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Digi-ID PLUS

Project Summary

Summary

Digi-ID PLUS is an EIT Health multidisciplinary user centered EU innovation project led by P.I Dr. Esther Murphy Trinity College Dublin, along with EU partners in Sweden, France, and Technology partner wayToB (2021), with new partners from Spain and Croatia and new technology partner Microsoft and Access Earth joining in 2022. At the heart of our project is an authentic user centered and led design process. Embedded within the project team is our Citizen Advisory Panel (CAP), 14 individuals with Intellectual Disabilities and accessibility needs who are paid experts by experience users passionate about teaching and using technology to enhance their quality of life.

Project Type

Multidisciplinary co created digital inclusion programme

Principal Investigator

Dr. Esther Murphy

Team Members

The team, led by P.I Dr Esther Murphy, brings together expertise in the fields of intellectual disabilities, social science, assistive technology, accessibility, healthcare technologies, public health, inclusive education, speech and language, inclusion health, mental health and health economics, from Ireland, France, Sweden, Spain and Croatia.

Digi-ID PLUS based in the Robotics and Innovation Lab - MMBE in Trinity college Dublin has support from colleagues across the university and from various centres including the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities and the ADAPT Centre.

Dates

2022-2024

Funding

EIT Health’s vast community, including approximately 150 world-class partner organisations, works across borders to bring together the three worlds of business, research and education. Backed by the European Union, EIT Health brings together the brightest minds from these sectors to answer the biggest health challenges Europe faces. (EIT Health)

Collaborators

In 2021 we met more than 70 people in Ireland for co-creation activities from Brothers of Charity, Avista, Stewart’s and NLN/Rehab. In 2022 we welcome new services: Kare, St. Michael’s House and Blossom Ireland.

Each organization is collaborating with the Digi-ID PLUS team in coordinating co-creation focus groups, user testing and evaluation activities.

Each of our Partner countries are meeting with matched numbers of people with intellectual disabilities in their own national and local health and education community networks.

We are delighted to introduce you to our wonderful Collaborators!

Stewarts provides extensive services to people with an intellectual disability, also with a Home Support Programme. At present, Stewarts supports approximately 800 service users.

Their mission is to support and empower people with an intellectual disability to live meaningful and fulfilling lives by delivering quality, person-centred services, provided by a competent, skilled and caring workforce, in partnership with the person, his / her family and community and statutory authorities, including advocates. (Stewarts website)

Avista began as the Daughters of Charity Disability Support Services. Their name Avista retains the sense of quality, service and dedication to building an inclusive society. They provide a broad range of vital and responsive support services, led by the preferences, and needs of individuals, in order to live their best lives. The organisation delivers services in Dublin, Limerick North Tipperary, and Offaly to both adults and children with intellectual disability and/or complex support needs. Avista mission is working together with people to live their best lives through the delivery of quality services. (Avista website)

The Brothers of Charity Services is an international, voluntary religious and is the largest provider of services for people with an intellectual disability and their families in Ireland. Their mission is to provide quality services to support people who are in danger of being marginalised and to strive to create opportunities and choices that develop and maintain connected lives where all are cherished as valued and equal citizens in our communities, based on the values of the Christian Gospels. (Brothers of Charity website)

The Rehab Group is a charity that champions the value of diversity and inclusion of people with a disability or disadvantage, in their communities. National Learning Network (NLN) provides a range of flexible training courses for people who have experienced a setback, have had an accident, a mental health issue, an illness, injury or have a disability and extra support needs. They are the largest private provider of personalised education, training and employment services in Ireland. National Learning Network's mission is to promote equality by providing world-class training, education and employment access services, and by actively influencing the creation of a more inclusive society. (NLN/Rehab website)

KARE is an innovative and progressive organisation that provides services and supports for people with intellectual disabilities and their families. KARE has a wide range of community-based supports available to children and adults with an intellectual disability, including day, residential and short break (respite) services. In addition, KARE is Patron to St. Anne’s and St. Mark’s, both schools support children with disabilities in the Newbridge area. KAREs catchment area is Mid-South Kildare, East Offaly, West Wicklow and North-East Carlow. (KARE website)

St. Michael's House provides a comprehensive range of services and supports to men, women, and children with intellectual disabilities and their families in 170 locations in the greater Dublin Area. It supports 1,953 people and it a company funded by the Health Service Executive (HSE), TUSLA and the Department of Education and Skills. St. Michael’s House supports include residential supports and Independent living, clinical supports, day supports, schools, respite supports and vocational training services. (St. Michael's House website)

The CRC (Central Remedial Clinic) is committed to providing excellence and delivering services that matter and make a real difference in lives of people with disabilities. CRC provides a range of services and supports for people with disabilities, whether they are babies and toddlers, school children, teenagers or adults. Their adult services are passionate about inclusion and service user involvement and have an exceptional track record in training and education and support for adults of all ages. CRC also support their parents, carers and families. (CRC website)

St. Joseph's Foundation is a non-profit organisation providing services and supports to over 1,000 children and adults with special needs, and their families. St. Joseph’s Foundation provides quality supports to their services users and family members, providing people with disabilities the opportunity to live the life of their choice to their fullest potential. ( St. Joseph's Foundation website)

More Detail

The project is developing an accessible digital skills e-learning video platform co created with and for people with accessibility needs to address the challenge of digital literacy and access to ensure better health, well-being and inclusion outcomes: Digi-Academy.

In 2021 we co-created the first version of our solution with approximately. 260 people with intellectual disabilities and accessibility needs.

In January 2022, Dr. Esther Murphy was awarded €2.2million for education innovation programme funding from EIT Health, to lead Digi-ID PLUS. A 3 year programme designed to build on Digi-ID phase 1’s co creation activities to:

  • expand our partnership across Europe
  • further develop our solution to include people with wider range of people accessibility needs, and co create new innovative features
  • engage with industry leader Microsoft
  • explore impact for EU digital inclusion policy

In March 2022 Digi-ID PLUS was awarded booster citizen engagement funding to support people with accessibility’s involvement in our co-creation activities.

Authentic engagement and inclusion of people with intellectual disability and accessibility needs throughout the entire process of developing our programme is at the heart of Digi-ID.

Our project has received full ethical approval from TCD Faculty Health Sciences Ethics Committee. We have also received ethical approval from our Collaborators Ethics committees.

To learn more about our project, we invite you to tune in to our event “Digi-ID: Sharing our story so far”:


Digi-ID PLUS - Citizen Advisory Panel

Our Citizen Advisory Panel (CAP) is a group of fourteen individuals with intellectual disability, hired as paid experts by experience and intentionally established to include a wide range of voices with diverse age, gender and digital competency to listen to their lived experiences and ensure their voices shape every key project decision.

CAP Members doing a brilliant job with us since 2021 (from Brothers of Charity, HSE and National Federation of Voluntary Bodies): Brian Hogan, Christina Burke, Darren Heduan, Denise Breslin, Fionn Crombie Angus, James Delaney, Mei Lin Yap.

CAP Members doing a brilliant job with us since 2022: Amy Fulcher (from Avista), Cormac Hanley (from National Learning Network), Joe McNamara (from RehabCare), Ifiok Umo (from Central Remedial Clinic), Lia Gogarty (from the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities), Linda Byrne Duffy (from Stewarts), Sarah Boyne (from St. Michael’s House).

We design accessible monthly CAP meetings to engage with all members in meaningful ways to review and validate our research data and provide expert by experience review of prototype work. CAP members have represented us at national, EU and international conferences where they voiced their views on digital inclusion and their specific input into the design and co-creation process of our education programme.

Take a listen to our project video we co-created with our wonderful Citizen Advisory Panel:


We have pushed the co-creation process to an optimum level, through support and coaching to enable CAP members to become our ‘digital educators’. This demonstrates the power and potential of people with intellectual disability to be the ‘face’ and ‘voice’ of our Digi-ID accessible education programme. Our programme is comprised of short video tutorials on priority topics identified during the focus groups, delivered by our CAP members.

The focus is on introductory digital skills, e.g., getting started with video conferencing calls, internet and social media, guidance on password management with a particular focus on independent use and awareness of accessibility features.

Join our mission

  • Write us an email: [javascript protected email address]
  • Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @JoinDigiAcademy
  • Media

    • Publications:
      • “I Feel Proud That with This App We Can Help Other People with Intellectual Disabilities”: The Role of an Expert by Experience Digital Inclusion Citizen Advisory Panel Link
      • “Co-designing an Accessible Digital Skills Education Solution with and for People with Intellectual Disabilities” Pages 304-313 Link
    • The Irish Times Article: Link
    • Silicon Republic article: Link
    • RTÉ Article (Dr. Esther Murphy and James Delaney): Link
    • European Patients' Forum Congress 2021
      • Dr. Esther Murphy and Mei Lin Yap: Link
      • Report (pg 14-15 Dr. Esther Murphy and Mei Lin Yap): Link

    • Articles
      • TCAID In Focus article: Link
      • TCD Digi-ID Event article: Link

    • IASSIDD Europe Congress 2021
      • IASSIDD2021 team presentation, delivered by Mei Lin Yap: Link
      • Co created poster with our citizen advisory panel: Link