Online volunteering – virtual volunteering – creates new avenues for people to be able to volunteer for causes they want to support, but online environments present challenges for people with disabilities.

Many adults with disabilities are excluded not just in onsite situations, but in the digital world as well, further limiting their ability to engage in paid work and voluntary service. But just as by removing onsite barriers and enhancing accessibility, we can foster environments where everyone feels welcome and empowered to contribute, we can do the same online.

The UK’s Bridging the Digital Divide: Challenges and Opportunities for Disabled Adults in Volunteering report from September 2023 uses data from NCVO’s Time Well Spent survey to explore these issues. It shares recommendations for both government and agencies that involve volunteers. You can read a summary of the recommendations here.

Also see my own resource, Make All Volunteering as Accessible as Possible: advantages for your program & how to do it.

And, of course, this topic was covered in detail in The Last Virtual Volunteering Guidebook: Fully Integrating Online Service Into Volunteer Involvement, available both as a traditional print book and as an e-book.