PhoneAbility

Registered Charity No. 1103003

ANNUAL REPORT for year ending 31 March 2006

1.  Objects

PhoneAbility is a Charity managed by its Trustees and having the following objects:

The relief of people with disabilities and elderly persons within the UK and elsewhere, by promoting the advancement of information and communication technology designed to relieve their needs.

2.  Structure, Governance and Management

PhoneAbility was registered as a Charity on 2nd April 2004 with a governing document dated 9th March 2004. It is administered and managed by 4 ex-officio Trustees, being the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Honorary Treasurer of the PhoneAbility Steering Group, and holding office for 1, 2, 3 and 4 years respectively. Mr M C Martin OBE was succeeded as Chairman by Dr John Gill OBE in June 2005. The post of Secretary is currently vacant. Although there is provision in the governing document for up to 12 co-opted Trustees, none has so far been appointed.

The appointing body for Trustees is the PhoneAbility Steering Group, which also serves as the main advisory body to the Trustees.  Membership of the Steering Group is open to any person who, through residence, occupation, employment or otherwise has special knowledge of the area of benefit and who is able by virtue of personal or professional qualification to make a contribution to the pursuit of the objects or the management of the Charity.  Members of the Steering Group serve in a personal capacity and not as representatives of any other body, although they may be nominated by such other bodies as have an interest in the area of benefit.  The Trustees endeavour to ensure that there is a balance across the various forms of disability among the special interests of members of the Steering Group.

3.  The Wider Network

PhoneAbility is the UK reference group for the European action COST219ter, and three of its members normally attend the management meetings and Seminars of that action.  PhoneAbility maintains close links with other organisations of disabled and older people, with relevant parts of the communications industry, regulators and Departments of Government and, in partnership with COST219ter, with European Commission bodies such as DG INFSO and INCOM.

4.  Activities

During the year 2005/06, PhoneAbility has held four joint meetings of the Trustees and the Steering Group, in June, October and December 2005, and in March 2006.  Its representatives on the COST219ter action have attended management committee meetings in June 2005 (Portugal), October 2005 (Cyprus) and March 2006 (Seville).  Presentations have been made at the COST219 Workshops held in conjunction with these management committee meetings.  PhoneAbility has been represented (jointly with COST219ter) at INCOM meetings in May and October 2005 and at a Commission eAccessibility Workshop in March 2006.  It has made inputs to the Commission’s TCAM Working Groups on accessibility of telecommunication terminals.

PhoneAbility has been represented on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Group on SMS Emergency Access, and on the Department of Trade and Industry’s RTTE Forum.   It has responded to various Government enquiries and official consultations, particularly on the review of relevant EU Directives, and its Steering Group members have made inputs to National, European and International standards.  A link has been developed with ITU-T Study Group 16.

PhoneAbility collaborated in the preparation of "A Report from The Radio Frequency Hearing Impaired Committee of The Radiocommunication Agency" which has been released for publication on the PhoneAbility website (www.tiresias.org/phoneability).

PhoneAbility is continuing to develop a Science and Technology Working Group, which would have the remit to examine specialist issues in more detail than is possible in the Steering Group itself.  This is intended to replace the former Working Group on Hearing-impairment, but with a wider disability brief.

Also during the year, PhoneAbility has conducted an internal review of ‘Possible Directions’ in order to make an assessment of the Group’s present and anticipated impact.  This has led to a decision to strengthen the Steering Group, to build up its expertise on convergence issues, to emphasise its broad remit across a range of disabilities, and to reinforce its ‘all ages’ approach.  In addition to building up the programme of Seminars, it has been decided to increase representation at other meetings and linked events.  Following a decision to develop and improve the Website, plans have been formulated to make this more attractive, accessible and helpful.  The longer term aim is to provide an information resource and database, as well as being a location for PhoneAbility’s own publications.

5.  Financial Report

The summarised accounts for the year are attached.  Funds in hand at the end of the year were £3600.

It is the policy of the Trustees to hold assets in reserve to a value not greater than the equivalent of twelve month’s anticipated expenditure.

6.  Trustees

The Trustees during the year to 31st March 2006 were:

                        Dr John Gill (Chairman - from June 2005)
                        Mr A D C Shipley (Vice-Chairman)
                        Mr D. Myers (Treasurer)