Linking Cyber and Accessibility
OUR PROJECT
We are trying to make it easy for people to learn how to stay safe and secure online with our award-winning project. We are doing this by providing accessible guidance, a range of ways to learn and by recruiting disabled people to help us extend the reach of our work.
Contact cyberproject@lead.org.uk to find out more about our project and how we could support you:
Free accessible resources on staying safe online
We have a wide range of resources in accessible and alternative formats, which you can view on our accessible and alternative resources page. We have resources in Easy Read, BSL, and other accessible formats, and in 6 community languages, including Romanian, Urdu, and Mandarin. Please use these freely, and share them widely.
Flexible self study short courses on our online learning platform
You can boost your digital skills on our online learning platform, my.lead. Cover a wide range of topics in your own time, and gain certificates. Built with accessibility in mind, my.lead is a great place to learn everything you need to know about staying safe online, and also to refresh your knowledge when needed. All you need is an email address to sign up and start learning.
Digital sessions on online safety
We run digital sessions throughout the year on a range of different topics. These free, hour-long sessions look at some of the most important things we need to know about staying safe online, in a welcoming environment. These sessions are great for anyone who is new to learning about staying safe online, already knows a bit, or wants to have a refresher. There is plenty of time built in for your questions, so you can make sure you get exactly what you need from each webinar.
Check out our upcoming events.
Training the trainers
Staying safe online has never been more important, and people who are already vulnerable are at real risk online. Whether you work with directly with vulnerable people, or your team has broader online risk responsibilities, you can get a free training for trainers session for your organisation with Lead Scotland. We cover a wide range of topics on online safety, from general good practice to potential problem areas like social media, romance scams and fake news, as well as bespoke training for your organisation’s specific needs. Register your interest now to view the full range of topics we cover and organise a call back.
Accredited learning opportunities
We offer a joint award in Cyber Security Fundamentals and Internet Safety and SCQF Level 4. This course is free, thanks to funding from the Scottish Government. This course runs over 12 weeks, and covers everything you need to know about staying safe online. It involves an hour a week of teaching, and up to 30 minutes of independent learning. If you would like to find out more, register your interest with our cyber team.
If your organisation is an SQA centre, we can share our resources for you to run the qualification yourself. Get in touch with us today to find out more.
Influencing policy and opinion
We work with organisations to help embed disabled people’s perspectives into campaigns and processes. Our expertise in accessibility and online safety can provide vital insight into how your organisation can ensure disabled people are fully considered in whatever you are doing. Get in touch if you would like to find out how we can help your organisation
WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP
We regularly meet with National Cyber Security Centre staff (NCSC), translating their guidance into accessible formats such as Easy Read, BSL and community languages. We are part of the Cyber Scotland partnership and extend the reach of our work through their quarterly campaigns. The Cyber Scotland website has a a dedicated section for Third Sector organisations. Other partners who support our work are the Scottish Government, Police Scotland the Take Five campaign and disabled people’s organisations. In May 2024 our CEO spoke at the 2024 Cyber UK conference to extend the reach of our project.
Which? have kindly allowed us to share an Easy Read version of their article about how to stay safe on dating websites and apps: Easy Read Romance Scams.
FEEDBACK
- “Very clear and easy to understand trainer”
- “It was particularly useful to see how to make changes in practice using examples”
- “The tutor was great and very engaging”
Some Highlights from 23-24
- 19 Easy Read resources versions on our website
- 15 strategic engagements with 721 attendees extending the reach
- 12 new subjects developed into webinars and online courses
- 118 new online enrolments on My.lead.org.uk
- 218 attendees at 24 webinars from 28 local authority areas.
- Six adult learners gained two SCQF Cyber qualifications each
- Over 3,000 people reached through our training sessions.
117 People from 22 local authority areas responded to our post training feedback survey:
- 97% learned something new.
- Over 50% of attendees and 92% of all 117 respondents have plans to share the information they learned with 2709 other people.
- 97% felt more confident after the training (53% a lot more confident, 44% a little more confident)
- 99% of all 117 responses would recommend our training to others.
The project has an Advisory Group of partners and organisations that meets four times a year to ensure we are working in a joined-up way to close any gaps in information about cyber resilience and digital accessibility, and extend our reach with training and alternative formats.
We are grateful to the Scottish Government’s Cyber Resilience Unit, which supports this project.
Disclaimer: Lead Scotland is not liable for any damages arising from the use or inability to use the guidance that we provide in our website, training or provided in our other services. Lead Scotland is not liable for any action or decision taken as a result of using our website or our services. Lead Scotland provides links to other websites. Lead Scotland is not responsible for the content of external websites.
