News and Insights

People with Learning Disabilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic  
30/05/2023

Technology significantly grew in importance during the COVID-19 pandemic. It became the means by which many people stayed in touch with family and friends, pursued education, searched for jobs, ordered medical prescriptions, etc. Technology also played a crucial part in the lives of people living with learning disabilities. A recent study by Chadwick, Buell, Burgess, and Peters (2023) has explored the experience of people with learning disabilities with using digital technologies, the factors that enabled or hindered digital participation, and to what extent this could have contributed to increased digital poverty.[2] The study was based on qualitative interviews with 19  participants (11 male and 8 female), living in West Midlands, Worcestershire, and Herefordshire in the United Kingdom, and Dublin in Ireland.

The article provided insights into the range of factors that determine the success of digital participation. Prior experience of using information communication technologies (ICTs) influenced significantly the success of transitioning to online modes of interaction. Support for digital inclusion was another significant factor, which included family members, support staff, work colleagues, peers, and friends. These “helped with access to ICT in relation to reading and other challenges relating to literacy and visual impairments.”[2] The study also found that persistence and positive attitudes contributed to a successful adaption to ICTs (see our previous insights article regarding the importance of motivation).[3]

However, the study identified several barriers. Some participants mentioned that the abundance of apps and the complexity of various technological tools pose a major challenge. One of them said, “I can't remember half of anyway so. … you get confused with which username is for what, is for which social app… I struggle sometimes with passwords sometimes I've got that many passwords for that many different things.”[4]

Although support was necessary to use ICTs, this was not available to everyone. The study further revealed how the cost of new technologies was a concern among some people with learning disabilities.

This study by Chadwick, Buell, Burgess, and Peters provides important insights into how people with learning disabilities engaged with digital tools during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also how we can more effectively facilitate positive digital participation among marginalised and vulnerable groups.  

The full article is available here as open-access: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bld.12522

References
[1] Chadwick, D., Buell, S., Burgess, E., and Peters V. (2023). “I would be lost without it but it's not the same” experiences of adults with intellectual disabilities of using information & communication technology during the COVID-19 global pandemic. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 51(2): 148-162.

[2] Chadwick et al., p. 155.

[3] https://www.digitalinclusionuk.org/news-insights/lack-of-confidence-and-motivation

[4] Chadwick et al., p. 156.