Occupational therapy student helps bridge 'digital divide'

Occupational therapy student Jade Nixon from the University of Derby has been looking into the ways people with mental-health problems can overcome the 'digital divide' that separates those people with access to, and mastery of, new technology and those without. Jade got a 2:1 in her degree and her final year dissertation looked at how people suffering from psychosis can be integrated into society more effectively. As part of her study she looked into the difficulties people with psychosis have in accessing new technologies. She wrote “Occupational therapists have been specifically identified as an important point of reference for people with mental health issues wishing to gain information and make changes to their lives. The profession is ideally placed to promote digital inclusion... [and] aims to enable individuals to perform competently and confidently within their daily lives.”