Connected Living: how Vodafone and Mencap are supporting people with learning disabilities through technology

July 2019

Vodafone has launched a new initiative to connect people with learning disabilities to Internet of Things (IoT) enabled devices at home.

The Connective Living project, developed in partnership with Vodafone Business Ventures and Mencap, a learning disability charity based in the UK, uses technology to help enhance the quality of life at home for people with learning disabilities, as well as offering support workers new tools to help provide personalised care.

Connected Living was created through a collaboration between Vodafone, support workers and people with learning disabilities living in Mencap’s Supported Living services. The project combines Vodafone’s expertise in IoT with Mencap’s experience of improving the quality of life for people with a learning disability.

Connected Living was piloted successfully over 12 months in locations across the UK, and focused on making everyday activities – household tasks, time planning and socialising – easier. Various IoT technologies were installed in Mencap Supported Living homes, such as smart plugs, activity sensors and smart door locks, which could be connected and controlled by Vodafone’s MyLife app.

Helen Lamprell OBE, General Counsel and External Affairs Director, Vodafone UK said:

“I am incredibly proud of this project and excited by what it means for the way people with learning disabilities will be able to live their lives in the future. It has been developed in partnership between Vodafone, Mencap and, most importantly of all, those with learning disabilities themselves. The project aims to give those living with a learning disability greater independence and a better quality of life. It really demonstrates the power of technology to change people’s lives for the better”.

Read the full story and a selection of Vodafone and Mencap case studies here.