News and views

In the UK, there are an estimated 800,000 working age people with mild-to-moderate learning disabilities in the UK but only 17% are in work¹.  Covid-19 has exacerbated the problem as people with learning disabilities face further exclusion from the workplace due to the increasing reliance on digital skills, the move to remote working and rising unemployment.

In a Covid-era, when being able to use technology and the internet is vital, around 160 Digital Health Champions have been supporting patients with developing essential digital skills.

For Capgemini, a global leader in digital technology and transformation, ensuring everyone has access to the benefits of the online world is a cornerstone of their corporate social responsibility programme. And supporting people’s digital skills is one of the main pillars of this programme.

Mencap, the leading charity supporting people with learning disability, had been aware for some time that digital exclusion was an issue for people with learning disabilities. But digital technology is not its core business, and managers were not confident they could provide digital skills support to the 300+ local partner organisations who provide support for people with learning disabilities.

For Hexagon Housing, digital inclusion has been on the agenda for a decade, forming a vital part of their community investment work.

They have an established way of providing digital skills support through trainers and Digital Champions and have been members of our Digital Champions Network since 2018.

“"I've learnt so much - how to deliver digital inclusion sessions, promote the benefits of digital inclusion and the need for Digital Champions!"

The back-to-school season evokes a sense of determination and motivation to get stuck into learning. And learning new things has a huge positive impact on us personally. Amongst the many profound benefits, learning improves wellbeing and self-esteem and fuels confidence and curiosity.

If you’re in the midst of planning or delivering digital inclusion, then this is the event for you.

Would you like to have a sneaky peak at our Digital Champions Network? Do you want to know how it's award-winning training and tools can support your own Digital Champion approach?

Then join our free, no-obligation virtual tour on Thursday 16th September at 12pm.

Digital inclusion is challenging. Throw in a pandemic and it becomes even trickier. But yet, Covid-19 also presented a huge opportunity, shining a light on the need to be online and accelerating digital engagement like never before.

For organisations at the frontline, with communities relying on their services and support but without the means or skills to do it digitally, it was frankly overwhelming. So many new and different scenarios to consider, set against a time where people’s health, wellbeing and personal circumstances were being challenged to the extreme.

As part of Learning Disabilities Week (14 – 19 June 2021), we’re delighted to be recognising over 20 adults with learning disabilities and their supporters who have used their creativity to help others with digital skills.

Over the past few months, these brilliant volunteers from purpleSTARS, WEL Enterprise and Tower Project JET have got involved with our new Aspire Network, an online platform that helps adults with learning disabilities develop digital and workplace skills.

Caroline Davies, Digital Champion at Age Cymru Dyfed has been helping dozens of older people with digital skills remotely during the pandemic.

In our recent webinar with Age UK, she shared some of her brilliant top tips on how to get started with teaching digital skills, building learner confidence and, importantly, having fun along the way.

Over the last year, helping people with digital skills remotely, whether that was by telephone, Zoom or email, became essential. But supporting and inspiring people to use the internet and technology when you're not with them in person can be tricky. And throws up a whole bundle of questions and conundrums.

Healthwatch Islington supports people who use health and social care services in Islington. Before the pandemic, their Digital Champions were actively helping local communities with digital skills through regular drop-in sessions.

Throughout December 2020, we encouraged people to support others to use digital technology to get – and stay – connected in our Connect@Xmas campaign.

From virtual reality to voice notes, Facebook communities to grief support on Zoom, the inspiring stories we heard showed the magic of helping others get and stay connected in simple and clever ways.

Love it or loathe it, Zoom has become an essential way to meet, teach and learn over the past year. And, when it comes to digital skills, it has become the number 1 video tool for providing essential remote support.

Digital Unite has been enlisted by the UK’s leading learning disability charity, Mencap, to help their independent affiliated Network Partners improve the way they use digital technology and create a better future for people with a learning disability.

Throughout December 2020, we encouraged people to support others to use digital technology to get – and stay - connected.  As we will all remember for years to come, no doubt, the 2020 festive season was like no other. With in-person connections being hard if not impossible, we all had to use digital tech more and more creatively.

Are you helping adults with learning disabilities build their skills for work? Would you like to do this in a better, more supported way?

Then you’ll want to join our new free employability programme called Aspire.

Zoom teatimes with Nan.  Virtual reality experiences for the less mobile. Online book clubs. Voice notes and screen recordings for communities where English isn’t their first language.

These are just some of the brilliant stories and ideas we’ve been hearing from people who are helping others connect through digital.

Our brand new Connect@Xmas website has festive, digital resources that are easy to use and will spark new ideas and know-how to help people all year round. Because after all, digital skills are for life, not just for Christmas ?.

It’s a scientific fact that helping someone makes you feel good. The simple theory is that being generous, compassionate and selfless produces endorphins in the brain that boost positive emotions, otherwise known as Helper’s High. Better still, acts of kindness lower stress levels and can lead to better health and wellbeing.

In our world of digital skills and digital inclusion, we only have to glance over at the Digital Champions in our Network to see the Helper’s High in full glory.

If you want to learn a little more about how you can connect people this Christmas and beyond then check out our new and free mini courses.