Posted 17.09.2020

Leonard Cheshire and Disability Action launch partnership to bring digital inclusion to service users

Leading Northern Ireland charities Disability Action and Leonard Cheshire have joined forces to bring vital digital technology to their service users. 

The unique partnership is empowering people with disabilities to achieve their goals with the help of vital equipment, training and support. 

Leonard Cheshire, through their Discover IT project, have provided Disability Action with laptops and will empower service users with tech training when Coronavirus restrictions are eased. 

The partnership aims to create an external centre within Disability Action to support a range of service users with life enhancing digital inclusion programmes. 

Disability Action’s Sean Fitzsimons explained:

This exciting new Partnership between Disability Action and Leonard Cheshire in Northern Ireland will build on ongoing work aimed at addressing the huge and growing disparity which exists for disabled people in internet and technological connectivity.   

As an organisation we are committed to supporting disabled people to achieve their rights as citizens, raise their voices and to collaborate digitally as a part of their local and global community. 

This is another positive step towards both supporting an ever-growing network of disabled leaders, and greater joint working between third sector organisations and disabled people themselves. 

Leonard Cheshire’s Debbie Hoy-Wilkinson explained how the digital inclusion equipment will provide a wealth of benefits and resources for users. She said:

Our goal with this partnership is to expand and reach as many people as we can, and Disability Action are great at what they do and I feel that they are the perfect organisation to partner up with.   

I’m really excited for our future with Disability Action and I think that this is only the start of great things to come. Disability Action have been referring us many clients for our Discover IT @Home project (which allows us to provide individuals with technology that they can keep) and we hope that in future as our programme develops and we meet different clients, that we will be able to work closely with Disability Action and make use of their expertise in employment and training for people with disabilities. 

The laptops and training we are providing will be used in many ways to meet different people’s needs.

These can be anywhere from creating CV’s, completing training, creating word documents, or even just browsing the web. 

As well as the equipment we will also be providing training sessions and one to one coaching if they require. Disability Action have many different projects across NI and these laptops will be used to help these projects become digitally inclusive.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT PAUL MARTIN IN THE LEONARD CHESHIRE PRESS OFFICE AT PAULMARTIN@LEONARDCHESHIRE.ORG