LifeTec Australia

The LifeTec Reference Committee has been established to provide an opportunity for people with valuable lived experience, as people who have lived, worked and played with AT, to have a key role in promoting the successful use of AT for community, social and economic participation.

We are passionate about increasing the awareness of Assistive Technology and the benefits of choosing the most appropriate AT options.

The Consumer Reference Committee undertake consumer engagement activities such as:

Assisting in research
Consumer interviews
Liaising and networking with key local groups and organisations
Local events and expos

Members on the committee will be sought from a variety of regions throughout Queensland and reflect LifeTec consumer base including a broad range of people with respect to age, gender, disability, culture, and location.

The LifeTec Consumer Reference Committee bring a broad consumer voice to:

Building the community awareness - especially in various access points

Refining LifeTec's understanding of the AT Journey and associated resources

Developing information, training, and marketing materials to ensure accessibility and useability

Designing and developing resources such as digital stories

Marketing and promotional events

Meetings and training within LifeTec by providing a consumer perspective

Social media conversations

Design and development of a mentoring program and other consumer-based supports

History Of The LifeTec Consumer Reference Committee

In 2016 and 2017, LifeTec held seven consumer consultation sessions throughout Queensland. Assistive Technology users, family/carers and a small number of Health Professionals attended the consultations. Participants took part in small group and large group conversations about their experiences with selecting and using AT. During the consultations participants also discussed what they wanted from a health professional in this process.

The consultations also focused on the stages of the Imagine, Seek, Choose, Live Consumer Pathway and the value that the pathway has in working with consumers to identify the right AT solutions.

These consultations confirmed that the Imagine, Seek, Choose, Live pathway acknowledges the consumer experience and provides a useful framework for engaging with them. LifeTec is well served by the service pathway and we identified the need to seek to understand how they can best work with expert and novice AT users.

The consumer consultations identified that there was a need for LifeTec to engage in further conversation with consumer and to work together with consumers to ensure that the services LifeTec provide are embedded in the principles of co-design. As a result, the LifeTec Consumer Reference Committee was established.