Meet the entrepreneur on a mission to make technology more accessible

David Butler, Founding Director of Rochdale-based Pennine Consultancy Ltd, set up his business back in 2019 after losing his hearing in 2016. Becoming profoundly deaf motivated David to support others living with impairments, dedicating his career to finding solutions that eliminate barriers in the workplace through innovative assistive technologies. Through the support of the Centre for Digital Innovation (CDI) at the University of Salford, David has been able to accelerate innovation within his business to further break down accessibility barriers when it comes to technology.

Through the CDI, which is funded through the nationwide £100m Government Innovation Accelerator, David has developed a pioneering platform that enables facial emotion detection on mobile devices. The platform provides users with greater understanding of their conversations by breaking down communication barriers and improving efficiency, while helping to reduce insecurities around impairments.

On the support he’s received through the programme to help his innovation journey, David commented: “A huge part of our population is living with a disability or impairment and, as somebody with lived experience of this, I understand the critical need for change. Technology is fully ingrained into our everyday lives and with new technologies consistently emerging, as well as the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI), this is only likely to expand further. However, for quite a large number of people in our society, the technology currently on the market is completely inaccessible.

“By supporting SMEs to enhance the user experience of their digital products/services, while strengthening equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) through improved accessibility, it not only helps drive their sales and increase profitability, but also eliminates barriers for those living with an impairment or disability.”

According to the World Health Organization, with an ageing global population and a rise in noncommunicable diseases, an estimated 3.5 billion people will need assistive technology by 2050. However, in many countries, most people who need assistive technology do not have access to it.

Pennine Consultancy provides solutions to this problem by supporting SMEs with the user experience of their digital products and services through improved accessibility, while also helping employees living with an impairment to overcome obstacles in the workplace through innovative assistive technologies.

Sara Boswell, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Innovation at the University of Salford, added: “Driving innovation in such a challenging market is critical for small businesses but for some, budgets and having people to bounce ideas off can be a major obstacle. For many business owners, like David, they have great ideas and are keen to capitalise on the technology available on the market to advance business operations, but knowing where to start can be difficult.

“David initially came to us as he saw great opportunities with AI and, while he has extensive experience innovating machinery, he was keen to optimise his product offering by integrating this technology to strengthen and ultimately futureproof his business.”

The Centre for Digital Innovation comprises a supercluster of technological expertise to support skills development and industry collaboration. The programme helps businesses across the North West to drive sustainable growth, while establishing the region as a central digital innovation hub.

David concludes: “Having access to a full ecosystem of innovation partners, as well as the technical expertise the University offers has been instrumental in helping me bring my idea to life.

“I’ve also been able to take full advantage of the opportunities with AI, by better understanding the technology and developing my skills in this space to determine where we can integrate it to support continued innovation in my business.”