ABLE Summit 2023 , Beirut, Lebanon by BATA Council Member, Myles Pilling

The ABLE summit in Beirut, Lebanon has been an annual event I have been going to for 3 years now. I am part of the board of this event. It started with a meeting with Maha Zouwayhed, Accessibility Advocate and Innovation Support at the American University of Beirut.  The event is designed to showcase innovation and help change perceptions about disability. 

This year my talk focused on the upcoming BATA film project “The Power of Assistive Technology.” 

I also did a workshop on “Practical Assistive Technology Tools for the Classroom.” Both went well and new friends were made. Last year I had a surprise when students at the University came up to me to ask for selfies! So, this year I capitalised on this and encouraged it to happen again. This was a great ploy in that I got to meet more students and professionals to discuss assistive technology and their goals and aspirations. 

Lebanon is a land that has suffered much both in terms of the pandemic and, in particular, with the bomb blast at the docks. There is widespread criticism of the government and inflation is soaring at phenomenal rates. A group of us went out for a meal together and it cost 25 million Lebanese pounds!

As a BATA council member, it’s an opportunity to wave the flag for the UK and to share good practise and educational goals. The reason for doing this is to help a nation raise their awareness of the contributions people with disabilities can make to their society. Also to encourage new, young talent to thrive. I met one guy in an amazing pink suit (obviously inspired by the recent Barbie film) . He doesn't have a disability himself but his mother works with disabled children. His company, Lemonade Fashions, is developing an app to sell his fashion brand across the middle east. He has grown phenomenally fast this past year. 

The conference is a mixture of exhibition, talks, workshops and of course that wonderful Lebanese cuisine! Hospitality is fantastic and I encourage any BATA member to go and take part as an exhibitor or a delegate and reach out to the middle east as this is a significant event for assistive technology here. 

Of particular note and interest was a talk given by Humberto Insolera from the EU. He is an Executive Committee member of the European Disability Forum. Being a Makaton signer and being essentially without a verbal voice, he put up with my appalling signing and we had a quiet conversation. They have in the EU an Accessibility EU hub to promote all things Assistive Technology in all sections of society.

This conference also brought me into contact with another board member – Jeremy Seda, Accessibility Coordinator at North Idaho College. More of how that linked led to A11y Accessibility Camp in the states in another article. 

Myles Pilling

BATA Council Member and frequent flyer to Beirut!

*BATA and the ABLE Conference are working together to increase the influence of the British assistive technology sector in the middle east. BATA members get access to a free exhibitor location ,with support from the conference staffing, and the opportunity to hold workshops – all at no cost. 

For more information about becoming a BATA member, or the ABLE conference please contact Lisa Sampson at lisa.sampson@bataonline.org