Few will argue that one of today’s greatest assets is the ability to access the Internet. We get so much information from it, but not everyone is able to own a computer. What are a person’s options if s/he doesn’t have a computer? How can a person get access to the Internet or even basic software programs?
For several years as an instructor for Family SupportNet and Internet Access for Everyone in underserved communities, I had the opportunity to collaborate with several Boston area Community Technology Centers. These collaborations often included Internet training for individuals, and their families, with disabilities and chronic illnesses. Accessible and supportive Community Technology Centers were often times the first place these individuals were able to use a computer and learn how to identify valuable information and resources. Many people in these classes started talking about their experiences in the Community Technology Centers to friends, co-workers and family members. They were excited about their new skills and wanted to share them with others, and so by referral, more students showed up to participate in these computer training projects.
If technology centers want to reach out to become more accessible to people with disabilities they should consider these questions when conducting outreach and recruitment in traditionally underserved communities:
- Is the technology center recognizable in the neighborhood? For example, does the signage display a name, and a picture with a computer on it? Is the text written in languages that most people in the neighborhood would understand? Is the technology center near transportation? Does the phone number include a TTY (Teletypewriter) number? I know of a deaf person who wanted to contact a technology center and did not know how to use email. There was no TTY number listed for the center, so she never went in to check it out.
- Is there information about the technology center disseminated in public places such as local grocery stores, beauty shops, barbershops, laundromats, doctors’ offices, employment offices and local disability providers, for example, assisted living centers? Are program flyers going home through the local schools? Do local radio stations and newspapers advertise the technology center? Are people with disabilities being represented in marketing materials?
- Is there quick, friendly customer response? Does technology center staff return phone calls promptly? Some people do not use email at all and cannot inquire that way, so phone calling is a popular way for new people to make contact with center staff.
- Is there clear, updated information about programs? Does the information about programs offer language about assistive technology (AT) or indicate that accommodations can be requested? Is program information offered in alternative formats? For example, are there CDs with information on them? Is material clearly written?
- Can staff explain what type of AT is available at the technology center? Is someone available to assist a newcomer with the technology? If a center does not have the AT a person requires, can staff refer a person with a disability to another technology center in the area that does have the requested AT? Sometimes people who are non-computer users do not know the questions to ask regarding AT. Can staff give examples of various types of adaptive operations on the computer such as zooming to enlarge a screen or making sticky keys available to someone who types one-handed? Some technology centers, aware of the need to accommodate people with disabilities, have acquired useful AT tools that turn out to be beneficial to all users. Technologies such as speech input/output software and improved monitor and keyboard capabilities are a plus to users of all ages and abilities.
Attending a community technology center can make a great difference in the life of a person with a disability. Learning how to use a computer can be a great boost to someone’s self esteem and can be a launching pad to many new experiences. I once knew a woman with a learning disability, who was also the parent of a son with a developmental disability. She used her new computer skills to make a cookbook complete with pictures, to raise money for her son’s day program. She created useful, fun recipe books to sell at an annual craft fair that helped raised money to buy recreation equipment. She became well known at her son’s program and even started fund raising for her church. Her self-esteem, and that of her entire family, grew because she had the opportunity to learn basic computer skills.
One never knows what potential new students of technology have or how much their love of learning will impact their community. Gaining access to a technology center can mean gaining access to important resources- information about health, jobs, benefits, insurance, housing, recreation and many other valuable pieces of information that otherwise might remain out of reach. People with disabilities from underserved communities just need to be reached and then admitted, so they can enjoy the benefits of their neighborhood technology center.
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