Philip Jenkinson at the MAA stand at the Computer Seniors Conference
The two-day event, which is the 18th annual conferenced staged by the (ASCCA), attracted almost 150 seniors on the first day, from computer clubs all across the country. And judging by the high degree of interest and the dozens of conversations that occurred on day-1 of the event, the Affordable Access website and resources has been a real hit.
The conference featured informative talks on achieving more from your digital technology, bridging the digital divide, the latest in 3D printing, and emerging tech trends and products. What's more, the delegates attending were hungry to learn more about the ever increasing number of feature-rich, budget-priced devices and software that's now available in the online and offline marketplace.
The Affordable Access project, which was grant-funded by the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), is answering their need for a resource that provides information on highly accessible software, hardware and services that are easy to use and affordably priced. There was a high level of interest in affordable technology options from the delegates at the event, most of whom are retired or semi-retired older people, and often also carers of children or their own siblings, some of whom have multiple disabilities.
"Sometimes there's a tendency in society to discount the level of technological awareness that seniors have," says Media Access Australia CEO, Dr Manisha Amin. "Many seniors are very tech-savvy and hungry to keep on learning, as this conference demonstrated. And with technology, it's not just young people's lives that can be positively impacted, but older Australians too."
Tip sheets aligned to the requirements of various audience groups, can be freely downloaded from http://affordableaccess.com.au.
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