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Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Camphill Village Trust (CVT) is a National charity, supporting around 500 adults with learning disabilities in community settings.

OBJECTIVE:

To co-design a social media platform to enable people supported at CVT to enjoy the benefits social media can offer, in a ‘safe space’.

METHODS:

A survey was undertaken of potential users to determine existing technology use and what was wanted from a social media platform. This was constructed according to findings, and solo and group interviews and another survey captured usage and opinions.

RESULTS:

Posting and reading the posts of others were popular, but use of other facilities (e.g. noticeboard) was limited. People valued its role as a social connector, and the closed environment was also seen as a benefit. Staff used it to aid social interactions and as a learning tool. Barriers included remembering passwords, uploading photos and lack of support, the latter due to competing time demands on staff.

CONCLUSIONS:

The study showed that it is possible to involve people with learning disabilities in the development of an electronic resource, and that a safe, protected platform can be utilised for both entertainment and education. Some staff were reticent, which highlighted the need for training and time allocation.

Keywords

Learning disabilities social media co-production

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CVT Connect: Creating safe and accessible social media for people with learning disabilities

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

OBJECTIVE:

METHODS:

RESULTS:

CONCLUSIONS:

Keywords

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References