Virtual disability services: a route to connection, convenience and choice
The quality of the connection between a disabled person accessing a disability service and the person working in service provision has a huge impact on outcomes. This is not news. What is new, however, is the way in which connecting online can offer a different level of connection, enhance participation from the comfort and convenience of home, expand the number of service delivery models, leading to enhanced choice and agency.
To experiment with our identities, be seen in a new light, try something new or even a new identity, is something many of us take for granted, as we grow into adulthood and move through the different phases of life. Often, however, we can get locked into familiar ways of doing things and need to push ourselves out of our comfort zones, try something new, meet new people and dare to be seen in a different light. We can get too comfortable with people who are around us all the time: it limits our view of them, and their view of us.
One way to shake this dynamic up is to connect in a different way, and virtual services is a great way to do this, not just because it opens up the world to connect with different people, we might not otherwise meet, but it also allows for a different kind of connection. The joint activity is often less important than how the digital space is facilitated to place importance on the quality of the relationships.
Where the quality of relationships is put to the fore, the research tells us that people attending virtual services report feeling seen and heard and appreciated in new ways. Many find their voice and try new things, get creative and develop a deeper sense of themselves through connecting with others. Virtual services offer greater choice over what activities to engage with and how much to participate. For many people who are neurodiverse, it can reduce the anxiety or stress associated with travelling or being with others all day. Being able to turn up, be themselves and have equal space and time on the screen with others, can lead to a greater sense of connection, a sense that they matter to others, and a new sense of belonging.
Second, virtual services offer convenience. Accessible transport limits the extent to which people can access services, without a long journey or committing to spending a full day in a service with a long bus ride at either end, both of which may be exhausting. They have more time to do other things with their day, whether it is work, caring for others, or participating in activities in their local area. Being in the comfort of home is not just preferable for some people: it is a necessity. Increasing extreme weather events prompt many people to work from home, indeed the Government recommended those who can work remotely to do so during a recent storm. Disabled people need to have this option too.
Thirdly, virtual services offer different kinds of choices. As they bypass geographical constraints, it is possible to tailor services to different groups and interests, and draw in more people with niche interests. Being able to attend a session that is of particular interest is not just about being able to pick from a menu: it is about exercising choice, and developing personal agency and to prioritise how to spend time. It is about developing transferable digital skills to use the internet, to participate in online webinars, online banking and so on, which is the hallmark of social inclusion in an increasingly digitalised world.
There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to human connection. Online services do not replace in person services: in many instances they can complement them, but they do have distinct features, that make them different and unique. For further information see here.
Joan's Ph.D focused on the development of virtual disability services. She is a Strategic Learning Partner with the ConnectAbility project run by Enable Ireland and funded by the HSE.
