With Global Accessibility Awareness Day taking place this week (Thursday 18 May), King’ s Award winning entrepreneur James Tweed has called for digital accessibility for prisoners to move up the agenda

Digital tools must be accessible for prisoners, a tech entrepreneur has said in advance of Global Accessibility Awareness Day.

James Tweed is CEO of Coracle Inside, which recently won a King’s Award for its work providing laptops to prisoners.

Tweed says the need for digital education in prisons is more pressing than ever, especially for prisoners,

“Everyone needs basic digital skills just to get by in the world today. We need to be able to use a computer or touch screen to make appointments, buy things or access services. This wasn’t the case not very long ago, so prisoners emerging into this digital world without these skills may quickly find themselves in problems.

“If we want people to reintegrate into society and not reoffend we need to ensure they have the skills to do so.”

Tweed says a disproportionate number of prisoners suffer from learning disabilities and have been excluded from school previously.

“Many have struggled with education in their past with a majority of prisoners having been excluded from school – over 60 percent in fact compared to less than one percent of the population of the whole.

“So there’s a mix of poor education, learning difficulties and lack of awareness to deal with. However, we’ve found that many have taken great strides through educational courses and have ended up with a far more positive view of how education works.

Tweed hopes Global Accessibility Awareness Day will be an opportunity for digital skills and digital inclusion to finally be included in our aims for championing accessibility and building an inclusive society.

“Our world is becoming digital on every front, yet digital inclusion and digital literacy continues to be understood as a niche issue, despite the benefits it has for society as a whole.”

Coracle is one of the very few companies in the UK authorised by the Ministry of Justice to provide inmates with internet-free computers, on which they can access educational content, apprenticeships and books.

“Being able to access and navigate the internet means being able to find work, boost life chances and fight poverty. Digital skills are a vital aspect of education for all.” added Tweed.