Championing AT: BATA's ten-year timeline
27 January 2021
BATA the first ten years: a timeline of key moments
December 2020
Online conference Reimagining DSA Summit draws record numbers for a BATA event.
June 2020
UK essential Assistive Products List (APL) survey, compiled by Esther Dakin-Poole in conjunction with the World Health Organisation’s Global Cooperation Assistive Technology (GATE) programme goes live.
February 2020
Rick Bell becomes BATA chair
January 2020
Government announces its intention to publish a National Disability Strategy “to transform the lives of disabled people”.
December 2019
Under the co-chairmanship of Antony Ruck, European AT companies band together to form a European industry association for digital assistive technology called DATEurope.
November 2019
BATA signs Bologna Declaration calling for action to improve access to AT and joins Global Alliance of Assistive Technology Organisations.
October 2019
Council member Paul Smyth nominated to Shaw Trust’s Power100, a roll call of the 100 most influential disabled people in the UK.
April 2019
New-look website unveiled by Myles Pilling.
August 2018
Delegates to the DSA Summit in July at Northampton University took a number of important decisions that shaped BATA’s policy towards AT in higher education.
May 2018
Meeting with America’s Assistive Technology Industry Association at the House of Lords.
March 2018
Disabled employees benefit from a £15,000 rise in Access to Work grants to assist them at work, following new measures introduced in Parliament.
January 2018
The Work and Pensions Select Committee, which oversees the work of the Department for Work and Pensions, launches an inquiry into assistive technology and receives evidence from BATA.
September 2017
First sponsored walk led by Sarah-Jane Peake takes place in Derbyshire’s Dales amid torrential rain.
May 2017
BATA becomes a founding member of the newly formed All-Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology.
September 2016
Members are surveyed on what qualifications they have and how important they are in gaining employment in the AT sector.
October 2015
HMRC consults BATA on review of the VAT concession on computers for disabled people, which results in a redraft of the rules by then council member Ian Litterick.
September 2015
The introduction of a £200 charge for laptops supplied via Disabled Students’ Allowances triggers a sustained campaign against what BATA sees as a barrier to learning in higher education. Over the next five years, nine attempts to reform DSA ended in failure after BATA pointed out flaws in the proposals.
July 2015
BATA publishes its charter as a statement of the responsibilities and undertakings of the individuals and organisations who work with assistive technology products and services.
February 2015
Antony Ruck appointed chair of BATA.
November 2014
Members demonstrate AT to some of the world’s largest buyers and suppliers of ICT in the world at a technology swap-shop organised by the Business Disability Forum.
October 2014
Educationalists come together to discuss the future of exam accessibility at a meeting in London.
July 2014
John Lamb takes over as Executive Director.
March 2014
Government announces review of DSA. BATA responds.
December 2013
BATA publishes a baseline research document that establishes the scope of the AT sector in the UK, the number of jobs it provides and its value to the economy in terms of GDP.
September 2012
Barbara Philips addresses the Global Business Summit on Advances in Assistive Medical Technologies at Lancaster House in London.
February 2012
Mark McCusker, CEO of Texthelp, appointed chair.
September 2011
The first special interest group – for DSA AT Providers – is set up. By January 2021 the SIG had been joined by 15 others.
July 2011
BATA’s popular Export Day put on in conjunction with UK Trade and Industry provides insight into overseas markets.
July 2011
Barbara Philips appointed first Executive Director.
January 2010
BATA launched during BETT at the Olympia Hilton hotel with Martin Littler in the chair. Littler declares: “Banding together offers new and cost-effective opportunities for influence and for publicity of AT”.