Our work is the legacy of the extraordinary passion of the Everard family. Before she was two years old, Ruth Everard was the first disabled toddler to use her father's invention, thanks to the support of Cambridge Consultants Ltd. That machine was designed for child development and social inclusion. It is now on permanent display in the Science Museum, London. It shows how assistive technology is a vital subset of human innovation.

That first bold experiment by Dan and Lou Everard for their own disabled child stimulated a revolution in expectations for all disabled children. Since the 1980s Dan’s technology has been developed, refined and delivered worldwide, first through Everaids Ltd, a purely commercial enterprise, and later Dragonmobility Ltd, a philanthropically financed social enterprise, Dan’s technology has been developed, refined and delivered worldwide. Thanks directly to the Everard family’s work, over 2,000 children have been able to take their rightful places in their communities. Many have grown into influential adults. They thrive in industry, the professions, the media and academia.

Other children had conditions which meant that they could not be with us for very long. They enjoyed short, happy, integrated lives with their families.

Her father’s technology enabled Ruth to access the same that was on offer to her non-disabled peers. In spite of her severe disability, she was successfully included in mainstream education. After a degree from Oxford, she took up a career in the City of London. She followed a typical and otherwise unremarkable path to independent adulthood. Yet it is one that society did not predict in conjunction with her disability. She learned to drive a car, she left home, she made friends, she travelled, she bought a house, and she met her husband-to-be.

Without a doubt, these successes have shown that society will change its view if the world is changed by innovation.

Rather than being a burden and the object of pity, Ruth is able to lead the fulfilled and fulfilling life that her parents dreamed of. Even though her physical condition means she will always require personal care, she is also in a strong position to support others.

Ruth is now our CEO. She now leads Lives Set in Motion CIC to ensure that the next generation can still enjoy the liberty she has been granted.