We meet the charity that’s using computer equipment to bring critically ill children back in touch with their friends and families.
Parents will frequently moan that they can’t get the kids off their tablets. Parents of critically ill children have the opposite problem: they often can’t find the right computer equipment for them.
Lifelites bridges the gap between disabled children and modern technology. It works with every children’s hospice in the British Isles to install computer equipment that has a profound impact on desperately ill kids. It might help children without speech to form a missing bond with their brother or sister, for example, or let them do something that other children would just take for granted, such as playing video games with friends.
All this is managed by a small charity with a dedicated volunteer network and enormous heart. We met with Lifelites’ chief executive in the aftermath of the BT Tech4Good Awards to find out more about this extraordinary organisation.
Lifelites started life as a millennium project at the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists – essentially a charitable arm of the City of London. Back then, it was about putting computers on desks for sick children, but the project ballooned. By 2006, it became a standalone charity catering for the technological needs of critically ill children and their families.
“It’s all about enhancing their lives,” said chief executive Simone Enefer-Doy. “Some are cognitively disabled, some are unable to move, some are on the autism spectrum. Whatever their ability, we want to give them something to use.”
This story is from the September 2018 edition of PC Pro.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 2018 edition of PC Pro.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Robobutlers may never happen, but robot care workers are on their way
Do you hate loading the dishwasher enough to pay someone to do it remotely? Nicole Kobie wonders about the weird future of home robots
Technical debt
Cutting corners now means more work down the road - but Steve Cassidy asks whether that's always a bad thing
Zyxel ZyWALL ATP500
Zyxel delivers tough gateway security and advanced threat protection at a very appealing price
CREATIVE WORKSTATIONS
Intel and AMD both offer compelling CPU choices for workstations, giving us ten machines with the widest variety of specifications we've seen for years
ANDROID PHONES FROM £219
As this roundup of four affordable contenders shows, there's no need to spend a fortune on a phone
Amazon Echo Pop
If you want a compact Alexa smart speaker, the Pop is now the cheapest choice - but what does it really add?
Getac X600
A powerful alternative to the Panasonic Toughbook 40, with the bonus of optional Nvidia graphics
Amazon Fire Max 11
With its 2K screen and sleek design, this is Amazon's best tablet yet-but FireOS remains a hindrance
Google Pixel Fold
The Pixel Fold delivers with a thin and durable design, a wide front display, smart software and great cameras
Welcome to the Fediverse
Have commercial social networks had their day? Darien Graham-Smith looks at the free, community-run apps that could usurp Twitter, Reddit and the Meta empire