Do you know someone who would benefit from a device or is struggling to pay for broadband connectivity? In this webinar, we heard from Rob Shapiro, Partnerships and Fundraising Manager at Good Things Foundation, John Duncan, Digital Inclusion Programme Manager at Greater Manchester Combined Authority (seconded from Virgin Media O2) and Chris Grant, our Community Relationship Officer at AbilityNet on how charities or carers (paid and unpaid) can source devices and free or low-cost internet access.

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Get online for FREE or at low cost
• Rob Shapiro, Partnerships and Fundraising Manager, Good Things Foundation
• John Duncan, Digital Inclusion Project Manager, Greater Manchester Combined
Authority
• Chris Grant, Community Relationship Officer for AbilityNet
• Sarah Botterill, Marketing Manager AbilityNet
January 17, 2022

2. Get online for FREE or at low cost: January 17 2022
Housekeeping
• Captions are available during the webinar via Zoom
• Please use the Q&A window to ask questions
• The chat window is turned off for ease and accessibility reasons
• Slides, a transcript and a recording will be made available post-webinar,
you will be notified via email
• We will include a follow-up email for feedback

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Welcome to our panelists
Rob Shapiro,
Partnerships and
Fundraising Manager,
Good Things
Foundation
John Duncan,
Digital Inclusion Project
Manager, Greater
Manchester Combined
Authority
Chris Grant,
Community
Relationship Officer
for AbilityNet
3

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Welcome and agenda
• Introducing AbilityNet, your hosts
• Introducing Good Things Foundation (Rob)
o Scale of the digital divide
o Online Centres Network
• Digital Lifeline (Rob and Chris)
o The National Databank (Rob)
• Activity in Greater Manchester (John)

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AbilityNet believes in a digital world
accessible to all.
Accessibility products and services and
role-based accessibility training.
We support people of any age, with any
disability or impairment, to use
technology to achieve their goals at
home, at work and in education.
We also run TechShare Pro.
Overview of AbilityNet’s services
5
A digital
world
accessible
to all
Accessibility
products and
services
Events (TSP)
FREE
services (at
home)
Workplace
services
Education
services

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Tablet support schemes (Chris)
• NHS Camden and Islington Foundation Trust
• Supporting KOMP video-conferencing devices
• Supporting children from the BAME Community in Basildon
• Partnering with Age UK in Wiltshire

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Rob Shapiro, Partnerships and Fundraising
Manager, Good Things Foundation
robert.shapiro@goodthingsfoundation.org
@robshapiro3

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● The gap between people who can benefit from digital technology and the internet, and
those who can’t.
● Driven by:
○ Lack of access to a device, connectivity and affordable data
○ Lack of basic digital skills
○ Lack of motivation to use the internet, or other related barriers (eg. fear).
● Digital exclusion is more likely to affect people who are:
○ Older - 87% of those offline are 50-691
○ Poorer - 40% earn less than £15,0001
○ Have low qualifications
○ Have a disability or long-term health condition.
What is the digital divide?
Sources: 1. Consumer Digital Index 2021, Lloyds Banking Group

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The Online Centres Network

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Digital Lifeline
5,500 people with learning disabilities
supported with devices, data and support
Using digital inclusion to alleviate the
disproportionate negative impacts of Covid-19 on
people with learning disabilities

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AbilityNet and Digital Lifeline
• We provided support for individuals who received a device
o 121 Community Partners accessing services for 2,978
beneficiaries
o 971 individual beneficiaries
o 371 Assessments were carried out
o 213 Community partners received training
o 2,354 items of equipment were provided
o 101 volunteer buddies assigned to provide ongoing support

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AbilityNet’s Impact through Digital Lifeline
• 92% felt better able to use technology
• 92% felt more Confident
• 90% felt better able to manage their health and wellbeing
• 79% felt less lonely and isolated
• 76% felt more Connected to friends and family
• 73% felt better able to participate in education
• 66% felt more connected to community
See www.abilitynet.org.uk/learningdisability

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“I didn’t have anybody
visiting, and I couldn’t see
anyone. I got myself in a bit
of a mess with things like
putting out the rubbish. It
was a lot better keeping in
touch after I got the tablet.”
Jameela
Jameela’s story

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The National Databank
National
Databank
Individual
experiencing
data poverty
Community
organisation
Apply for SIM/vouchers for
people in need, provide support
Become an
accredited
provider of the
Databank
Receive data
through local
community
organisation
● Pilot ended 2021
● Scaling this week
● Open for application for charities &
community organisations
Devices + Digital Skills Support
Adults and
families

19. Digital Inclusion Agenda for Change
John Duncan Digital Inclusion Project Manager
Greater Manchester Combined Authority
#FixTheDigitalDivide
19

20. THE CURRENT
LANDSCAPE
The pandemic has highlighted the UK’s
digital divide, which amplifies the impact
of social isolation and loneliness
particularly for groups continuing to
shield such as older people and those
with serious health conditions.
Covid-19 has illustrated that digital
inclusion should now be considered a
human right and connectivity as a
basic utility.
Digital marginalisation faces the
poorest, most vulnerable communities.
Research indicates that people who
are digitally-excluded are likely to be
disproportionately heavy users of
government services.
Over 700,000 people in
Greater Manchester are only
using the internet in a narrow or
limited way and a further
450,000 are classified as
'non-users‘
There could be as many as up to
1.2M residents in
Greater Manchester excluded in
some way for the opportunity
digital brings
20% of GM
residents live in
social housing
#FixTheDigitalDivide
52% of those
offline can spend
£300+ a year on
utilities because they
don’t have capacity to
compare prices online
Up to 15,000-20,000 young people are
estimated to be left behind, without the means to
continue their education remotely.
There are 4,200 Care Leavers in
GM.

21. Agenda - Aims and Objectives
• To provide a universal programme of activity to meet the Mayor’s manifesto pledge
of ending Digital Poverty in Greater Manchester by 2023/24
• Evidence-based approach to identify the most impactful interventions and to
measure progress.
• 3 target groups - (under-25’s, over-75’s, disabled people) whilst recognising the
unique requirements of each group and simultaneously meeting the overall
programme objectives.
• support local delivery of services, from trusted partners, whilst exploring the potential
for a single GM model for easy activity access, communications, data capture and
assessment.
21

22. Delivering the GM Agenda on Digital Inclusion
Digital Inclusion Action Network: Led by the Mayor, Andy Burnham this membership will meet
to drive direct action to deliver digital enablement across Greater Manchester (Monthly)
Digital Inclusion Taskforce: Over 150 members from the public, private and VSCE sector
convene to showcase good practice, opportunities for collaboration and offer support for the Digital
Inclusion Agenda (Bi-Monthly)
GM Digital Inclusion Locality Leads: ongoing network sharing information, resources and good
practice to guide local digital inclusion activity
Digital Inclusion National Forum: This coalition group has been established to share approaches
and advance strategy with other regions
Government Engagement: to guide central approach to inclusive growth, informed by regional
needs

23. Collaboration and sharing information
Digital inclusion
insights &
evidence
Local & central
Government
engagement &
policy
Digital skills &
capabilities for
work, life &
business
Access to
spaces, devices,
connectivity &
data
Social
responsibility &
responsible
business
Key Outcomes
Confidence, skills &
motivation
Affordability,
accessibility &
connectivity
Strengthening approach
& developing
sustainable outcomes
Activity Area 1 Activity Area 2 Activity Area 3 Activity Area 4 Activity Area 5
Greater Manchester Digital Inclusion Framework
Ambition: Lead the way to a 100% digitally-enabled city-region
Empowering
communities & places

24. GM Digital Inclusion Action Network Projects
>Care Leavers Initiative
>GM Tech Fund
>Digitally Inclusive Homes Programme
>Discovery Solutions
>Care Leavers Initiative - Virgin Media O2 as Telco to
provide solution as part of their Social Value
commitment to GM and utilise the GTF National
Databank & Online Centres – Learn My Way
programme
24

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Questions from attendees?

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Useful Links

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Useful Resources: AbilityNet
• Free helpline: 0800 048 7642
• Email Us: enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk
• Free factsheets
• Webinars: upcoming and recordings from AbilityNet Live!
• My Computer My Way
• AbilityNet’s Digital Lifeline Impact Report; Annual Impact Report
• CSR opportunities with AbilityNet
• Support for students (DSA)
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AbilityNet Online Training Series
• 20 Jan 2022: Accessibility for copywriters
• 25 Jan 2022: How to deliver and sustain accessible digital learning -
for HE and FE professionals
• 27 Jan 2022: How to begin your own accessibility testing
• Feb 2022: How to develop accessible inclusive recruitment
10% off any AbilityNet 2022 online training courses with discount code
AbilityNetWebinar10 abilitynet.org.uk/training

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Blogs and more from AbilityNet
• Tech help for older people: partnering with Age UK
• Tech help for people experiencing traumatic stress
• Age and the digital divide during Covid-19
• Working together to tackle the digital divide
• Tech innovations for people with dementia
• Productivity boost for people with learning disabilities
• Support for community-based tablets and technology

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GCMA digital inclusion website
https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/what-we-do/digital/digital-
inclusion-agenda/

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Useful links Good Things Foundation
National Databank https://www.goodthingsfoundation.org/databank/
Learn My Way - https://www.learnmyway.com/
Make It Click - https://makeitclick.learnmyway.com/directory
Map of Online Centres in the UK - https://www.onlinecentresnetwork.org/ournetwork/find-
centre#/map
Digital Nation infographic https://www.goodthingsfoundation.org/insights/building-a-digital-nation/
Further resources to help people starting to use the internet -
https://www.goodthingsfoundation.org/learn/support-someone-else/
A blueprint to fix the digital divide
https://www.goodthingsfoundation.org/insights/a-blueprint-to-fix-the-digital-divide/