Keeping connected and staying well requires access to technology AND good support

 

Jane Seale, 14^th June, 2021

 

This week is Learning Disability Week, which is a good time to celebrate what has been achieved with regards to improving the lives of people with learning disabilities, but also to highlight what more needs to be done.

 

Due largely to the covid pandemic and the numerous government rules regarding socially distancing and shielding, the last fifteen months has seen a huge increase in awareness and understanding regarding the important role that technology can play in keeping people with learning disabilities connected to their friends, family and wider health and social care support networks.  Research that I conducted last year revealed two important issues:

 

1.  When people with learning disabilities were supported to use technology to keep connected, this had a positive impact on their mental health and well-being
2.  This support however was not universal and many people with learning disabilities either did not have access to technology and/or were not being supported to use it revealing significant digital inequalities.

 

The government department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has recognized the importance of addressing these issues and in 25^th February this year launched the Digital LifeLine Fund which aims to distribute 5,000 internet tablets preloaded with data and free tech support to people with learning disabilities and their carers. The project is co-ordinated by the Good Things Foundation with AbilityNet providing the technical support and Digital Unite providing training and capacity-building, through their Aspire Platform for people with learning disabilities and their support workers.

 

To mark Learning Disability Week (14-20 June), Good Things Foundation is announcing that the Digital Lifeline project has distributed over 5,500 devices to adults with learning disabilities, along with the data and digital skills support to use these devices safely and with confidence. More than 150 grassroots community partners have distributed the devices and data and are providing face-to-face and remote support to help recipients learn how to use their device.

 

This is great headline news. But it is important to acknowledge the important issues and messages behind this news headline.

 

1.       The herculean effort of those 150 community partners who have demonstrated what great support looks like, by understanding the needs of the people with learning disabilities that they support, moving swiftly to apply for the tablets and working creatively to distribute them to the people they support.

 

2.       When people with learning disabilities are denied access to technology and good support, they are vulnerable to social isolation which can impact on their mental health and well-being. But when they are facilitated to access technology and supported to use it, this vulnerability can be replaced by a huge ability and potential to achieve a wide range of goals and ambitions.

 

3.       Support and capacity-building such as that offered by AbilityNet and Digital Unite is really important, but it needs to be expanded and sustained beyond the life of the ‘Digital Lifeline’ fund.

 

4.       Support and capacity-building needs to go beyond ‘basic ICT skills’ and safeguarding’. My research has revealed that in addition to technological knowledge, good practice is underpinned by an understanding of learning disability and of how to learn as well as a set of 5 core beliefs. 

In order to address this fourth point, in collaboration with Veronica Mulenga at SeeAbility and the Creating ConnectionsProject I have developed a set of toolkits that offer advice and guidance on how to develop good support practice that reflects this wider understanding of good practice. We will be launching these toolkits in October. If you would like more information about the toolkits and their launch please contact me at: jane.seale@open.ac.uk