Staff and Associates

FAST has a small staff team based at offices in Aldgate, London, who work with a range of FAST Associates and other consultants as projects demand.

Staff team:

Keren Down MBE, Director 

Keren trained as an artist, has work experience in user involvement, and health and social care provision in addition to voluntary sector experience of community development and regeneration. Before joining FAST, Keren worked at the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Care and Research Centre, King's College Hospital where she led the BUILD project funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The project involved working with people with MND to explore service planning options which included developing the first UK online forum run by people with MND.

Keren became Director of FAST in March 2004 and has steered FAST through an exciting phase of development which has seen the organisation developing its role as the leading standards setting organisation within the AT sector. FAST acts to draw together expert opinion to develop strategic guidance on developments for assistive technology, with recent activity focused on workforce development. Over the past two years FAST has developed its role as a research and product commercialisation partner working with a range of national level projects. This activity is aimed at ensuring design responds to the needs of disabled and older people and involves users of AT in the development process. Keren was awarded an MBE in 2009. Email Keren Down 

Pat Sweet, Senior Researcher

Pat has experience of 25 years of online journalism. With personal experience of using assistive technology as a carer, Pat has an interest in service development as well as in research and development. Pat is responsible for the database, co-ordinating FAST’s annual parliamentary report and she compiles information for users and professionals on events, jobs and research activity. Pat regularly meets with researchers and users to raise awareness of innovation in AT and of research results. Email Pat Sweet 
 

Sam Collin, Senior Project Manager

Sam joined FAST in October 2009 to lead the Technology for All project that aims to develop a pool of disabled and older volunteers to participate in the research and design of assistive technology. 

Sam has voluntary sector experience of research and project management in the fields of ethical investment, volunteering, social enterprise, website development, financial inclusion and regeneration. Sam is a user of AT and in her spare time acts as a trustee of a small disability charity. 

FAST Associate team:

 Ann Stead 

As a founding trustee of FAST Ann recognised the need for an organisation to bring coherence to the fragmented field of research and development in assistive technology. By training an Occupational Therapist, Ann finished her full time employment as Director of Disability Services at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust in Oxford. She has had a mobility impairment from birth which gives her the desire to see that disabled people have equal rights and control over their own destiny. In recognition of her work and influence in this field in 1999 Ann was awarded the OBE for Services to Disabled People. Ann now works as a consultant to promote the role of assistive technology users in service provision.
 

David Wardle

During his time at the Department of Health, David worked to improve rehabilitation, therapy, information, mobility and equipment services provided by the NHS, local government and the voluntary sector. Prior to taking early retirement in 2001, David helped to secure the commitment in the NHS Plan to modernise and integrate community equipment services. David now works as a freelance consultant to support the development of assistive technology services.