Steven* has sight loss, and now uses a white mobility cane. He regularly used digital devices before sight loss and finds them essential to everyday life even more so now.

He has appreciated having Digital Champion support nearby. He said

The route to the library is one I know well, so it’s easy to get here solo. Some of the things that Digital Champion volunteers have done any sighted person could have helped me with actually, but it was good to come to the library and get it done and a time and pace that suits me.

My screen reader won’t read some tabs and pop ups, so if I navigate off my webpage, I’m lost. I’ve appreciated help with sorting this out.

He said the most useful thing that a Digital Champion has helped with was finding a setting on Google Maps that gives more detailed directions as you walk. Steven described this as a sat nav for walking.

It now tells me if I’ve gone too far and missed a turning, and how many meters I am from my destination. This has been really invaluable as I need to get more confident going to new places, this has helped.

We have also suggested Ability Net to Steven, a national disability and digital inclusion charity, as he has specific questions about the best screen reader for his device, and he was happy with this  recommendation. 

When people think of what we do, they think it’s about people using digital for the first time but a lot of the time it is supporting those that have some skills to develop more, especially if technology or life circumstances change.

*we have changed names for privacy reasons.