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Inclusive Media Literacy with GDA and Ofcom

GDA members and staff on Zoom are sat in their respective homes all smiling and giving thumbs up to the screen

Ofcom defines media literacy as the ‘ability to use, understand and create media and communications across multiple formats and services’.

Ofcom has a statutory duty to promote media literacy and make arrangements to carry out research into media literacy matters. The Digital Glasgow Strategy identifies a challenge to tackle the digital divide and deliver a range of targeted actions to increase digital inclusion and improve digital skills.

Ofcom research consistently finds that ‘narrow internet users’ (people who use the internet for a small range of activities) are more likely than others to struggle with online media literacy. They are therefore keen to support the effort in Glasgow and build on the existing digital inclusion work, like the GDA Connects project, to ensure that people are equipped with the media literacy skills they need to flourish online.

So what does that mean for everyday disabled people? As a GDA member says:

All information has a bias. Everyone has biases, and those biases will come out, whether you mean them to or not. That does make it harder to find accurate information.

Are you enabling people to develop the skills they need to identify accurate information?

In conjunction with Ofcom, we have created an inclusive media literacy resource to support people working in this area. This is for staff/volunteer development. It is not intended for direct delivery to service users.

Two people sit around an iPad. One is holding it and another is pointing at it with a pen.
A GDA Digital Learning Officer supports a member with their iPad.

This resource can help you to:

I do think that because everything’s going digital, it’s penalising people in poverty. If you’re struggling to buy food and pay your bills, having an internet connection’s a luxury, so that’s going to be the first thing that goes.

We cover:

The resource also links to our related podcast, Media Literacy for Disabled People. Hear disabled people share their thoughts on and experiences of media literacy and digital inclusion:

I’m too old, stupid and disabled to learn. I feel left behind. Everything seems to be online now – from ordering prescriptions to paying bills. Even care these days seems to be getting delivered via iPads.

To access the resource, visit https://gda.scot/app/uploads/2024/10/GDA-and-Ofcom-Inclusive-Media-Literacy.pdf

To learn more about the GDA Connects project, visit https://gda.scot/gda-connects/

Thanks to Jess McBeath for your help developing this resource.

Two people sit around a tablet, which is showing apps on a home screen.
A GDA member attends a coaching session at the GDA office.

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