Martha Lane- Fox backs Go ON Gold campaign to help disabled people get online
Martha Lane-Fox, one of the nominees for the BIMA Digital Hall of Fame, Paralympic athletes, BBC, Age UK and the Post Office are all backing the Go ON Gold campaign to help disabled people get online.
The campaign is supported by Go ON UK, which is chaired by Lane-Fox and aims to make the UK the world’s most digitally capable nation, although currently 43% of disabled people in the UK - four million people - have never been online.
Kevin Carey, RNIB chairman and Go ON Gold spokesperson, said: “More than half of the eight million UK citizens who have never used the internet are disabled. At a time when digital access plays an ever-increasing role in almost every aspect of our lives, these statistics are shocking and unacceptable. Our campaign will highlight the help which is available, encourage others to help point non-users in the right direction and show businesses and organisations how much society as a whole can gain by sharing such knowledge.”
The campaign will aim to raise awareness of the problem through a series of video interviews with supporters which can be downloaded and embedded on any website.
Lane-Fox added: “Disability often leads to a lack of independence and social isolation. Full access to the internet can be hugely empowering and even transformative for people with disabilities, whose mobility may be compromised or who lack the resources to get out and about as much as they would like.
“Digital inclusion can be life changing – socially, psychologically and economically. In front of the screen, we can all be equal and Go ON Gold is set to make this a reality!”
Goals made as part of the campaign include training 1,000 new digital champions in the use of accessible technology, as well as encouraging businesses, organisations and policy makers to become more aware of the needs of disabled people, including their own staff and customers, in the digital age.