It is widely acknowledged that access to essential services and information, maintaining and enhancing social support networks and opportunities for meaningful social and civic engagement are increasingly compromised by a lack of digital literacy. This is more prevalent amongst older adults and people with a disability as they more prone to lagging behind other social groups in the adoption and effective use of ICTs.
The number of initiatives undertaken by the Malta Communications Authority (MCA) in an attempt to address this has continued unabated. This new training programme - .com – leħen diġitali is yet another initiative in an ongoing stream of activity that is targeting senior citizens and individuals with a disability to encourage increased ICT take-up and enhance active living among this segment of the population.
Roderick Marmara from the MCA stated that “ICTs offer great potential to support lifelong learning for everyone. More importantly however, applying technology effectively can have a significantly positive impact on individuals suffering varying forms of disability from communication difficulties to mobility issues. ICTs offer increased opportunities for communication through assistive technologies and social networking, and opens new avenues for increased independence through online shopping or online banking facilities. ICT enables the engagement of socially isolated and vulnerable individuals before they are caught in a spiral of ill-health, depression and dependency”
In her intervention Parliamentary Secretary for Rights of Persons with Disability and Active Ageing Justyne Caruana mentioned that this is part of the initiatives the Government is taking in order to promote and enhanc independent living and active ageing. She mentioned that the Parliamentary Secretariat is providing various learning programs to enable older persons to engage in active citizenship. Recently government day centres were transformed into lifelong learning hubs with curricula covering various subjects including ICT which was also extended to residential home thus targeting the digital divide amongst older persons.
Commenting on this initiative, the Parliamentary Secretary for Competitiveness and Economic Growth, Dr José Herrera said that ‘with the launch of this programme we are trying to shed all existing barriers which limit and restrict senior citizens and individuals with disability to explore all opportunities possible through the proper use of ICT.’ Dr Herrera emphasised that such initiatives are at the core of the Government’s agenda as stated in the last budget.
More Information can be found on activeageing.gov.mt or by calling 25903175.