Rix Centre

The Rix Centre is a Research & Development Centre exploring the uses of new media technology for the benefit of the learning disability community. It is based at the University of East London in the UK. It has developed technologies and courses to support those with learning disabilities and their carers.

Multimedia can help people with learning disabilities to "organise their thoughts, remember, learn and communicate more effectively. This can significantly improve their ability to live independent lives, contribute to the community, and fulfil their personal aims and ambitions". [http://www.rixcentre.org/ The Rix Centre: About us]

The Rix Centre is a charity founded in 2004. It is named after Lord Rix, chancellor of the University, who has campaigned for people with learning difficulties for over 60 years.

Projects in 2008 included:

The Rix Living Lab – "A long-term research and development collaboration with East London voluntary organisations, London Boroughs, local people with learning disabilities and their supporters to explore various ways in which new media can improve the experience of the learning disability community". [http://www.rixcentre.org/products-services/consultancy/rix-living-lab.html Rix Living Lab]

The Transition Portal Project – is a ‘Rix Living Lab’ project using easy-build Websites with over 40 different small organisations across the London Borough of Newham. [http://www.newhameasyread.org]

Interactive Environments – A project in the ‘Rix Living Lab’ that is focused on the development of a new media interactive zone for young people with significant and profound learning disabilities to communicate via video and media technology, the project is based in Tower Hamlets, East London [http://www.rixcentre.org/research-development/projects/interactive-environments.html] .

Inclusive New Media Design – This project aims to encourage web designers, developers and editors to build websites and multimedia content accessible to people with learning disabilities [http://www.rixcentre.org/research-development/projects/inclusive-new-media-design.html] .

The Big Tree – A specialist online website and that supports people of all abilities interested in the use of new media and its potential benefit for people with a learning disability [http://www.thebigtree.org/utils/tree_intro.php] .

Accomplished projects:

Project @pple - "A major ESRC-funded programme exploring the ways in which people with learning difficulties access and use information and communication technologies. Using observations, interviews and formal usability tests, project researchers built up a multi-layered view of computer use, Internet access and interaction with software among people with learning difficulties" [Williams, Peter. [http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118573494/abstract Developing methods to evaluate web usability with people with learning difficulties] , British Journal of Special Education,Volume 33 Issue 4, Pages 173 - 179] . To meet the aim of Project Apple, "a multimedia Learning Environment (LE), providing learning resources and tools for selfadvocacy, is being developed and tested with young people with learning difficulties, teachers and support-staff" [Williams, Peter. [http://www.ics.heacademy.ac.uk/italics/vol5-1/pdf/Williams_final.pdf Exploring the challenges of developing digital literacy in the context of special educational needs communities] , January 2006, Vol 5 Issue 1] . Project @pple brought together "researchers from a number of academic fields with multimedia producers from small and corporate businesses and the UK’s leading learning disability charity, MENCAP" [Williams, Peter. Bunning, Karen. Kennedy, Helen. [http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?Filename=/published/emeraldfulltextarticle/pdf/2760590106.pdf ICTs and learning disability: multidisciplinary perspectives on Project @pple] , Aslib Proceedings: New Information Perspectives, Vol. 59, No. 1, 2007, pp. 97-112] .

The Rix Centre is headed by Andy Minnion. Its work flows from his research at UEL on the subject of accessibility for people with learning disabilities since 2001.

References

External links

* [http://www.rixcentre.org Official website]
* [http://www.inclusivenewmedia.org/ Inclusive New Media Design]
* [http://www.uel.ac.uk/ University of East London]