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Raising awareness with organisation about digital poverty and accessibility

Chris Winter explains how he is not a technical expert when it comes to digital accessibility but focuses on raising awareness with organisations who choose not to improve the accessibility of their websites and mobile apps.

Making the World Wide Web more Accessible

Chris Winter’s latest blog details the four most common types of non-compliance to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) identified by the WebAIM Million annual reports of the past six years.

Inspiring Future Innovators Through Technology Books: Aligning with AIT’s mission

The Technology Books for Children volunteer reviewers recommend seven tech-themed books for children aged 4-14, which aim to nurture a deep understanding of technology, helping young readers envisage the role they can play in the digital world.

 

Beverly Clarke MBE and her new charity Technology Books for Children

In the ever-evolving landscape of the tech industry, Beverly Clarke MBE, a leader in the education and tech sector, has set out on a mission to inspire young minds and foster a love for technology through reading for pleasure on tech topics.

Low colour contrast makes websites illegible

The IT industry can do more for the disabled – Part 12. Chris Winter, an Ambassador for the Digital Poverty Alliance and evangelist for digital accessibility, is back with his latest blog which focuses on the disadvantages of low colour contrast on websites

University students complete work placement with AIT

Mark Jones, Adviser with AIT, writes about the progress of the most recent cohort of students – from Swansea and Manchester universities and University College London – who have recently completed work placements with AIT

A graphic showing an animated woman in a wheelchair holding a tablet with huge images of a laptop, tablet and phone in the background with disabled friendly logos.

The IT industry can do more for disabled people – Part 11

In his latest blog, Chris Winter, looks at digital accessibility legislation and regulation and asks why it isn’t always implemented. Is it unconscious bias, or as he likes to call it, corporate ignorance, or something worse: a conscious bias?

The IT industry can do more for disabled people – Part 10

Chris Winter discovers the Valuable 500 white paper on Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) and Disability Data and says that all organisations should include W3C Web Content Accessibility Content within their ESG programmes

The IT Industry must do more for disabled people - Part Nine

Chris Winter writes about the need not only for regulation and legislation, but also self-regulation.

The IT industry must do more for disabled people - Part Eight

In his latest blog Chris Winter argues that a lack of awareness of how disabled people use computers is a factor in low levels of digital accessibility.

LEO National Lottery Heritage Fund Event

Our Director, Tom Abram attends a celebration of the National Lottery Heritage Fund project to capture the story of Lyons Electronic Office

Evolving and Exploiting Packet Switched Networks

At the AIT Forum on the Histories of the Internet taking place on 9 January 2024 Edward Smith, Chris Miller and Jim Norton will lead a discussion on the Innovation and Implementation – Successes and Failures panel chaired by Robin Mansell

The IT Industry must do more for disabled people - Part Seven

A summary of his previous six blogs by Chris Winter.

Colossus designer, Tommy Flowers recognised with English Heritage Blue Plaque

Adrian Murphy blogs on an unsung hero’s vital war work and the key contribution he made to the development of the modern computer.

A woman sat at a desk using a PC.

From X-ray crystallography to computing history

Find out about a new podcast on the history of women working in computing in our guest blog by science writer Georgina Ferry.

The Coming AI Tsunami by John Handby

At the AIT Forum on the Histories of the Internet taking place on 9 January 2024 John Handby will chair a session entitled: AI Future Realities.

woman using a wheelchair communicating with a female colleague in a cafe

The IT Industry must do more to help disabled people - Part Six

Chris Winter on whether the ESG business framework is a potential ‘silver bullet’ to significantly improve the accessibility of digital services?

The Management of Change - Outsourcing Business Processes

Stephen Baker blogs on the challenges of a major outsourcing project at GSK in 2004.

IT and Business Change in the 1960s: a brief history of the CUBITH project

Ann Moffatt remembers an early example of using IT for the management of strategic change, in this case hospital design and construction.

Government in the early age of the internet

Ian Taylor MBE, Minister for Science, Space and Technology in John Major’s government, recalling a first in the use of the internet by government in the launch the IT for All programme.

A workstation with a standing woman and seated man using a wheelchair looking at something on a laptop

The IT Industry must do more to help Disabled People - Part Four

In this blog Chris Winter starts to discuss how to improve the accessibility of websites.

close up photo of a person using braille

The IT Industry must do more for disabled people - Part Five

Here Chris Winter discusses the ‘Green Agenda’.

Professor Stephen Temple and ETSI

A new blog from Richard Sharpe on the 35th Anniversary of the ETSI Technical Assembly, chaired by Professor Stephen Temple.

A workstation with a standing woman and seated man using a wheelchair looking at something on a laptop

The IT Industry must do more to help disabled people - Part Three

In this blog entry Chris Winter continues to focus on the size of problem, encompassing colour blindness and other areas. Future blog entries will begin to explore solutions.

What has the City of London ever done for us, the IT sector?

Richard Sharpe looks at the reasons UK companies, like ARM,  are choosing to float in New York and not on the London Stock Exchange

LEO Pioneer Ray Shaw dies aged 98

Richard Sharpe looks back at the life of LEO pioneer Ray Shaw, who has died aged 98.

A contemporary publicity shot of the Ferranti Pegasus II computer, circa 1958

John Wallace: Using the Pegasus computer to automate UK banking

John Wallace shares his experience using the Ferranti Pegasus, taken from his notes of a presentation to the British Computer Society in Year 2000 and a full-length interview to be published on Archives of IT.

The CAV room at night

Leo Remembered - Book Review by Richard Sharpe

LEO Remembered is an excellent contribution to the history of UK computing with its focus on the world’s first computer for business applications. Read Richard Sharpe’s thoughts on this book by Hilary Caminer and Lisa-Jane McGerty.

The IT Industry Must do more for Disabled People - Part Two

A second blog from Chris Winter on this hugely important subject.

two women and one man working on an early computer. A man reads ticker tape amd a woman wearing glasses takes notes. Another women in the background is reading a report

Kathleen Booth, Computer Pioneer, Bows Out at 100

New Blog from Richard Sharpe on the pioneering work of Kathleen Booth.

The IT Industry must do more for disabled people - Part One

New blog from Chris Winter,  an Ambassador for the Digital Poverty Alliance, an evangelist for digital accessibility and a former IBM Fellow, now retired.

How Hard is it to Create a Microchip Strategy?

Richard Sharpe ponders on the continued inability to create a microchip strategy in the UK.

A woman playing a computer game using immersive tech

Crossing the Cyber Rubicon

Blog from Tom Abram, Director, Archives of IT on cyberspace and why it is recognised as the fifth theatre of war alongside land, sea, air and space.

95 Years of AI - Has it Come of Age?

Latest Blog from Richard Sharpe on Artificial Intelligence.

Step forward Mavis Hinds, pioneer

Richard Sharpe blogs on a unsung female pioneer of IT

Open aka Not IBM

Latest blog from Richard Sharpe on the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) standard, and how it revolutionised Operating Systems in the 1990s.

Alan Turing Statue

Richard Sharpe looks at the efforts of King’s College Cambridge to get a statue erected in honour of Alan Turing.

The OPEN Blog - a response

Stephen Baker responds to Richard Sharpe’s blog, talking about 1980s calls for open systems.

The UK Tech Success Story

But is it? Tom Abram looks behind the sparkly unicorns.

ARM Cortex A57 A53

ARM

Richard Sharpe looks at how what happened in the last week of April in 1985 changed microprocessors forever.

IT Project Failure - will it always be with us?

Tom Abram and Mark Jones ponder this question.

Alastair Macdonald CB: a very civil, Civil Servant

Richard Sharpe looks back at his interview with Alastair Macdonald CB, who died earlier this year.

INPUT

Peter Cunningham on the company he created with his wife in 1974 and what it went on to become.

Capita proves that 'boring' can be good!

Richard Sharpe looks at the consistent performance of Capita that led to it happily being labelled boring.

The Great Database War 1978 to 1992

Richard Sharpe looks back through the archive and analyses key players in the database market during the 20th century.

The Rocky Road to Growth Through Mergers & Acquisitions

Richard Sharpe blogs about past mergers and acquisitions of key IT companies, and if they ever are successful.

Women in IT - Looking back on International Women's Day

Richard Sharpe looks at four of the amazing women in our archive on International Women’s Day.

Women in IT - a changing picture?

Dr Tom Abram wonders what, if anything, has really changed for women in the last 50 years, in terms of a career in IT.

The NHS and Information Systems

Richard Sharpe considers if the NHS and Information Systems is the ultimate challenge.

The Takeover of the NatWest Banking Group by The Royal Bank of Scotland

Stephen Baker blogs about when The Royal Bank of Scotland made an audacious bid for the NatWest Banking Group in 2000.

Watch the Faraday Lecture, 1975

Whilst working at Sperry Univac, Sir Desmond Pitcher gave the Faraday Lectures and made a few predictions on the development of the computer. Find out about his predictions and if they came true.

Looking back (over my shoulder?)

Dr Tom Abram takes a look back in the archives, and blogs on why 1991 was the worst year ever for the IT industry.

Much more than Apple Pie

Dr Mike Short looks back at the launch of the iPhone 15 years ago.

Looking Back at New Years Past

Richard Sharpe, interviewer for AIT and long-time journalist, looks back at IT news from 1985 and the year 2000.

Sir Clive Sinclair : Innovator Extraordinary

Tom Abram’s tribute to Sir Clive Sinclair, who died on the 16th September 2021 at the age of 81.

Back to the Future

Jim Norton gives a retrospective on the Butler Cox Foundation’s July 1989 paper  ‘Pan-European Communications: Threats and Opportunities’.

Taking Account of the Unforeseeable

Mark Jones reflects on what we can learn from how the forecasts of 30 years ago turned out.

Mirrors of the Future

Michael Mainelli looks at what we could have learned from the Butler Cox papers, and what they missed entirely.

Douglas Engelbart and his 1968 vision of the Human Computer Interface

Richard Sharpe blogs on how ‘The Mother of all demonstrations’ showed the world how the mouse would transform our relationship with computers.

A tribute to Len Taylor, co-founder of Logica

Len Taylor who died on 26th Sept 17 at the age of 82 is remembered by Richard Holway.

The Boring Awards

IT Analyst Richard Holway remembers the Financial Times awards given to IT companies with consistent results on the Stock exchange