O – Online Services

Online Services have become a huge part of all of our lives and are very beneficial to many different people but I think Online Services benefit people with disabilities to a greater degree. In this post I want to outline some of the Online Services which I have found to be very useful.

Prior to apps such as UberEats and Deliveroo, ordering a take away was only something which I would do when I had a friend with me who did not have a speech impediment.  The thought of phoning up and successfully communicating, my food order, my address, and perhaps my payment method (if I was not going to use cash) would have been a nightmare. Whereas now, although I only very occasionally order take-aways, I know that the option is available to me. I made use of this service one time was when I had a friend, with a similar speech impediment staying with me. On reflection I think we both got over excited about the ordering being so easy that we did not consider how to get the take away out of the bag that it was tightly packed into. Instead of having the idea of cutting the bag open we just tried to dive into it and the lids of the containers went flying and so did some of the food. (It did give me an excuse to order another take away at a later date to check that I could successfully get the food out without dropping it, and I could!)

Knowing that I can order a taxi without needing to speak to the taxi company is also revolutionary. The other day, for example, I knew I would benefit from having a taxi so I simply took out my mobile phone, pressed a few buttons and hey presto a taxi arrived. Not only did I not have to explain where I was but they also knew, from what I had inputted, where I was wanting to go. The cherry on the cake was not having to fiddle about with cash as the taxi fare is automatically taken from my nominated bank account. (Getting cash out of my purse and handling change is always less easy for me due to my poor fine motor skills.)

Very controversial I know, but I also quite like the e-consult form which I now need to fill in if I want to request a GP appointment. Rather than hoping the doctor will have the patience to fully listen and understand me, I can put all of the information onto an online form. Obviously, this does not suit everyone and it wouldn’t suit me if I was really ill and needed advice there and then but as most of my requests are ‘routine’ this system really works well for me.

Although Online Services, which mean I do not need to worry about whether my speech is understood are probably the most beneficial to me, services which save my energy are also a great help. Staying on the medical theme, being able to log onto my NHS app and order prescriptions which are then delivered to my nominated pharmacy is something which I try not to take for granted. Not that long ago I would have had a fill in a paper form and ask my parents to take it into the surgery for me, but being able to do it all online helps me to be as independent as possible.

Last but not least, online shopping is also another service which I find has its benefits. You will be forgiven if you automatically think of supermarkets but this is the type of shopping, I enjoy the most as it is relatively easy and productive. I love walking around with a trolley, getting all the things I need (and usually a bit more – food does have the habit of tempting me!) and then job done. Whereas shopping for clothes is not so easy – walking around, hoping that something catches my eye seems to make me tired just thinking of it! Therefore, if I want a specific item of clothing for example a black coat, I sit comfortably on my sofa look at the options online and then make my purchase using ‘Click and Collect.’ Amazon is also a shopping service which I find incredibly useful.

The good news of course is that as technology develops so will online services which will be benefit so many people!