Professor Stephen Hawking stars at 2012 Technology4Good Awards

Professor Stephen Hawking was the toast of this year's Technology4Good Awards, winning the Special Award for Excellence in Accessibility from organiser, e-accessibility charity, AbilityNet. 

At an awards ceremony at BT Centre, London, the 200-strong audience heard a specially recorded acceptance speech from Professor Hawking - one of nine prizewinners in categories covering volunteering and innovation to fundraising and community action. 

Receiving the Award in recognition of the opportunity technology offers disabled people to achieve their true potential, he said:

"I was lucky to have been born in the computer age. Without them, my life would have been miserable and my scientific career impossible."

Other winners included Preston City Council for their mobile 'Citizenzone' internet training facility, which takes technological know-how to hard-to-reach rural areas; Radio Free Brighton - a volunteer-run online radio station, building a stronger, more diverse and integrated community through imaginative, multi-cultural DIY programming by people in their own homes; champion IT Volunteer of the Year, Alison Crerar, who has single-handedly built up a network providing IT support to disabled people across Scotland and Social Care Institute of Excellence for their Get Connected Investment Project – a capital grant scheme enabling 30,000 care home residents to benefit from enhanced quality of life through digital access.