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There are currently more than six million people in the United
Kingdom with a physical disability. As medical technology
not only extends our natural life span but also leads to increased
survival from illness, severe birth defects or accidents,
the number of people with disabilities is constantly growing.
FAST believes that a civilised society, having preserved life
in this way, has a responsibility to optimise the quality
of this survival.
Whilst the western world has managed to harness technology
to the point of space exploration, it is not surprising that
people who have more down-to-earth needs for transportation
or communication have seen a vision of technological freedom
for themselves. Over the last four decades advances have been
made in the design and construction of aids and appliances
for disabled people, largely due to the introduction of light-weight
materials such as carbon fibre and titanium. In more recent
years the emergence of new electronic-based sciences (for
example robotics and cybernetics) has opened up an entirely
new spectrum of assistive technologies - FAST (Foundation
of Assistive Technologies).
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