What is digital inclusion? 

Digital inclusion is about ensuring the benefits of the internet and digital technologies are available to everyone. It is a layer of social inequality often defined in terms of lack of digital skills, connectivity and accessibility. 

Breaking down digital barriers and social prejudices.

Mind Of My Own is creating technological opportunities for the inclusion of children and young people. Addressing the needs of children either living in remote locations, having visible or invisible disabilities or being in contact with the law, our digital tools help education and social care organisations engage with everyone, equally. During the COVID-19 lockdowns when all schools closed, children had very little connectivity with the outside world, school, friends and even their workers. There are many situations when a child is unable to meet face to face with their workers and Mind Of My Own gives children a medium to digitally share their feelings and their lived experiences with their workers and teachers independently.

Every child may not have access to a laptop or the internet.

Or they may have learning disabilities that limit their interaction with the digital world. Express and the One App can both be accessed by the child independently and their worker or tutor on the adult’s device. For a connected future, Mind Of My Own ensures every child has a channel to connect to the digital world.

Inclusion for every child.

At Mind Of My Own, we are consciously working towards making the content available in different languages, either through Recite Me or through translations. Recite Me, a web accessibility software embedded in our apps, the content and visual interface are designed with the sole intention to provide a safe, personal space for each child, to express their voice freely. Our digital tools are breaking down barriers so that the teachers and workers can reach out to every child and give them a voice. The Mind Of My Own interface is designed to be readable with easily recognisable graphics for children and to have an intuitive user experience. We aim to overcome the web usability obstacles – visual, motor, hearing, and cognitive. 

What does it mean for workers and teachers?

Mind Of My Own is empowering young people to participate in their development & well-being, by sharing their feeling and opinions on what is going on in their life. This opens many opportunities for the professionals working with children:

• They are digitally connected with the children they are working with
• Young people can use the apps in their own time and space
• Young people can communicate non-verbal or difficult issues through graphical inputs or simple words
• They can engage with children equally, from remote to urban locations, overcoming language barriers, disabilities, reducing the social divide

We are continuously evolving our apps to be more digitally inclusive. Watch this space for what we are doing for the teacher’s and worker’s space