About us

Lawrence Howard

Managing Director

Hands-Free Computing was established in 1997 with the mission to help those in the workplace reach their full potential through assistive technology, ergonomic adaptations, training and tutoring.

Our team of assessors and trainers are nationwide. They will recommend only the most workable solutions and get you up and running with any of our assistive technology software as quickly as possible.

Over the past decade Hands-Free has grown to become the UK’s largest independent supplier of speech recognition software, as well as a leading provider of adaptive and ergonomic solutions. These not only make working life easier for so many, but in thousands of cases they enable employees to remain in their jobs and lead a productive working life. 

We help those not only with physical disabilities, but also people with hidden disabilities such as dyslexia and those with impaired vision and hearing. This has led to us working alongside Access to Work/Job Centre Plus in many parts of the UK.

Through being at the forefront of the speech recognition revolution we have a broad client base. We work with companies and organisations, both large and small as well as Government bodies such as councils, police and fire services, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Her Majesty's Prison Service (HMPS), Lloyds TSB, Logica, and corporations such as the BBC.

Hands-Free is also a leading supplier of speech recogntion to the NHS, where doctors and consultants use it to increase the accuracy and turnaround time of documents.

Managing Director, Lawrence Howard said: "I gain a great deal of satisfaction in knowing that everyday our staff are helping to change lives for the better. We will all go that extra mile to help our clients - that's what has helped us build our reputation and stand head and shoulders above others in the same field."

Hands-Free’s head office is located at Hickstead, near Brighton, with its distribution and administrative hub centrally situated in Sunderland.