THE office is set to become more disabled-friendly, as MP for North Wiltshire James Gray discovered after seeing advanced technology to help deaf and blind people in the workplace.

At the Conservative Party Conference in Bournemouth Mr Gray saw the latest technology in action, as part of a campaign to aid elderly and disabled people back to work and help them make a positive contribution in the workplace.

He tried out products such as a mobile phone that allows deaf and hard of hearing people to communicate on the move, using text, and a speaking phone, which allows blind and visually impaired people to use text messaging.

"It is essential that employers don't underestimate the value that disabled workers can bring to their businesses," Mr Gray said.

"Existing technology that is low cost and readily available makes a huge difference to people with disabilities, allowing them to work equally alongside their colleagues. I look forward to seeing local businesses embrace technology to make the workplace more inclusive than ever."

The technology on show also demonstrated to employers the ease of making reasonable adjustments to their working environment, as required under the Disability Discrimination Act, so employing disabled people was possible.

RNID, the largest charity representing nine million deaf and hard of hearing people in the UK, launched the event, with UnumProvident, the UK's leading disability insurer.

Chief executive of RNID, John Low, said: "The contribution that disabled people make in today's workplace has been overlooked for many years."