Anything is Possible. Naidex 2021

About Naidex

Naidex is one of the world’s most established events gathering professionals and organisations that support independent living and display various state-of-the-art solutions to improve mobility, accessibility and cognitive training. The exhibitors present the latest innovations in technology and plans for digital and physical accessibility. This year, we had the pleasure to make a debut at Naidex accompanied by new members of our London team. We loved every minute of it!

Naidex is not only a showcase of the latest advances in Assistive Technology. It’s a forum for collaboration, bringing together the SEN community to nurture inclusion and inspire a change for the better. With over 200 world-class suppliers, 100 inspirational seminars and fantastic attendees, we left with tons of new ideas and are very excited about the following years in Assistive Technologies. 

Filisia’s highlights from Naidex 2021

The following are only a few of the companies we met during the conference. 

    1. Osborne Technologies, based in South Yorkshire, offers a range of products and services, including interactive touch displays, immersive sensory spaces, scent delivery solutions and many more. We had a chance to be inside one of the Aurora sensory rooms and feel really immersed in the experience. We even had a chance to smell the chocolate scent!
    2. Safespaces UK provides custom-made safe rooms for people with complex additional needs to support safe sleeping, improve sleep patterns and help people feel safe and more independent. 
    3. Podsplay makes innovative sensory pods giving children a chance to immerse themselves in imaginative play. Igloo-like pods offer a variety of themes such as savannah safari, jungle or galactic adventure. As they say, Plug in, Pop up and Play!
    4. Made for Movement, founded in Norway, works towards an empowered, equal and inclusive community providing devices to improve physical mobility for clinical and home use.
    5. Last but not least, speaking with Robotics4Good and seeing their Telepresence Robots for the first time left us speechless. Robotics4Good provides customised robotics and smart technology solutions to empower people in their everyday lives. 

A tweet with two employees of Filisia with an Ohmnia telepresence robot.

You can see the full list of exhibitors here.

What inspired us at Naidex

At Filisia, our mission is to help people live their best lives by increasing accessibility and fostering equal participation. Our solutions provide embedded learning opportunities and allow learners to access inclusive activities and progress.

Meeting like-minded people, networking and sharing ideas at Naidex was an immensely positive experience. We listened to captivating and insightful seminars and met speakers and exhibitors who share our passion. Thanks to that, we left the conference even more motivated and inspired.

Seminars are a big part of the Naidex conference and gather the best professionals in the field. Below is a brief summary of the talks we attended.

Safespaces UK gave an eye-opening talk about sleep problems. Safespaces products minimise the impact of challenging and self-injurious behaviours allowing the person to be safer, happier and more independent.

A tweet summarising the seminar given by Safespaces UK

Listening to Michael Vermeersch talk about the future of accessibility in the workplace made us reflect on critical issues and opportunities in this area. Michael is Microsoft’s Accessibility Product Marketing Manager and, over the years, has helped businesses embed accessibility and increase their advantage by attracting and including neurodiverse minds in the workplace. 

A tweet summarising the talk given by Microsoft on accessibility in the workplace.

Ruby Jones from the University of Exeter spoke about an (In)Accessible Education and how digital accessibility transforms higher education. Ruby Jones is a disability activist campaigning for accessibility and diversity in higher education. Ruby is a member of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team at her alma mater and aims towards more meaningful change for students with disabilities. 

Let’s talk

We love to hear from the SEN community. If you want to know more about Filisia and how we work to increase accessibility and inclusion, get in touch by filling out the contact form or join our mailing list to receive the latest updates from the world of Assistive Technology.

Naidex 2021 is behind us, but the registration for the next edition is already open, so make sure to book your spot. You can do it here. 

A tweet summarising Naidex 2021.

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