Founded in 1799, SeeAbility is a charity that provides ambitious support for people with sight loss, learning disabilities and autism.
“When the pandemic happened the fears were: how are we going to help those who are going to be isolated or shielding? It was a matter of quickly establishing what was the best way we could continue to support people” says Veronica Mulenga, Programme Lead for Creating Connections at SeeAbility.
The SeeAbility team recognised the need to ensure people were able to use digital tools to stay connected online. They built the Creating Connections Programme in partnership with Learning Disability England, with funding from the National Lottery Coronavirus Support Fund and support from Microsoft.
Scott Watkin, Head of Engagement at SeeAbility, says, “It’s about accessibility and, actually, we continue to make sure that everything that we do is accessible for the people we support so that they can really thrive. It’s about giving them the time to and support them to learn to connect to things like Microsoft Teams and Microsoft products.”
The charity is working with Microsoft to upskill its own workforce first, then passing this knowledge on to the people it supports through the Creating Connections programme.
“I am neurodiverse myself, so I have a fair amount of lived experience in terms of using assistive technology and just hugely see the value of it for everyone we work with. Without tech I don’t think I’d be functioning as I can today. I use speech to text, it means that I can take part with all my colleagues and there’s really no difference in terms of what I can access,” says Clare Gray, Product Developer of Ready, Willing & Able at SeeAbility. “Being able to talk through things like Microsoft Teams reduces the amount of travel time and reduces the environments I have to be in – from a sensory processing perspective, this is a lot more comfortable.”
Clare Gray continues: “Creating Connections is a really great success in terms of the sheer number of people who now have the skills to be able to access things online – whether it is talking with our friends and family through to being able to look for a job or go for a job interview.”
The development of these skills has been vital to help people stay connected through the pandemic and its lockdowns – enabling technology to be an important lifeline for those who were shielding or would otherwise have been isolated. The ways in which these skills can now be leveraged, developed and enhanced as we move into recovery and the next new normal offers exciting promise.
“Our Creating Connections programme in partnership with Microsoft will help to bridge the digital divide for people with disabilities,” emphasises Lisa Hopkins, CEO at SeeAbility. “I’m not only excited for us as a charity, but I’m also excited for people with disabilities and their families about what the future can hold.”
“Working in partnership with Microsoft offers us the opportunity to provide development opportunities so that we can fulfil our vision of equality and inclusiveness.”
Lisa Hopkins, CEO, SeeAbility
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