Sometimes the most meaningful innovations don’t begin with technology; they begin with people. 

The DigiCoaching project started with a conversation at a CHAT Community Hub for Assistive Technology event, where organisations, practitioners, and people with lived experience came together to explore how technology can better support everyday life. It was here that teams from St. John of God Liffey Services and Fighting Blindness recognised a shared approach. Across both organisations, people with disabilities were not only learning to use technology but also sharing that knowledge with others. 

This simple but powerful idea became the foundation of DigiCoaching: 
people with lived experience leading digital learning. 

Why DigiCoaching Matters 

Digital technology now shapes how we communicate, learn, work, and connect. Yet for many people with disabilities, barriers still exist, whether through inaccessible design, lack of confidence, or limited access to meaningful training. 

Too often, digital skills programmes focus on the tools rather than the person. They can move too quickly, rely heavily on written content, or assume a level of confidence that not everyone has. As a result, people can feel excluded from a world that is increasingly digital. 

DigiCoaching offers a different approach. 

By placing people with lived experience at the centre of digital learning, DigiCoaching creates spaces where technology is explored in practical, supportive, and relatable ways. It is not just about learning how a device works; it is about understanding how technology can support real-life goals: communication, independence, relationships, and participation in the community. 

Learning Through Lived Experience 

At St. John of God Community Services Liffey, this approach was shaped through involvement in the SAID – School Assistance Inclusive & Digital project an Erasmus + funded project partnered with atempo in Austria, where adults with intellectual disabilities were supported to become DigiCoaches. They learned how to demonstrate accessible tools and support others in understanding technology in ways that are easy to follow and meaningful. 

At the same time, Fighting Blindness developed a peer-coaching model in which people with visual impairments serve as DigiCoaches, supporting others in using assistive technology such as screen readers, magnification, and smartphone accessibility features. This work was supported by SOLAS through the Technovate Programme, demonstrating how inclusive digital skills initiatives can create pathways to learning, employment, and independence. 

Across the DigiCoaching project, this approach is already coming to life in meaningful ways. Nine DigiCoaches working within St. John of God Liffey Services across Liffey and Kerry are now working directly with five primary schools, introducing accessible digital learning tools that support all students in the classroom. Their work doesn’t stop there. They are also supporting their peers, showing how simple accessibility features on smartphones and tablets can make everyday communication easier and more independent. Alongside this, they are working with staff teams to build an understanding of assistive technology and digital accessibility, so that more people can be supported to understand and be understood. At the same time, six DigiCoaches from Fighting Blindness have been reaching a wide audience through online webinars and workshops, engaging over 500 participants in learning about the latest in assistive technology. Their work also includes one-to-one DigiCoaching with people with sight loss and their circle of support across the country, ensuring that learning is personal, practical, and rooted in real-life experience. 

Together, these approaches highlight a shared belief: Lived experience is expertise. 

As DigiCoach Jade (Fighting Blindness) explains: 

“There are things I take for granted, but when I show someone and they say, ‘I didn’t know I could do that,’ that’s really powerful.” 

And for Patrick, DigiCoaching (SJOG) is about leadership: 

“Being a DigiCoach means people listen to you. We know what works because we use it ourselves. We can help others learn in a way that works for them. “It’s about giving people the chance to try things themselves and not being afraid to make mistakes.” 

From Rights to Reality 

The DigiCoaching journey has come full circle through the CHAT Community Hub, where the idea first began. 

On 17th February, DigiCoaches hosted their own CHAT event titled “Assistive Technology in Action – Rights to Reality” at St. John of God Liffey Services in Stillorgan. The event brought together a growing community of people interested in digital accessibility, with 70 participants attending in person and another 70 joining online. 

Rather than presenting theory, the DigiCoaches demonstrated assistive technology in real, practical ways. They showed how everyday devices, such as phones, tablets, and laptops, can be adapted using built-in accessibility features to support communication, reading, navigation, and independence. 

The theme “Rights to Reality” reflected an important message during Social Justice Week. While the right to accessible information and inclusive digital environments is widely recognised, real impact happens when people know how to use technology in ways that work for them. 

What Makes DigiCoaching Different 

DigiCoaching is not just another digital skills programme. 

It is built on: 

• Peer learning rather than top-down teaching  

• Practical demonstration rather than theory  

• Confidence-building alongside skill development  

• Leadership opportunities for people with disabilities  

When people see someone like themselves using technology successfully, it changes what they believe is possible. Technology becomes less intimidating and more accessible. 

This approach also challenges traditional ideas about expertise. DigiCoaches bring knowledge that cannot be taught in a manual, the knowledge of lived experience. This leads to more relevant, inclusive, and effective learning. 

Growing Impact Across Ireland 

With support from Rethink Ireland, DigiCoaching has expanded through webinars, workshops, and partnerships with schools and communities in Dublin and Kerry. These sessions have created opportunities for educators, organisations, and individuals to explore how assistive technology can support inclusion in real-world settings. 

The project continues to grow. With new funding from CREATE set up by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, DigiCoaching will scale further, working with five additional organisations and employing 18 DigiCoaches across Ireland over the coming year. 

This next phase will strengthen not only digital inclusion but also employment, leadership, and visibility for people with disabilities in the technology space. 

Building Inclusive Digital Futures 

DigiCoaching shows what is possible when we rethink how we approach digital inclusion. 

It is not just about providing access to technology. It is about who leads the learning, whose voices are heard, and whose experiences shape the solutions. 

By embracing lived experience, DigiCoaching is helping build a future where digital tools are not barriers but bridges that support people in connecting, communicating, and participating fully in society. 

What began as a conversation at CHAT has grown into a movement. 

And at its core is a simple but powerful idea: When people with lived experience lead, digital inclusion becomes a reality for everyone.