Smart app keeps Chris in the loop

Fuso Geelong, the brand’s leading Australia dealer, has designed and produced an app that allows one of its employees with hearing and speech impediments to perform at his best.
Apprentice mechanic Chris Linahan, 19, cannot hear or speak but with the help of the new SMART Check application can now complete vehicle checks and report faults independently and efficiently.
The app allows Mr Linahan to communicate with other employees and management staff while also enabling him to relay information directly to customers with messages and photographs.
Dealer principal Richard Furnari said the app will help Mr Linahan complete his apprenticeship and enable him to participate equally in the workshop.
Having a workplace that has designed an app to help him to complete his work and communicate with the people around him means a lot to Mr Linahan.
The app will be available for wider use in September and other businesses will be able to utilise an innovative and dynamic software system.
The SMART Check system will allow able-bodied mechanics to move away from conventional paper records in future as well.
The innovative and creative way Fuso Geelong solved the difficulty of an employee who had communication barriers has seen it become a finalist in the National Employment Services Award for Excellence in the Innovation in Disability category.