CHAT is a community driven by people who share a passion and believe in the transformative effect that assistive technology has on individuals’ lives.
CHAT aims to facilitate and create opportunities for people to learn from each other in an atmosphere that supports equality, collective and individual sharing. This makes the most of people’s expertise to identify better challenges and gaps and consider solutions regarding AT.
Chat has a national membership of over 200 people and organisations. This includes people with disabilities (expert and non-expert AT users), AT practitioners, researchers, educators, service providers, developers, suppliers and other interested parties.
Different member organisations host each CHAT gathering. To date, CHAT has been hosted by the Deaf Village, Enable Ireland, University College Dublin Access Centre and The National Council of the Blind in Ireland, St. John of God, Childvision, National Rehab Hospital, UCC, IHREC, Microsoft, TUDublin, DCC WoodQuay, Project Arts Centre and online with many collaborators, including Employers for Change. As such, gatherings are co-created by those involved, and as participants share knowledge, we are all thinking together and working horizontally across and beyond the disability sector.
For further information, contact Sarah Boland, Sarah@freedomtech.ie
Upcoming CHAT Events
AT EcoSystem in Ireland – ATA-C Report and Recommendations March 2026
AT in Sport – Galway 2nd June 2026
Past CHAT gatherings
AT in Action: Rights to Reality: 17th February 2026 – Host St John of God Community Services, Stillorgan
AT in Action: AT in ACTION across the country: 3rd December 2025 – Host: Rehab and NLN, Limerick
CHAT – AI and Accessibility: Innovation & Inclusion 13th October 2025 TUDublin Grangegorman
AT Outcome Measures: September 23rd 2 pm 2025 Venue: Hybrid Keynote: Natasha Layton
CHAT @NDA – European Accessibility ACT – September 2025
CHAT @Trinity – Access to STEM: AT supporting Inclusive Classrooms June 2025
CHAT@Disrupt Festival Empowering Creativity @ Project Arts Centre March 2025
CHAT – Express Myself – @SJOG December 2024
CHAT – Beyond the Lens @TUDublin Oct 2024
CHAT Access to AT in Work Sept 2024
CHAT CREATE 2.0 – Scaling access to AT in Ireland 2023
CHAT – ChildVision TechFest 2023
CHAT – Green shoots, CREATE-ing an AT Ecosystem 27th June 2022
CHAT with Employers for Change- AT supporting Remote and On-Site Employment Opportunities 2nd Dec 2021
CHAT @Online Catch-Up Series 3. Sustainability of Online Supports and Services June 3rd 2021
CHAT @Online Catch-Up Series 2. How does accessible technology help me? May 20th 2021
CHAT @Online Catch-Up Series 1. Video Conferencing What’s Working April 29th 2021
CHAT @ Smart Dublin Smart Cities & Homes February 2020
CHAT @ TUDublin Living Life to the Full October 2019
CHAT @ Microsoft – AT the Ticket for Work June 2019
CHAT @ IHREC AT supporting Rights April 2019
CHAT @ UCCAT in Education for all Dec 2019
CHAT @ NRH Independent Living Sept 2018