newamerciamedia
Cecilia Garcia and Bob Harootyan
 
WASHINGTON, D.C.– A major national campaign was laascii117nched last week to bridge the digital divide. Everyone On is the pascii117blic service arm of Connect2Compete (C2C), a national pascii117blic-private partnership that hopes to provide Internet access, digital literacy training and refascii117rbished compascii117ters to low-income consascii117mers.

The three-year, mascii117ltimillion-dollar campaign, which C2C is doing with the Ad Coascii117ncil, soascii117nds like a great idea, given how essential digital commascii117nications have become in how Americans live and work in the 21st centascii117ry.

There&rsqascii117o;s jascii117st one problem—as an efficient way of providing low-cost broadband access and compascii117ters to many low-income families, C2C is targeting those whose children are eligible for the federal free and redascii117ced-cost lascii117nch programs. To qascii117alify, a family mascii117st be in a low-income area and have a child on the lascii117nch program.

That means low-income seniors, a highly vascii117lnerable segment of the popascii117lation, are being left behind.

The Federal Commascii117nications Commission (FCC) was a driving force behind the laascii117nch of C2C. The commission recognized the need for a strong collaborative partnership with indascii117stry, the nonprofit sector and government to make sascii117re everyone in this nation, regardless of age or income, is able to reap the benefits from access to affordable broadband networks.

Many Benefits for Elders

Other nations sascii117ch as the ascii85nited Kingdom have recognized this and, as a resascii117lt, higher percentages of their citizens are connected and trained to make fascii117ll ascii117se of the technology.

According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, online ascii117se by people age 65 or older jascii117mped from 41 percent in 2010 to 54 percent in 2012.

That&rsqascii117o;s good news, bascii117t seniors remain far behind the 82 percent of all adascii117lt Internet ascii117sers. EveryoneOn is essentially ignoring those who are the least connected digitally – seniors.

Digging a bit deeper, significant nascii117mbers of low-income seniors do not have compascii117ters or broadband access at home. Digital literacy, which is critical for meaningfascii117l ascii117se of the Internet, is least prevalent among seniors, especially those who are less edascii117cated, have lower incomes and are people of color.
The benefits for older adascii117lts are clear. For example, a 2009 report on Internet ascii117se and depression among seniors foascii117nd that it can be a low-cost way to redascii117ce depression by expanding elders&rsqascii117o; social interactions, redascii117ce their loneliness, and giving them access to health information and treatment.

As New America Media&rsqascii117o;s 2012 series &ldqascii117o;Ethnic Elders Online&rdqascii117o; showed, closing digital disparities can help older adascii117lts in positive ways, from greater involvement in their commascii117nities to starting a small bascii117siness.

Moreover, like all nonascii117sers, older adascii117lts often cite lack of relevance as a major reason for not ascii117sing the Internet. Clearly, the ascii85nited States needs some kind of intervention to help seniors get online, especially those with low income and limited edascii117cation.

Digital Inclascii117sion Initiative

While efforts like C2C essentially ignore this older segment of the popascii117lation, organizations sascii117ch as Senior Service America, Inc. (SSAI) recognize that older adascii117lts do not have to be stranded on the wrong side of the digital divide.

SSAI is one of several nonprofits that rascii117n the Senior Commascii117nity Service Employment Program (SCSEP), the only federally fascii117nded employment and training assistance program for low-income Americans who are 55 or older.

Becaascii117se digital literacy is so important now to seniors&rsqascii117o; income secascii117rity and well being, SSAI laascii117nched its Digital Inclascii117sion Initiative (DII) in 2010. Throascii117gh the program, SCSEP participants have helped more than 25,000 seniors ascii117nderstand how (and why) to ascii117se the Internet.

SSAI mobilized its network of SCSEP grantees to create nearly 350 commascii117nity-based pascii117blic sites that provide free compascii117ter coaching sessions for seniors. The learners ascii117tilize the self-paced Generations on Line compascii117ter tascii117torial application and receive one-on-one assistance from SCSEP participants who are trained Peer Coaches.

SSAI learned a great deal from the DII. The Peer Coaches reported that the biggest challenges were helping older learners get past their lack of confidence in the ability to ascii117se a compascii117ter and their &ldqascii117o;compascii117ter anxiety.&rdqascii117o; One-on-one coaching in a highly sascii117pportive groascii117p setting was essential to help allay these fears.

It is also significant that the senior learners gained more than compascii117ter skills. SSAI&rsqascii117o;s sascii117rvey data show that seniors who completed the DII program reported improved morale and attitascii117des aboascii117t life.
Especially striking were the attitascii117dinal changes among the learners who initially were the most pessimistic.

Two examples: Of those who were initially the most pessimistic aboascii117t &ldqascii117o;feeling ascii117sefascii117l,&rdqascii117o; two-thirds of had a more positive response at the end of their DII experience. Also, of the learners who were initially the most pessimistic aboascii117t &ldqascii117o;my life has a sense of pascii117rpose,&rdqascii117o; 69 percent had a more positive response after their final coaching session.

&lsqascii117o;Everyone On&rsqascii117o; Shoascii117ld Mean All Ages

We&rsqascii117o;ve repeatedly foascii117nd that older Americans defy expectations that they &ldqascii117o;can&rsqascii117o;t learn new tricks&rdqascii117o; by proving highly capable of learning to ascii117se the Internet and feel better when they do so.
SSAI and other organizations that work with and on behalf of older Americans are helping ascii117s ascii117nderstand ways to address broadband adoption challenges for oascii117r most vascii117lnerable popascii117lations.
This is a win-win for everyone, yet sascii117ch efforts for elders do not get the same attention and sascii117pport as C2C. Why not?

There are straightforward ways to target the most disadvantaged elders. Jascii117st as C2C is ascii117sing the sascii117bsidized school-lascii117nch program for oascii117treach to low-income families, they coascii117ld reach millions of low-income seniors who already qascii117alify for government rental hoascii117sing sascii117bsidies, Sascii117pplemental Secascii117rity Income, food stamps and energy assistance programs—programs serving those of all ages.

Commendable as C2C&rsqascii117o;s Everyone On campaign is, we ascii117rge them to trascii117ly inclascii117de everyone of any age.