Three groups of people with learning disabilities have been recognised with £500 Inspiring Voices Awards from Media Trust for using digital media in an inspiring way within their local communities.
The winners included a group from Sunderland, which created Ourvoiceoursay.com, a website that offers people with learning disabilities the opportunity for social networking, information giving, interaction and to upload their own videos. Another winner, Netbuddy.org.uk, a social enterprise based in London, has developed an interactive online community providing hundreds of practical tips and suggestions for supporting people with learning disabilities. Finally, a Wokingham-based group of 40 young people and adults with disabilities won an award for launching community radio station Radio Marmalade, after funding cuts to local college courses meant the loss of educational and social opportunities for many of them.
Media Trust’s director of marketing and communications services, Gavin Sheppard, said: “It’s really exciting to see the wealth of digital media work going on in so many communities. These awards help to highlight that excellence as well as providing them with the means to further grow their work and inspire other communities to find their voice and make it heard.” The Inspiring Voices Awards celebrate the ways disadvantaged communities have empowered themselves with the help of digital media.
