the NDIP pilot projects, had hoped to use the Manchester Host, but for various reasons did not fully exploit the potential of this system, although a number of people did use it intensively to share information and communicate. The original aims of MDIS appear to have been too ambitious, and the project experienced difficulty in recruiting and retaining staff. The project failed to engage with the well developed advice sector in the city. A proposal emerged from outwith MDIS to develop a service for disabled people, Disnet, on the Manchester Host, which MDIS hoped to make use of, but this service has still not become fully operational.

Over the last few years the Internet, the so-called superhighway of information accessed through computers and phone lines, has become established and it is likely that this will be increasingly used by disabled people. The great advantage for many disabled people of information being made available through a computer screen is that it can be down-loaded by the user in the format most appropriate to their needs, whether in braille, large print or synthesised speech. The Internet is being used by Action for Blind People for making their journal Chariot which focuses on all national disability issues available to a wide international audience.

5.6 Use of IT in dissemination of information

5.6.1 Public touch screens

These systems allow access to information through a user-friendly interface, directly on screen rather than through a keyboard. There can also be an element of information exchange through these access points, for instance people could use them to apply for benefits or driving licences. There is considerable interest in this, and in Scotland the following projects are being developed.

A public access health information system, Healthpoint has been developed for use in Greater Glasgow.

In Edinburgh, the Community Development department of Edinburgh Libraries Service, has developed a touchscreen system for accessing a wide range of information about district council services, at Capital Information Points in all the public libraries in Edinburgh. It provides a free telephone linking the user to all council departments, a fax machine, and a post box for sending mail direct to the council. Information from the Health Education Board for Scotland, the tourist board and local groups will also be included.

The most technologically advanced project in Scotland is the LAMBDA project in Highland Region. This is part of a European wide initiative and aims to provide high quality multi-media access to services in remote parts of the Highlands. It will use touchscreens and allow interaction between the user and offices within Highland Region, and has information from other agencies such as the Benefits Agency.

5.6.2 CD-I

A CD-I disc is similar to a music CD, but with the added possibility of storing pictures and video. A CD-I is played through a television and the user interacts with the screen by clicking on-screen "hot spots". CD-I technology allows users to access the information they want in a range of languages including British Sign Language, and so is particularly useful for deaf people and ethnic minority groups. Gateshead Disability Information Project has developed the use of CD-I for disabled people.

5.6.3 Television

In France the use of television based information services through Minitel is considerably more advanced, and more widely used than the equivalent service in the UK, the Prestel service run by BT. To use Prestel you require a PC, a modem and communications software, or a Viewdata terminal, and a telephone socket. In addition to the basic services provided, additional services can be obtained at extra cost such as the French Minitel service, BR Inter City timetables, AA Roadwatch, and information about the weather, sport, and holidays.

BBC Ceefax has been used by RADAR to broadcast up to eight pages of disability information, four days a week. This information is updated weekly. In addition BBC Select is a night time service which provides programmes designed for reading at later date. Disability Agenda was launched in March 1994, and is funded by National Savings and the Benefits Agency.

The Gateshead Disability Information Project has experimented with the use of Cable TV in taking information directly into people's homes, and there is now a teletext channel available to carry disability information to providers. Initial indications are that people are subscribing to this service.

5.7 Scotland

The extent to which organisations are able to take advantage of the rapidly developing technology depends partly on their funding. A body like the Health Education Board for Scotland, which is funded by central government, has been able to take advantage of technical advances, and is producing information on CD ROM. In contrast Disability Scotland appears to have been hampered in being tied to cumbersome database software and to have lacked the funding to radically improve their systems. Disability Scotland has been tied to the software used in the Disabled Living Foundation database which forms a major part of Disability Scotland's database (DS Data).

At local level, Grampian Caredata stands out as the project in which the use of a computer database has created positive benefits for agencies in both statutory and voluntary sectors.

There are various specialist databases which have been created in Scotland and provide specialist information in particular areas.

The Scottish Sensory Centre produces the Visual Impairment Service (VIS) database which provides a UK wide information service, is updated daily, and is funded by Guide Dogs for the Blind and the Scottish Office Education Dept. VIS works with Action for Blind People, RNIB and Sense Scotland. Subscriptions to the database cost around £10 and the database is updated quarterly. VIS is accessible to blind and partially sighted users through synthesised speech output and double height characters and contrasted columns.

The Scottish Sensory Centre also produces the Deaf Education Database, a pilot scheme which provides an information service for hearing impaired children and young adults, their families and professionals which is computer based, and available at six centres.

The Special Educational Needs Database (SEND) provides information for parents, teachers, and therapists using computer technology on equipment, software, publications and contacts.

Community Care Works is a database of good practice in Community Care which has recently been established at the Nuffield Centre for Community Care Studies at the University of Glasgow.

There is an increasing development of public information systems by local authorities in Scotland, for instance the LAMBDA project in Highland Region, the Strathclyde Community Information Points (SCIP), and the Capital Information Project in Edinburgh. All these information systems would be capable of delivering additional disability information.

5.8 The appropriate role of technology

While some technological developments have clear benefits, an over emphasis on technology must not obscure the irreplaceable value of skilled information providers. The importance of the person providing information and advice should not be overlooked, and the following points must be borne in mind:

• people need to be listened to and given practical support -information, advice and support are inextricably linked;
• elderly and housebound people may be uncomfortable with high tech solutions;
• people with learning difficulties may want day to day practical help, eg with reading the mail, as well as information and advice;
• the "door handle syndrome" whereby painful issues are only raised once the client has decided he or she can trust the adviser; and
• only through interaction between the information seeker and provider can policy issues emerge.

5.9 Conclusion

While the Working Group does not feel able to make specific recommendations about technology, there is clearly the possibility of learning from developments throughout the UK, and it will be important to try to encourage cooperation between providers in relation to the classification of information and technical matters which could improve the transferability of information. Developments in this area will undoubtedly have considerable significance especially in the area of sending information directly into the home, whether through cable television or the Internet, and an increasing level of communication between disabled people and organisations through bulletin boards.