XMA to assist disabled

Reseller to work with iansyst to supply assistive technology packages through Home Access scheme

Home help: The scheme has 12,000 assistive technology grants available

Having been picked as the supplier for the last stage of the Home Access scheme, reseller XMA claims to be well placed to tackle the tough public sector market.

The programme has already provided a PC and/or internet access to students from 240,000 low-income households, with 18,000 grants still available. Additionally, funding for the provision of bespoke assistive technology to 12,000 children with severe disabilities or special educational needs is ring fenced.

XMA, working alongside assistive technology specialist iansyst, will supply the 12,000 packages. Elaine Needham, head of marketing for XMA, claimed the reseller has already supplied 30,000 units through the Home Access programme.

"We will work very closely [with iansyst] to deliver the packages," she said. "We will also be the first line of technical customer support."

The scheme will come to an end once all grants have been awarded and Needham expressed regret.

"Given how quickly the grants have gone, it has been a success and it is a disappointment to see it come to an end," she said.

She added that all public sector technology suppliers are having to play a wait-and-see game as funding restrictions persist. But the Nottingham-based reseller will continue to succeed in, she asserted.

"We have over 30 academies that we are partnering with," she said. "We are a big player – XMA is well placed."

Ian Litterick, chairman of iansyst, claimed resellers increasingly had to address the need for assistive technology in public sector tenders.

"It is not realistic for your average VAR to know a lot about the needs of disabled people," he said. "But it is becoming much more mainstream; the Disability Discrimination Act imposes quite a lot of requirements. We are working with some mainstream suppliers."