YDIN - You and I Digitally in Society

OBJECTIVE 1. To identify people with disabilities and the professionals who work with them, in particular
the existing digital skills of personal assistants and the use of digital devices and applications; and
their digital training needs.

OBJECTIVE 2. To co-develop and implement an open virtual learning environment for people with disabilities,
to support the continuous learning and development of digital skills by professionals and supervisors in the field; and as a tool for competence development. The aim is also to motivate and inspire the target group to take advantage of it digitalisation in working life and studies. The results of Objective 1 will be used to achieve this goal and involving target groups in the design of the learning environment and encouraging low-threshold participation.

OBJECTIVE 3. Development of digital and technological competence. Develop and promote the integration of persons with disabilities and digital and technological skills of professionals working with them, especially personal assistants skills and co-develop the work of pair work (disabled person - assistant) and co-learning
digital education, mentoring and peer learning.

YDIN – You and I Digitally In society
The corona crisis raised the need for developing disabled people’s and field-related professionals’ digital skills. During the corona pandemic, many services, events and some studies were only available online. Disabled people have on average weaker digital skills than non-disabled and thus they are at risk of social exclusion in the digital society. Their assistants’ digital skills are also partly weak.

The Digital Skills Together project aims at improving disabled people’s and field-related professionals’ digital
competence. Better digital skills strengthen disabled people’s study and work possibilities. Digital skills also increase
participation and wellbeing. Personal assistants’ role is important in services for the disabled. Their stronger digital
skills support disabled persons’ equal possibilities to use digitality and technology in participation, access to labour
market and coping at work and strengthen assistants’ personal working life skills. Earlier projects found that nurses’ or assistants’ attitudes and competence have a significant effect on whether disabled people are guided and encouraged to use technological solutions.

The project implements a participatory mapping of the target groups’ competences and educational needs. The
mapping provides information on the target group’s digital skills, use of digital equipment and applications as well as need for digital competence. The mapping helps to identify key digital skills in the disability field. Based on the
mapping, an educational module is planned and a related open digital learning environment is built to support disabled people’s, field-related professionals’ and superiors’ continuous digital skills learning and competence development.
The project organises workshops for disabled person/assistant pairs and develops digital competence through pair
work and joint learning. The workshops improve disabled people’s digital skills in order to strengthen their labour
market position, increase their social participation, create joy and promote wellbeing. The project also organises a
webinar series on introduction and use of the learning environment for professionals of the field and their superiors.

The project has improved disabled people’s and related professionals’ digital skills and offered them a pedagogically
meaningful learning environment.