AIt Text describing redundant images can be unnecessary for users who can't see the images because every page element demands equal attention from screen Rader users to determine if it's useful for their task". Write alt text that communicates an image's purpose without repeating page content. Focus on meaning rather visual description. Using Alt Text wisely and don't just describe the image https://www.nngroup.com/articles/alt-text-usability/

13 January 2025: virgin Media 02 has today named the city of Durham as the first area where 3G services will be switched off in April. This follows the announcement in 2023 that the legacy 3G network would be switched off in order to deliver faster and more reliable 4G and 5G connectivity for mobile customers. Those customers with 3G sims, will be required to upgrade to 4G. See link below for information. https://news.virginmediao2.co.uk/virgin-media-o2-to-begin-3g-switch-off-in-durham-in-april/ Any customers in Durham who don't upgrade to a 4G or 5G device before 3G is switched off will still be able use voice calls and send text messages as they do now, but they would not be able to use mobile data. Simon & Mart volunteer Digital Champions

Following our research in conjunction with NHS England on digital transformation, there are further government plans to upskill social care staff to support beneficiaries to access social online. The aims are: • Social care professionals to be supported to develop digital skills and drive digital transformation across the sector. • Guidance will set standard for digital transformation of adult social care in providing quality care. • People at home and in care settings to be better supported to reduce hospital admission through new technology Here is the link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/guidance-to-support-digital-transformation-of-social-care

Disabled people are 35% less likely to have essential digital skills for life those with lower incomes, older people, and disabled people are all at a higher risk of being digitally excluded. Yes, anyone can be digitally excluded. Digital exclusion is not the result of one one factor but many: The design of digital services and how accessible they are for people with different disabilities How disability and digital inclusion intersects, or overlaps, with other social categories. Such as race, sexuality, gender, social class and more. 'intersectionality explains how different social categories interact with one another. These interactions produce unique positions of discrimination and/or privilege. For example, a person using a wheelchair may be able to use a website that a person with visual impairment cannot. Another example is that black wheelchair user may experience a unique from of discrimination rooted in both ableism and racism, compared to that of a white wheelchair user. Intersectionality tells us that there is not a a hierarchy of discrimination. Instead, it offers a way to understand how different factors of our identity interests to produce unique experiences'. https://www.citizensonline.org.uk/digital-inclusion-and-disability/

The WHO estimates that more than 2.5 billion disabled people will need one or more assistive technologies in 2030. Yet almost a billion of them can't access these products. Considering how globalisation is increasing. This means we are denying an entire community from enjoying the same services as everyone else. Park View project have embraced AL at the level of everyday usage incorporating form filling, document creation, accessibility support, communication. This ensures we can respond appropriately to those with physical, and sensory challenges. We are aware of the dangers of data protection and constantly raise this with the Digital Hub Network to ensure our voice is head. Like everything else, more needs to happen to make sure AI is a force for good. https://abilitynet.org.uk/webinars/how-can-ai-help-disabled-people Our volunteers using AI on a regular basis to help create a variety of documents.

The UK, along with most of the rest of the world, has seen a consistent rise in the proportion of older people within its population in recent years. Ensuring a good quality of life for citizens in old age is a pressing public policy concern. It is also an issue that potentially carries a huge cost to the public sector and, as the longevity of the population increases, is one that is set to exacerbate. it is anticipated that the use of technology Enabled Care (TEC) with older, homebound and disabled adults could respond to this challenge by leading to a) a greater number of options in how people live, particularly in relation to living independently within their own homes, b) improvements in health, quality of life and digital inclusion c) reductions in the cots of delivering care and d) a reduced burden on families and informal carers. Your local digital hub plays an essential role in reaching out to those on the digital periphery, helping older and disabled people maximise their use of internet technology. The hub can provide remote support and face-to-face activities to help break digital exclusion at a local level. To continue our support , we are continuously looking for volunteers who are wiling to share their day-to-day digital knowledge and to provide the hand-holding that is often necessary when working with individuals lacking confidence. For more information contact: office@parkviewproject.org.uk you can visit our website under online support to see a range of learning opportunities available. Mart & Simon getting ready for a day of online activities.

The Digital Futures for children examine measures of technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) in diverse contexts around the world. Assuming a global perspective, we not only aim to help advance the conceptual understanding of technology-facilitated CSEA but to validate existing measurements in diverse populations to improve the future study of related risks and harms. https://www.digital-futures-for-children.net/Rephrain

Is it wise to try to regulate social media platforms? Can it even be done? these questions are vexing lawmakers in almost every democracy. And finally-after years of debate-some answers are coming into view. Teaching how to use social media responsibly https://time.com/6199565/regulate-social-media-platform-reduce-risks/

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-digital-strategy/2-digital-skills-and-inclusion-giving-everyone-access-to-the-digital-skills-they-need#:~:text=Government%20is%20already%20working%20with,make%20the%20most%20of%20it

Digital characters – avatars – could help people with psychosis hear voices less often and reduce the distress caused by these voices, new research suggests. https://www.aol.co.uk/study-uses-digital-avatars-help-160000518.html?guccounter=2

The UK's analogue landline service, also know as Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is getting older and more expensive to repair work is underway to move all households to a new digital, internet based, voice service, know as digital voice, by the of 2025. in this article we explain what impact this my mean for you and the peopple you support. https://www.goodthingsfoundation.org/discover/digital-inclusion-resources/running-a-hub/helping-people-to-prepare-for-the-changes-to-uk-landlines Digital Switchover - Further information

How many times have our volunteer Digital Champions heard this? 'I wish the dam internet had never been invented If i had a pound for every time I'd heard those words, I would be living on an exotic island somewhere. But as you can imagine, as look out of my window at another grey February sky, this is not how these things play out. However, when it comes to how young people with additional needs are choosing to communicate with each other and those around the internet (hopefully unlike the grey February sky) is here to stay. so munch so that, globally, we know that one in three internet users, or about 800 million, are children. Within the UK context, Ofcom's state of nation 2020 report stated, in 2020, nearly all five-to 15-year-olds are online and, of this group, 81% reported experiencing online risks. Available evidence paints a familiar story. Young people with additional needs are more likely to experience online risks and have these risks worsen faster than their peers.' for example research shows us that autistic children experience significantly more online safety risks and psychological implications of these risk experiences than non-autistic children. Writing up about safe sites on the internet. https://www.myfamilyourneeds.co.uk/support-child/connectivity-young-people-additional-needs/

I have design another train for my New Game called TSW5 and colour of the i chose is Red and Blue and Yellow

If you missed the event, quite a few things were covered in a condensed hour-long keynote. These included: Train Sim World 5: Available for pre-order and releasing September 17th West Coast Main Line, Frankfurt – Fulda & San Bernardino Line Conductor Mode, Route Hopping, Fast Travel & Upgraded Live Map Deluxe Edition which includes Avanti West Coast Pendolino, FlixTrain Vectron & Cajon Pass (with Route Hopping). Deluxe / Special Edition pre-order includes 5-day Early Access from 12th September Free-to-play starter pack available for 30 days from launch Also announced: 6x Future Train Sim World route Add-ons Train Sim World VR: New York, a brand-new experience for Meta Quest players available to Wishlist now Train Sim World Tycoon, a brand-new experience on the Roblox platform developed by Talewind An update on City Transport Simulator: Tram, developed by ViewApp That’s quite a lot of stuff! Read on for a summary of each of these exciting releases. Train Sim World 5: Pre-order Now, Out September 17th! We kicked off with the full announcement of Train Sim World 5, coming to PC, PlayStation and Xbox Platforms on September 17th, with pre-order players of Deluxe and Special Editions able to gain Early Access 5 days early from September 12th. Train Sim World 5 brings 3 new routes into the franchise along with new trains, new operators and new features, including bringing Conductor Mode as a full game mode! A summary of new features can be found further down this article. Train Sim World 5 Arriving 17th September! The new route and locomotive content includes: San Bernardino Line: Los Angeles to San Bernardino Metrolink MP36 locomotive West Coast Main Line: London Euston to Milton Keynes Class 350/1 & Class 377/2 EMUs Frankfurt to Fulda: Kinzigtalbahn DB BR 411 ICE-T, BR 114 And DB BR 193 Vectron Plus additional locomotives seen in previous Train Sim World Add-ons such as the Class 66, DB BR 146 and Metrolink F125 Deluxe / Special Edition players will also be able to operate: Avanti West Coast Class 390 Pendolino EMU FlixTrain BR 193 Vectron and Talbot Coaches Cajon Pass, enabling Route Hopping (more on that later) at San Bernardino New Features As well as the new routes and locomotives, players of Train Sim World 5 will be able to take advantage of new and improved features, with some significantly developing the way in which sessions can be played across new and existing Train Sim World content. New and improved features include: NEW Conductor Mode, on new Core routes and future route Add-ons NEW Route Hopping, between routes that share a common location - Including support for selected back catalogue route Add-ons NEW Fast Travel, allowing immediate travel within a route NEW Digital Screen Accessibility on relevant trains UPDATED Live Map, with icons, legend and train service information UPDATED UI and Menus UPDATED Photo Mode, including live weather / time of day changes UPDATED Track Shadow Rendering UPDATED Creators Club Tools UPDATED Training Center Including unbranded BR 146 + Dostos Subsequent articles, videos and preview streams will go into more detail about some of these features.

Digital Unite specialise in promoting and developing digital inclusion through a Digital Champion approach. Digital Champions are a proven, scalable, sustainable, and cost-effective way to build digital skills and confidence. The public sector, Charites, and skills, both in the workplace and in the community. With more than 25 years, experience supporting organisation across all sectors to deliver digital inclusion, we can help you with a Digital Champion approach It is worth noting that we take a similar approach at a local level, although we tend not to support other organisations only individuals. https://www.digitalunite.com/ Volunteer Digital Champions

Minimum Digital Living Standards Project (rural areas) Dr Emma stone, Good Things Foundation): Over the summer of 2023 Good Things Foundation hosted five stakeholder workshops to discuss rural digital exclusion. Please click on link for access to their website. There is also a list of useful resources relating to digital inequalities in rural areas of the uk. https://www.goodthingsfoundation.org/discover/digital-inclusion-insights/digital-inclusion-insights-2024/digital-divides-and-rural-realities.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawEpxP5leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHYftKz06cKl9RWvedgTdMtA-owNWYjfaMiB1LgDYZfgyI39Lw3K4Bg-VWA_aem_lSAY5M0FvtUfswIGNU1FtA Digital Rural Inequalities'

Today i decided to test my video taking skills, which is new to me on getting my updated Android phone. At some point I will attempt to edit this using one of our Apple Mac desktop computers. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OYi3UFcpx6BJ0adbk3Soskutp2h6W_cZ/view

There is lots of evidence for incorporating video games aimed at hose you digitally support that have a Learning Disability. Here is a selection for you to investigate How I use Minecraft to help kids with autism | Stuart Duncan

Creating Connections supports people with learning disabilities to use the internet safely to connect with friends and family. We can support you to learn new digital skills, get started with using a tablet or computer, how to stay safe online and how to use video chat software. Depending on your situation and location, our team of volunteers can give sessions either in person or remotely from home. Click on picture to open website

Police Simulator: Patrol Officers - Highway Patrol Expansion – Launch Trailer 🛣️ About the Highway Patrol Expansion 🛣️ For a long time, the highway connecting Brighton and the State of Franklin was closed due to a major traffic accident, and required extensive construction work. The Mayor of Brighton is now happy to announce that the grand reopening has been held. The Brighton Police Department and its officers are now able to patrol the highway with exciting new assignments, new challenging tasks and responsibilities, and even new tools, such as the spike strip and roadblock requests to stop fleeing carjackers. Now that the highway is reopened, there is an increased risk of auto thefts, bigger accidents involving cargo trucks, fires, and scattered cargo. Your daily duties will be extended to include monitoring speeders, providing assistance to stranded drivers, and checking cargo trucks for illegal items. At the end of the day, you need to promote safety on the highway. The highway expansion will also feature the new Interstate Police Vehicle, which allows players to patrol the highway in style. NEW PATROL AREA: Brighton Highway district NEW FEATURES: highway chases, tactical maneuvers, and more NEW MISSIONS: new callouts, such as cargo checks and highway assistance NEW RESPONSIBILITIES: manage and promote highway traffic safety NEW VIOLATIONS: such as auto theft, major highway accidents, and more NEW TOOLS: such as the spike strip, roadblocks, and fire extinguisher NEW CAR: Interstate Police Vehicle NEW CAR: Endurance Police Vehicle And i have been playing on the update Police Simulator: Patrol Officers: Highway Patrol Expansion