Go ON Gold: online access for disabled people. Pass IT on.
Maria Zedda, disability equality trainer and access consultant, talks to Go ON Gold at
the London office of digital inclusion charity Go On UK. Modern technologies in the digital
age have really changed things around for many, many deaf people like me. They have
definitely changed my life as a deaf entrepreneur. I would not be able to do the job that I do
without access to email, e-learning and internet. I would definitely also have difficulty and
have less flexibility in terms of working as deaf person, and also as a mother as well.
Being able to work from home, for example, less commuting – it’s definitely changed
my life. Another thing that digital technologies have done for me has been the fact that I
can now rely more on email and text communication, so I don’t have the stress of having to
cope with telephone calls. So that’s been a really, really great change. Accessing digital
technologies can sometimes be difficult for deaf people, because they are… Just purely
enrolling in the first place, sometimes it involves a visit from an engineer or maybe
a phone call. Sometimes that can be an initial barrier, if an engineer is not deaf aware,
for example, or over the phone, if people don’t speak clearly and slowly. So, it doesn’t
feel great, because it’s very frustrating – I’m a customer and I would like to spend
my money and receive good service, so there’s definitely a need for deaf-awareness in the
provision of the service in the first place. I think perhaps there should be more plain
English instructions, because for some deaf people, English is not their first language,
and also, there could be perhaps more text-based or visually-based instructions or videos that
have subtitles, guiding people through the stages. All for enrolling in cable and internet
services, all of that. I think it’s very important that some awareness is raised for
service providers when thinking about their customers. They should not forget that there
are nine million deaf and partially deaf people in the UK, and that’s a huge market, so
if they make their services more accessible to them by being more deaf-aware, then I think
they will really branch out and expand their market area, and this will be good for business
for them and good for inclusion overall. The campaign is supported by Nominet Trust – making
change happen. Go ON Gold is a campaign to help disabled people get online and access
digital technologies that are essential to modern life. Whether you’re an individual
or an organisation, we can help you, and we need your help. To find out more about how
to get online and help others get online, or ensure that your own digital services are
accessible, please visit our website, at: www.Go-ON-Gold.co.uk . Spread the word; embed
this video; join us. Pass IT on.