nWise in Saint Petersburg to promote Swedish accessible technology in Russia

nWise was invited by the Swedish Institute and the Consulate General of Sweden in Saint Petersburg to partake in a conference about “Communication and Inclusion – Practices and Innovations”. The aim was to promote Swedish technology and competence when it comes to technical aid and accessibility issues, and for the Swedish and Russian participants to network.

The participants other than nWise from Sweden were other experts within the field, and government authorities and organizations from Russia; authorities, healthcare professionals and other important actors within the topic.

The conference was very interesting to be a part of, both to understand how Russia deals with people with augmentative or alternative communication (AAC) and other communication needs such as telephony and being able to share and inspire with how we work with communication and accessibility. Very few companies in Russia work within this area, since most people expect the government to handle it. Local governments deal with the tender and purchase of equipment without involving suppliers or distributing companies. It will be very exciting to see what will come from this conference, and we really appreciated the opportunity to participate in the event and to share our experience in this forum.