DeRil Ltd. is a training and consultancy agency based at the heart of the East Midlands, close to the M1 motorway, providing specialised assistive technology training services for people using additional computer software at home, in work and students studying at university.

Managing Director Shamus Reddin has been providing training and consultancy services for a number of organisations for over twenty years. He has lectured in presentation techniques and photographic illustration, has spent many years training in special needs education, and as Liaison and Sales Manager for several organisations specialising in products for people with disabilities.

Graduating from the University of Bristol, with a Batchelor of Science degree in Experimental Psychology ¹ Shamus continued his postgraduate training at the University Hospital of Wales by specialising in Medical and Scientific Illustration. Within a few years he was Head of the Department of Medical Illustration at Peterborough Health Authority. Linked to both the University of Cambridge and University of Leicester Schools of Medicine, Peterborough provided a full range of illustration services, with Shamus' department responsible for running the presentation facilities at the Post-Graduate Education Centre. Whilst working closely with medical staff producing all the authority's graphics, from poster presentations for conferences to projection material, Shamus also lectured on medical photography, presentation techniques and conducted original research into techniques for assistive counselling in stillbirth and neonatal deaths².

With his background in vision research, Shamus was recruited by a national charity to take over a project providing Braille computer-based communication systems for deafblind people. As well as configuring the computer systems, Shamus provided personal training to the deafblind clients, using the deafblind manual alphabet and hands-on sign language communication techniques. To raise the profile of this ground-breaking work, Shamus produced a range of promotional materials, and lectured all over the country, and at conferences in both Sweden and Washington D.C.

When the project ended, Shamus' specialist training skills, and familiarity with access software, were prime considerations when he was hired by one of the founding Directors of Dolphin Systems, the then premier manufacturer and supplier of specialist speech and magnification software for people with a visual impairment. A successful career in the sales department, also included producing and conducting training courses for specialist workers in education, the Employment Service and UK NGOs working in the field of visual impairment.

The technical experience gained over these years was consolidated by a move to Concept Systems, who were subsequently taken over by Tieman BV, one of the world's largest manufacturer of electronic magnification and Braille systems for people with sight problems. By designing and producing both Concept and subsequently Tieman UK's promotional materials and web sites, Shamus built on his experience of copy sub-editing, and making materials accessible for people with disabilities.

Latterly, in addition to the daily customer contact, Shamus acted as in-house technical consultant on the design and testing of a number of products in development, with advisory visits to Tieman facilities in Holland and Germany. Being one of the few technical specialists in Braille computer tuition, he has worked closely with educational authorities around the UK, overseeing equipment installations and providing specialist teacher training.  

Now Shamus has his own company, bringing his skills to the wider market, so that more businesses and individuals can make use of his experience. DeRil Ltd., is an independent agency offering a range of options for people with particular training needs, and with the security of an up-to-date disclosure check, clients can confidently choose to have these delivered at home, work or school, or company premises.

DeRil is local contract holder for training services for university students having additional technology provided under the Government's DSA scheme on products which include textHELP, Dragon Naturally Speaking and Inspiration.