AbleWeb York
AbleWeb York was a creative media training programme we ran from 2008 – 2018. The project was run by and for adults with learning difficulties, disabilities, and mental health issues. It provided weekly training sessions, community media projects and outreach workshops co-led by AbleWeb York apprentices, giving participants real-life training and work-related learning opportunities.
Each session, AbleWeb participants chose which of a variety of projects they wanted to work on. Participants were encouraged to try out as many different opportunities as possible, enabling them to develop different skills. After a while, some members chose to specialise in certain roles e.g. blog writing, video editing, camera technician. Typically, participants could choose to:
Help run and manage their community information website AbleWeb York, which involved:
- Updating the website with information on new activities, upcoming events and local stories
- Sending emails and helping with project admin
- Sharing updates on our Facebook and Twitter pages
- Writing about what they’d been up to on their personal blog
Working on one of AbleWeb’s many community projects. This included:
- Recording audio and video footage
- Helping to write scripts for interviews and planning community film pieces
- getting involved in the creative aspects of the community work e.g. working on an audio story and soundscape podcast
- Helping edit audio and video footage
Take part in apprentice training sessions, where they learned about:
- Staying safe online
- How websites are structured and how to navigate them
- How to set up a laptop’s accessibility options
- How to use computer, film and audio equipment
- How to support others to learn IT skills
- How to co-lead one of our community workshops
Be part of the AbleWeb York Committee, where participants got the opportunity to:
- Have a say about what they’d like to do each week
- Get involved in the development of the AbleWeb York programme
- Suggest ideas for the work they’d like to see AbleWeb York do
- Tell us what was working for them with the project and what wasn’t
Community Media
As AbleWeb York, AAM also provided film and audio production services, working with other organisations, local community groups and individuals to make films and audio pieces to promote their own community work. You can watch a short showreel of some of the commercial projects AbleWeb York undertook here. AbleWeb members also offered their expertise to other organisations, groups and individuals who wanted to make the information they provided, or the venues they were based in, more accessible.
Our AbleWeb York members also produced their own short films and audio pieces, enabling them to explore their own creativity and develop new audio and video skills. You can watch a short showreel of some of their creative work here.
Outreach Workshops
Our AbleWeb York team also delivered a variety of outreach workshops in the community, co-led by AbleWeb York Apprentices. These workshops included:
- Digital Inclusion workshops for other learning-disabled adults and older people. These workshops saw participants use a range of digital and creative techniques and tools to bring people together, build their digital skills, and help them feel more included in an increasingly digital world.
- Life Story workshops for older people, and people with dementia living in residential care and in the community. In these workshops, the team used digital technology to capture peoples’ experiences, stories, views and interests. These personalised digital memory boxes helped people share their memories with others as well as listen back to their own story, keeping their memories alive.