Craig and Filip from our Reconnect team supported Edward to tackle the digital world and the challenges it presents in accessing support and essential services.
Our Reconnect service plays a key role in communities across Edinburgh and the Lothians, identifying the digital and wellbeing needs of those who attend our digital groups. Through collaboration with organisations across Scotland and the UK, Reconnect finds innovative solutions to combat digital poverty and move one step closer to bridging the digital divide. Thanks to the support of our team, everyone who attends a digital group has access to resources that may have been previously restricted to them due to barriers of digital exclusion.
For the past 8 months, Acting Digital & Wellbeing Coordinator Craig and Reconnect Team Leader Filip have supported Edward who was feeling mounting financial pressures due to an injury that restricted his ability to work, as well as the shift from paper to online bills. Although Edward had digital experience, he did not have much digital confidence when he first met Craig at the digital group in the St Brides Centre. With English as his second language, he preferred to pick up the phone and speak to someone when applying for additional support or bills. But with the move to online systems, he felt cornered into applying online.
Until attending the digital group Edward didn’t have anyone to help him navigate forms and gain access to crucial resources. His email inbox was cluttered and disorganised, making it very difficult to keep track of new and important emails. With many organisations like the council and utility providers pushing him towards online and app-based payments, he began to fall behind on his bills. His training for work was also now to be carried out online, with a written exam to be completed at the end. The new style of digital training combined with the way questions were worded was leaving him unable to pass a test for a job after years of experience.
One step at a time
At our digital groups in St Brides and the Hibernian Community Foundation, Craig, Filip and Edward navigated his situation together, finding solutions that put Edward first and building his digital independence and knowledge. When they first started exploring Edward's options Filip would help translate some webpages and documents from English to Polish which greatly helped Edward navigate the confusing forms that were in place. Their top priority was to improve Edward’s finances by setting up phone calls or meetings to identify what the relevant organisations could do to help alleviate the stress and financial hardship. They sat together and emailed, called, and met in person with organisations when possible, allowing Edward to communicate face-to-face and have time to process the questions and form an answer. Thanks to these meetings, Edward’s council tax has been reduced, and a payment plan has been set up to manage previous overdue bills.
Before Edward attended our digital group, he began the process of applying for adult disability, which involved lengthy confusing forms. He had been informed that he did not meet the criteria for adult disability. Craig and Filip believed this may have been due to confusing forms and set up multiple meetings and phone calls to discuss the form verbally. Thanks to these phone calls his reapplication for adult disability was approved.
Edward also needed licenses to work, many of which were expiring, and required exams to renew. These exams were in English and were often challenging to study for given the sleep problems he was experiencing from stress. Craig and Filip helped Edward to set aside study time for his training that will allow him to return to his job when he is ready. They also communicated to the trainers and his workplace that he may need extra time and some one-to-one study time due to his recent adult disability application.
Without Reconnect and our team of coordinators, Edward may not have had the opportunities and resources he needed to be able to get back to work and learn more about navigating the digital world we now find ourselves in. His English has greatly improved since attending the digital group and he is able to read and understand many of the documents he initially needed translated. He’s found solutions that have enabled him to take control of his bills and is now able to concentrate on his recovery and looking forward to getting back to work when he is ready.