Connected, Confident & Included

The project will provide basic digital inclusion tuition and learning to 32 disabled and/or older people to enhance their use of digital technology, both for their own wellbeing and also their participation in community activities such as volunteering and other community involvement.

The project will work with other organisations to identify and engage with disabled and older people who have little or no knowledge or digital skills. The project will specifically seek to engage with those who face barriers in digital technology use in maintaining and developing their financial inclusion and wellbeing, community involvement and contact through volunteering and other activities.

The project will deliver 1-1 and small group tuition that is tailored to participants’ own needs and learning pace, and will also provide accessible hardware and software and communication support to facilitate their learning. The project will also lend equipment (laptops, tablets and mobile broadband connection) to learners where appropriate.

Each learner will have a learning plan that sets out their areas of interest and goals for using digital technology, both for personal use and as a skill for volunteering and future employment. Learner progress will be tracked through our existing monitoring systems and will also include the DigiSkills checklist.

The project will provide tuition on a wide variety of digital topics, which will be identified by learners own needs (both individually and through focus groups and our learner forum). ICOD currently provide tuition on: PC and Laptop Basics, Tablet/ipad Basics, Internet and Email, Social Networks, Internet Safety, Online Shopping and Banking, Skype and Video Communication, Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Desktop Publishing and Digital Photography.

Where appropriate, ICOD can provide certificated learning in partnership with our local libraries and community learning and development team in SVQ Introduction to Computing and ECDL units. Our certified courses are also delivered on a 1-1 or small group basis at learners’ own pace, to ensure that they receive the appropriate time and support to successfully complete courses.

Learning will be delivered in a variety of locations, including our own Learning Zone, learners’ local libraries or community centres or in learners’ own homes (as part of our existing learning activities ICOD has developed a home learning service for those who cannot easily access community learning).

Tuition will be delivered through ICOD Tutors who have extensive knowledge and experience in delivering accessible digital learning to people with a wide variety of impairments.

Learners will be encouraged and have access to our other services, including advice on benefits and housing issues, financial capability training, social group activity and our community link workers to develop participation in other community activities. Learners will also be encouraged to join our Learners Forum, helping us to identify future service development and provision.