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A major British Academy research project taking place at at UCL
Introduction
University College London is undertaking major research project exploring how people with Learning Disabilities (LD) are using Digital Technology (DT) (mobile devices, computers etc.) in their everyday lives. It is concerned with both the benefits, in terms of entertainment, information, self-expression and socialising, and the barriers people preventing people with LD from taking advantage of the technology. There will be very strong involvement by people with LD themselves. In addition to recounting their experiences, they will help co-produce an accessible, annotated and hyperlinked 'living' electronic archive of their 'digital lives'. This will be for the participants themselves and their supporters, and also for professionals and academics, to give them a better insight into this important topic.
The project will work with approximately 80 adults of all ages who have low literacy levels, recruited from Functional Skills units in Further Education Colleges; Day Centres and other locations where people with LD work, study or socialise. Involving people with LD in the development of the archive, as collaborators rather than 'research subjects', will promote inclusion and offer the participants an interesting and valuable experience. Digital technology is all around us, and so an exploration of its use will provide a rich picture of 21st century life as a person with LD.
How information will be gathered
Participants will be 'interviewed' at a PC, laptop or with a mobile device etc., and asked to demonstrate their usage and interests. Social media users will be asked to show their Facebook pages, Pinterest uploads or other material - giving them an additional focus they can use to discuss their 'digital' lives. In keeping with the 'inclusive' design, it is hoped that the participants will also enjoy finding out about each other's experiences too, possibly by undertaking a group activity or pair work, to be agreed with their supporters. The usability of both the hardware and software/apps etc. will be examined naturalistically, by observing, asking about any difficulties and noting any problems arising. All of the information will go onto the 'living archive' to be index and cross-referenced.
Supporters will also be interviewed to explore their experiences of using Digital Technology with their charges, and will also be able to comment on and annotate (with permission by the producers) pages produced by the participants themselves. Supporters will also be asked how the archive generally could be of use to them. Finally, a number of academics in the field will also describe how they could use the archive in their LD research.
The archive construction
Participants will be invited to upload the information they will have given in interviews, either by typing into a text box, dictating to the researcher or supporter, or voice-recording. The template will provide a simple choose and click operation for image/video upload. Participant will be able to build multimedia pages (i.e. on such topics as 'My first mobile phone'). Additional interviews, for those who wish, will generate more material. Providing links to individuals' social media pages will also be explored, although sensitivity will be needed with regard to privacy. Hyperlinks will be made between participants who have common interests, experiences etc. A site-specific search facility will be provided, so people can search on topics, devices or other aspects of the 'digital lives' articulated in the archive.
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For more information, please contact Pete Williams, the project researcher at:
Note that the project has been generously funded by The British Academy, from whom Pete was awarded a Research Fellowship