Access to Communication and Technology
Training
ACT works with people with complex disabilities to enable them communicate and interact, assisted by the use of electronic equipment.
ACT Training
If you are not yet on our email list for alerts around what we hope to offer, please sign up to our 2025 mailing list.
ACT has a project to restart offering training to those in the West Midlands interested in the service we provide to the West Midlands. We have been doing various things to progress this.
We have produced a training guide video, Introduction to ACT, presented by two members of our team for those who may not have referred to ACT before, or those who feel they need a refresher.
This training will provide:
- An overview of the team, our referral criteria, and the remit of the service.
- How to refer and the information required to make a referral.
- Things to consider before referring and how to prepare your client.
ACT has a project to restart offering training to those in the West Midlands interested in the service we provide to the West Midlands. We have been doing various things to progress this.
Survey Results
In June 2024, ACT carried out a survey with people on our mailing list, to explore what training these colleagues across the West Midlands region would like and how they would like it delivered. We had lots of suggestions and have prioritised the most popular options which were:
- Using and adapting mainstream equipment: for example, commercially available smart speakers, phones, tablets for Environmental Control Systems and internet access. Likely delivered face to face.
- Pathways to Augmentative and Alternative Communication/Environmental Control Systems and Computer access assessment with NHSE services. This would be about navigating the pathways to our service depending on the profile of the client and their environment. Likely delivered online with restricted audience numbers to ensure a quality learning experience.
We need to plan these and therefore do not yet have 2025 dates for these courses. Depending on how these plans go for us, we will be looking at signposting to these topics in forthcoming newsletters.
We remind you that the ACT referral and helpline is just that, and you are welcome to call us to talk a query, idea, real or "hypothetical" client through Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m., 0121 466 3028.
Piloting training
Also in June 2024 we piloted an online session called “Introduction to ACT” and this was well received by our colleagues in the BCHC Acquired Brain Injury Inpatient team. This led to us delivering the sessions again throughout 2024, prior to producing the above video which delivers the same information and can be accessed as needed.
Clinical Excellence Network restart
The West Midlands Augmentative and Alternative Communication Clinical Excellence Network (WMAAC CEN) will be resumed on Tuesday 21 October 2025 in person, for the day, at Access to Communication and Technology, West Midlands Rehabilitation Centre (WMRC). This is mainly being aimed at our SLT(A) colleagues at the moment, as the room we have in WMRC holds a maximum of 40 people. We have sent out a “hold the date” email over the summer and the full calling notice will go out at the very beginning of term, so please watch out for that.