Digital Inclusion Week 2024 continues: Stories on closing the digital divide

I learned how to type in high school, in a room with rows of electric typewriters. No backspace or delete, just correction tape that didn't quite hide the divot left by the typewriter key hitting the page. I learned to type slow and deliberately, but the finished product was beautiful - crisp white paper with black ink print. The biggest technological challenge was how to replace the ink ribbon without smudging my fingers.

Technology progressed, and so did I. Soon I had a word processor to easily edit and save documents. I no longer had to meticulously plan every word I typed. In college, there was a computer lab, and I was given an email account. All my documents fit neatly into a desktop folder. Later, I got a flip phone that stored all my contacts and put them at my fingertips. I no longer had to call - I could just text!

Then came the smartphone. It was the first time I felt digitally challenged. The device was confusing. I couldn't figure out the app icons on the screen. Most of the phone's features remained a mystery, and Googling or watching a YouTube video was not as ubiquitous as it is now. Technological innovation had put a computer in my hand, but the most I could do with it was check my email.

I was lucky that my opportunity to grow my digital skills did not end there. When I was hired to supervise a tutoring center at a community college, I needed major digital upskilling. Fortunately, I had a supervisor who believed in me, giving me plenty of time and support to learn on the job. I started with Excel spreadsheets to tabulate attendance data. Next was building a WordPress site so that students could access resources online. With Photoshop I was able to create flyers and a new student handbook. It was a lot of trial and error - endless hours working on something and then having to do it all over again. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was developing digital resilience. I was privileged to receive an education that introduced me to my first typewriter and gave me early access to computers, but I wouldn't have gained confidence in my digital skills without a supervisor who prioritized my professional development.

Today, 92% of jobs across all industries require digital skills, and many require industry-specific digital skills (see Closing the Digital Skill Divide by Amanda Berson-Shilcock and Roderick Taylor). Not everyone has the digital skills and access to technology to keep up with our rapidly changing world. Seattle's 2024 Technology Access and Adoption Study developed a digital connectedness index that identified 13% of our residents as having high or significant digital equity needs. An estimated 26,000 households do not have access to the internet both at home and on the go, and an estimated 17,000 households have fewer than 1 internet enabled devices per member.

Digital inclusion is creating opportunity for so many who struggle to keep up with technology because of socio-economic barriers. It is understanding the inequities that permeate the lives of those impacted by racial disparities. It is knowing that if we introduce someone to technology, it will transform their future. It is believing that if we invest in this person, they will be more adaptable in a digital world.

Digital Inclusion Week, the first week of October, is a chance to bring visibility to the work of community service providers who spend many hours with someone learning to type, use email, or search the internet. They offer encouraging words because they believe in those who might not yet have the technology experience to believe in themselves. So, this week, let's celebrate the people who share their time and energy with others to bridge the digital divide. And most importantly, let's lift up those who persevere when faced with the challenge of learning new digital skills despite the barriers against them so that they, too, can have the opportunities that technology affords us all.

Learn more about the City of Seattle's work to close the digital divide, including how to apply for the next round of our Digital Equity grants, which open next week. Be sure to check back for more details.

The City of Seattle's Information Technology Department (Seattle IT) oversees the City's Digital Equity Program. To learn more about digital equity programs like the Technology Matching Fund Grant program and past winners, reduced-cost cable and internet opportunities, and other programs, visit Seattle.gov/tech. Seattle IT is a trusted partner that provides secure, reliable, and complaint technologies, enabling the City to deliver equitable and responsive services to the public.