Get Online Week 2021
‘By empowering people with learning disabilities and mental health conditions to develop their digital skills, you can open a world of opportunity for them to achieve their ambitions, pursue their goals and become more independent’ – SeeAbility
GetOnline Week (18-24 October 2021)
This week is Get Online Week, a campaign organised by the Good Things Foundation to raise awareness of the importance of digital inclusion.
The past year and a half has shown us just how much of a difference the internet can make to our lives. But too many people are still being left behind, without the skills or access they need to benefit from being online. In fact, 3 billion people are digitally excluded worldwide and 67% of people said they would improve their digital skills if they knew support was available to help them if they needed.
Lack of digital access and skills can be hugely detrimental to someone’s life, leading to poorer health outcomes, increased loneliness and social isolation, less access to jobs and education.
The key message of this campaign is that everyone deserves the opportunity to safely participate in our digital world. Getting connected doesn’t have to be scary and there are ways to help.
Digital Lifeline
Earlier this year we were pleased to work with Good Things Foundation and their Digital Lifeline project to provide 48 customers with free tablets and data for us to 2 years. The project aimed to support the digital inclusion of people with learning disabilities by empowering them to develop digital skills and reduce isolation. This benefitted customers in a wide variety of ways, from keeping in touch with family and friends through lockdowns, to trying out new communication aid apps, applying for jobs and providing a private way to communicate with advocates.
Through the project, we also secured £3,900 which will be used to support other digital initiatives.
Personalised Technology Project
At Advance, we have a personalised technology project team who ensure we are making the best use of technology to help improve the quality of our services They also provide useful tools and information to help support our customers to access technology.
Particularly helpful resources to note include:
Staff also have access to easy read online safety guides. These are guides written in a format that makes information accessible by using simple sentences alongside images in a clear layout. They help explain important topics like how to be safe online and internet bullying.
The Advance Customer Collective
The Advance Customer Collective meets online on the first Friday of every month, and is a great way for customers to practice their online skills in a safe space. Find out more about the Customer Collective and how to join in here
MyAdvance- Housing customer portal
MyAdvance is our online platform for housing customers which enables them to easily access and manage parts of their tenancy online.
Read more about it here. You can also find a guide to using MyAdvance on the ‘Customers’ section of our website.
Our social channels
Finally, we are very active on our social channels. Following us and sharing our stories are a great way to stay up to date on news, customer activities, tips and campaigns on important causes including learning disabilities, mental health and the environment.
Give us a follow on our various platforms:
Facebook
Twitter
Linked-in
Instagram
Youtube