Before and after Corona: From Training to Apps with easy-to-understand information
The mission of the social enterprise before Corona:
Create equal opportunities for people with severe learning difficulties!
Walburga and Klaus have a dream that all people with disabilities and learning difficulties can live a self-determined life. They train people with severe learning difficulties to become the experts to evaluate and assess their supportive care needs and options themselves. At the core of their strategy is enabling people with severe learning difficulties to assume leadership roles in defining the accessibility of the environment in which they live, and the quality and type of care which they want to receive.
What changed with Corona?
The difficulties for people with disabilities or learning difficulties has become even more severe during the Coronavirus crisis. In the jungle of information, it is arduous for anyone, let alone those of us with disabilities and/or learning difficulties, to make the conscious and informed decisions that are needed to live a self-determined life. This is why Klaus and Walburga stepped up their game to support this vulnerable group with easily accessible and understandable information.
The (biggest) challenge: Complexity of information about Covid-19 creates risks of misunderstanding
Much of the information created by authorities, enterprises, and quality newspapers about COVID-19 is written with a high level of complexity. This creates real obstacles that make it unnecessarily difficult for people with learning difficulties (in particular) from making meaningful, self-determined decisions. In some cases, people with disabilities may even risk breaking the law or putting themselves in dangerous situations simply because they did not understand the urgently needed information in the first place.
The solution: Easily understandable information for people with learning difficulties
Through the App and web-service “Capito” people can access easy-to-understand information and digital solutions (media channels) to consume them on individually selected language levels. They can also find emergency-instructions in the latest versions.
The impact: Together with the Austrian Press Agency, capito provides daily “TopEasyNews.” In Austria the usage of these services grew from 3.000 up to 110.000 users within the last month. Indirect cost reduction impact: As a Swiss study says, three percent of costs in the health-system could be saved by better and more comprehensive information and extrapolation on COVID-19 costs could be made.
The personal biggest worry and hope:
Ashoka: How are you dealing with the situation and what is your biggest personal worry?
Klaus and Walburga: “Our greatest concern is the increasing division of society through the progressive marginalisation of vulnerable groups. However, it is a mistake to believe that the consequences will affect only these people. The loss of social cohesion and diversity reduces the quality of life for all of us. ”
Ashoka: “What is inspiring you and giving you hope that we can overcome this crisis?”
Klaus and Walburga: “What makes us confident is a word of the poet Hölderlin, who says that in every danger there also grows a saving. And apart from the problems, the Corona crisis also reveals many great new social initiatives.This is the first time in the history of humanity that an event has turned everyone’s life upside down at the same time. I dare to hope that this universality of the challenges facing us will force us to build many more bridges and fewer barriers…”
