Lloyd Walker has been working on the foundations for better assistive technology provision in Australia for over 20 years. In 2007 he teamed up with multidisciplinary colleagues to form the Fremantle Collaboration – a group focused on the economics (both social and financial) of assistive technology in Australia. You can see several of their papers and key work from this team at the group’s website: www.at.org.au

When the Productivity Inquiry began exploring the basis for a National Disability Insurance Scheme, Tech4LIfe made submissions¹⁾we also put in submissions to the Aged Care review and the place of AT there:

• First Tech4Life Submission on AT
• Tech4Life Response to Draft Report

In 2012,  ARATA ²⁾ Australian Rehabilitation & Assistive Technology Association commissioned the preparation of background papers and a Position Paper on Assistive Technology and the NDIS. Tech4Life formed a team (Gunela Astbrink, Natasha Layton, Michael Summers & Lloyd Walker) to prepare the NDIS Policy Statement, and background papers relating AT to the NDIS, approved by the ARATA Board, and available on the ARATA Website. The background papers covered:

• The Economic Potential of AT
• Assessment and Eligibility
• Control and Choice
• Workforce and Quality

The document contained an Introduction, Literature Review and Glossary.