Supporting functional skills for prisoners using secure laptops in cell

Coracle很高兴获得Innovate UK的包容性创新补助金。这笔赠款将使我们能够进一步发展我们的手机笔记本电脑技术，以支持学习者提高他们的基本算术和识字能力，特别是那些有学习困难和/或残疾的人，如阅读障碍和其他神经多样性需求。囚犯代表了英国一些最受数字和教育排斥的人。许多囚犯年轻时没有接受教育。61%的监狱新入职员工在入职1-3级（相当于小学英语）时接受了英语读写能力评估。识字和算术能力差是重新犯罪的重要原因。41%的囚犯出狱后12个月内再次犯罪。该项目将向大多数监狱人口提供数字化牢房内学习机会，这些监狱人口明显且迫切需要提高基本算术和识字技能。我们将通过开发数字化牢房内功能技能内容来实现这一目标，供囚犯在Coracle笔记本电脑上使用，包括：* 基于监狱生活和囚犯经历的互动示例和练习、游戏化、动画和视频。开发数字神经多样性和阅读障碍支持工具，包括文本到语音、屏幕覆盖、黑暗模式和显示优化。Coracle创始人兼首席执行官James Tweed表示：“正如2021年12月的白色文件所述，提高功能技能和数字素养是英国政府推动监狱现代化和减少重新犯罪的核心。该项目为Coracle已经为监狱提供的技术增添了进一步令人兴奋和必要的创新。这将使我们能够接触到监狱人口中最大的一部分;那些有最大教育需求的人，以前没有人能够做到这一点。很难对改善数字、算术和识字技能这样对监狱离开者至关重要的东西进行财务价值评估。该项目将对监狱生活以及出狱后生活的各个方面产生积极影响，包括提高囚犯重新融入社会的能力，改善其就业前景、科普能力、心理健康和自尊，并减少其再次犯罪的机会。"

Coracle is delighted to have been awarded an Inclusive Innovation Grant from Innovate UK. The grant will allow us to further develop our in cell laptops technology to support learners in improving their basic numeracy and literacy and particularly those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities such as dyslexia and other neurodiversity needs.Prisoners represent some of the most digitally and educationally excluded people in the UK. Many prisoners did not engage in education when young. 61% of prison entrants have English literacy assessments at entry levels 1-3 (equivalent to primary school English). Poor literacy and numeracy are significant causes of reoffending. 41% of prisoner leavers reoffend within 12 months of release.This project will extend digital in-cell learning opportunities to the majority of the prison population where there is a clear and significant need to improve basic numeracy and literacy skills.We will do this by developing digital in-cell functional skills content for prisoners to use on the Coracle laptops including:* Interactive examples and exercises, gamification, animations and video based on prison life and prisoners' experience.* Incorporating digital neurodiversity and dyslexia support tools including text to speech, screen overlays, dark mode and display optimisation.* Developing digital diagnostic and analytic tools to assess user progressionJames Tweed, Founder and CEO of Coracle said"Improved functional skills and digital literacy is at the core of the UK Government's drive to modernise prisons and reduce reoffending as laid out in the December 2021 white paper.This project adds further exciting and necessary innovations to the technology that Coracle already provides to prisons. It will allow us to reach the largest part of the prison population; those who have the greatest educational needs in a way that no one has been able to do previously.It is hard to put a financial value on something as fundamental to prison leavers as improved digital, numeracy and literacy skills. The project will impact positively on life in prison but also on all aspects of life after prison including increasing prisoners' ability to re-integrate into society, improving their employment prospects, their ability to cope, their mental health and self-esteem and reducing their chances of re-offending."