One million people with sight or hearing loss to get online skills to boost inclusion and employment prospects

An ambitious three-year project enabling people with sight or hearing loss across the UK to gain skills in digital technology aims to get one million people online after being backed to the tune of £5.8m by the lottery.

The Big Lottery Fund has awarded the cash to RNIBfor its Online Today! project which will work with 37 national and local partners in 195 local authority areas across the UK.

From 2015, the charity aims to engage with a million people, raising their awareness of the range of equipment and assistive programmes that can help to make technology accessible.

This initiative will...open up a whole new world of possibilities - John Legg

In Scotland, partners include the Scottish Council for Voluntary organisations, Action on Hearing Loss, The Wheatley Group, Digital Glasgow and City of Edinburgh Library and Information Services.

John Legg, director of RNIB Scotland, said: “Today’s new technology can enable and empower people with sight loss of all ages to engage more fully in accessing services, but only if they feel confident in using it.

“This initiative will aim to give them this, helping them to use accessible software such as speech-readers and magnifiers that can open up a whole new world of possibilities.”

Those taking part will gain confidence to access online systems for government support, help with day to day tasks such as shopping and paying bills while those of working age will gain IT skills that will help them move closer to employment.

“Without such support, blind and partially sighted people could become even further excluded from a society that is increasingly moving online,” added Legg.