In 2020, Fundación Integralia DKV, in partnership with other public-private organisations and entities, created the Digital Diversity Hub, a social innovation initiative that arose from the need to cover a gap in the labour market of people with disabilities in the technology sector. It is a platform that offers people with disabilities training itineraries and employment based on training digital skills and learning in companies, with the aim of breaking down the digital divide experienced by this group.

There is currently a demand for 100,000 qualified technology professionals, which is an opportunity to open new horizons for people with disabilities and include them in the digital transformation, while promoting their incorporation into a quality labour market.

Digital divide

According to the report "Digital divide and disability: A review of literature" by the ONCE Foundation, people with disabilities have a 54% internet access rate, compared to 94.5% of the general population. In addition, 62% of people with disabilities state that they encounter difficulties in terms of digital accessibility, according to the study “Digital gap and disability: a perspective focused on people” by the Polytechnic University of Valencia.

Working in partnership with companies

To achieve its objective, this initiative works together with technology companies that are aligned with labour inclusion to cover the demand for technology-based employment, with local and supramunicipal institutions and with the disabled sector of society to learn about the group's needs and pursue their rights, thus facilitating the digital transformation of people with disabilities. HDD Integralia is a programme designed to support people with physical, organic, sensory and mental health disabilities; people with autistic spectrum disorder; and people who find it very difficult to find a job through training on application and website accessibility testing, Q&A testing, UX testing, JAVA programming, cybersecurity, digital accessibility, programming, technology-based customer service/support, social media and creation of digital content.

Where is the Digital Diversity Hub present?

This project is already a reality in Gijón, Oviedo, Avilés, Mancomunidad Comarca de la Sidra, Valencia, Málaga, Zaragoza, A Coruña, Extremadura and Andalusia in collaboration with Cocemfe the municipalities of Gijón, Oviedo, Avilés, Huelva, Málaga and clusters of technology companies such as Clúster Tic Galicia, Fundecyt Pctex, Smart City Cluters and Fujitsu, among many others. In 2024 it has expanded to Colombia, where it plans to train up to 800 people among teachers, trainers and people with disabilities. Since its inception, it has reached 521 students with disabilities and has enabled 183 people to sign an employment contract through training in the digital skills most demanded by ICT companies.