Bob Twitchin

As an Associate of EFD, Bob has been particularly involved in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). He represented EFD at international conferences on Teleworking and Distance Learning, and Information and Communications Technologies. He has participated in initiatives to produce guidelines to make call steering systems more accessible.

Since 2004 Bob has been a member of the Ofcom Consumer Panel, an independent statutory body set up under the Communications Act to advise Ofcom, the communications regulator, on issues affecting individual consumers and small businesses, except broadcast content.

From 2000 to 2003  Bob was Chairman of the OFTEL Advisory Committee on Telecommunications for Disabled and Elderly people (DIEL), advising Director General of Telecommunications on issues affecting disabled and older people throughout UK. 

He is on the steering group of PhoneAbility, a charity promoting accessible telecommunication, set up as UK reference group for COST219 EU research on telecommunications for disabled people.

He was an advisor to the Telecoms Industry Forum on Disability and Aging from 2001 until the Forum disbanded in January 2007. In January 2008 he was co-opted to the Social Responsibility Committee of the British Computer Society and was a Committee Member of the British Computer Society Disability Group until 2006.

Since Dec 2006 Bob has been Chairman of the Management Group of ITCanHelp (ITCH), a national network of  volunteers offering free local computer assistance to disabled people. He also works with AbilityNet, a UK leader in expertise on computing for disabled people.

He is a member of the Association of Disabled Professionals and has been a trustee of a day centre for frail and disabled elderly people.

He and his wife Diana were founding trustees of "Is There an Accessible Loo?" (ITAAL) 2000-2006, a charity set up by Diana to provide a guide to locations of accessible WCs in England and to promote awareness of the importance of well designed and maintained accessible toilets to many people, particularly disabled women.

He worked for BT from 1973 to 1995, becoming a Senior Network Strategist and before that was research scientist with ICI Fibres. He has been a Licensed Reader in the Church of England since 1990.