What is the DLX

The Digital Life Exchange (DLX) brings organizations and resource providers together to address the digital needs of vulnerable and underserved populations in the bi-state Kansas City metro area. The DLX is a member-based consortium of human and social service agencies who interact through an open exchange to access, provide, and/or share digital services. Other members include resource providers and organizations who provide space, support, money, devices, expertise, or other contributions, and adjacent organizations committed to ensuring that all Kansas City residents are able to fully participate in digital life. 

The DLX streamlines and enhances digital service supply and demand. It facilitates member collaboration, manages digital service requests and referrals, and offers valuable resources to increase the efficiency and impact of the digital needs ecosystem. KC Digital Drive is the backbone organization that supports the DLX.

Why the DLX 

Human and social service agencies face a growing challenge in helping the populations they serve overcome technology-related barriers that are often tied to the delivery of core services and care. While some providers have robust digital service capacities, others rely on external partners, or struggle to provide adequate or any solutions for their clients. Limited resources—such as devices, broadband affordability, and digital literacy support—present significant obstacles to both clients and case managers.

These organizations are not usually digital inclusion practitioners, but they understand the need to better help their clients access a variety of digital services across critical areas, such as education, workforce development, healthcare, housing, and other support services. 

How the DLX works 

The DLX supports and connects members in four key areas:

1. Digital Service Support: Offering digital literacy and skills training, one-on-one navigation assistance, and tech support to empower individuals and groups.
2. Digital Access Spaces: Developing a network of public-computing spaces accessible to community organizations and their clients.
3. Device Access: Creating a referral-based system to provide clients with essential technology, such as computers, laptops, tablets, or smartphones, to overcome barriers to core services.
4. Affordability: Establishing a system for accessing financial assistance to help clients afford home internet service when cost is a barrier.

By fostering collaboration, resource sharing, and innovation across the human and social service sector, the DLX is building a more connected, inclusive and resilient future for Kansas City.

Membership is free to direct-service providers. Additional membership options are available to adjacent organizations including local government, businesses, civic intermediaries, and funders. To learn more, contact Leslie Scott at lscott at kcdigitaldrive dot org.

DLX Members 

How the DLX started 

Since its founding in 2012, KC Digital Drive has been the civic organization leading the region’s digital evolution, specifically addressing digital needs across broadband, connectivity, and adoption alongside emerging tech innovation to ensure life-enhancing opportunities for all those in the bi-state region.

KCDD is usually doing the kinds of invisible work that happens outside the public eye. We bring clarity and structure to new ideas with many stakeholders. We bring resources and expertise to bear to help fuel the development of novel ideas, and we help the most promising among them find a path forward. And, when necessary, we provide the resource rails for advanced ideas to be implemented and stood up in our communities. 

The DLX model follows this consistent approach we have developed over many projects through the years to address Kansas City’s digital needs, emergent technologies, and inclusive economic opportunities in the communities we serve. It can be traced back to a group of human service agencies that worked collaboratively on a 2023 federally-funded, affordability-based ACP Outreach Campaign, and expanded with a larger consortium that adopted a regional approach to digital equity and submitted an NTIA Digital Equity Act proposal in 2024. It further builds on the foundation of the KC Goes Tech and MO Goes Tech programs, which provide integral resources and technical assistance to enable nonprofit organizations to launch digital skills classes and provide devices to trainees in an effort to meet the unique needs of those they serve.

The DLX addresses the ongoing and emergent need for digital services as part of core-care across all human and social services, and is a necessary evolution of digital inclusion-first tactics that have proven to be difficult to sustain.