Enable Ireland has held the first graduation ceremony for trainees of its high-tech assistive-technology course.

The 40 students included teachers, support workers, adult trainers and therapists as well as existing Enable Ireland service users. Graduates are able to teach the organisation's service users how to use a range of assistive-technology tools.

Users are introduced to alternative ways of using computers (apart from the mouse and keyboard), to communication aids using synthetic speech, power chairs operated by switch-controlled interfaces and environmental control systems offering total remote control of lights, doors, windows, curtains, personal stereos and televisions.

Enable Ireland and its corporate partner, Microsoft, have invested significant funding in assistive-technology services in recent years. Speaking at the ceremony, Fionnuala O'Donovan, chief executive of Enable Ireland, said the technology enables users "to do simple everyday tasks for themselves while also helping them to improve their ability to learn and in some cases, become active in the workplace".