By Stanley Senya
Accra, Aug. 18, GNA – The Inclusive Tech Group has trained 20 Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) from Tarkwa and surrounding communities on digital safety as part of efforts to promote safer and more inclusive participation in the digital space.
The one-day training was held at the AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Inclusive Tech Lab at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) under the theme: “Building Digital Trust, Safety and Resilience for Everyone.”
The training equipped participants with practical knowledge and skills to identify online risks and protect themselves while using digital technologies.
Participants were taken through the importance of protecting personal information and how to identify common scams, impersonation attempts, and suspicious messages.
They were encouraged to pause, check, and verify information before clicking on links, sharing personal details, or taking action online.
The training also covered practical measures to protect digital accounts, passwords, mobile phones, and application permissions.
Participants were educated on how to respond to cyberbullying, harassment, threats, and compromised accounts.
They were taught how to preserve useful evidence, report incidents, seek support from trusted individuals and relevant institutions, and develop personal online safety action plans for use in their everyday digital activities.
For deaf participants, the training provided an opportunity to overcome some of the communication and language barriers that could make them vulnerable in the digital space.
The participants said such barriers sometimes limited their understanding of online risks and their ability to seek assistance when they encountered digital safety challenges.
They said the accessible and inclusive nature of the training enabled them to engage directly with digital safety information, ask questions, and build confidence in navigating the online environment.
The initiative was funded by the Internet Society Foundation through the Internet Society Ghana Chapter and supported by the Cybersecurity Authority, Ghana.
The collaboration underscores the commitment of the Internet Society and the Internet Society Foundation to ensure that digital inclusion goes beyond access to devices and connectivity.
It also seeks to ensure that persons with disabilities have the knowledge, skills and support required to participate safely, confidently, and meaningfully in the digital environment.
The partners said the initiative would contribute to strengthening digital safety awareness and ensuring that persons with disabilities were not left behind as Ghana continued to expand its digital transformation.
GNA
Edited by Linda Asante Agyei