Diving deep into the effects of being digitally disconnected in the healthcare sector
On June 13, 2024, KC Digital Drive partnered with Vibrant Health to host another Digital Divide Simulation to help illustrate the barriers that the “digital divide” creates and instill empathy and understanding in participants for people affected every day. The Digital Divide Simulation is a “day in the life” interactive, immersive experience to heighten and expand individual awareness and the extent of the difficulties of an analog life in a digital world. The goals are to better appreciate what it’s like to live without home internet access, digital skills and a device and brainstorm ways to connect those living in the digital divide.
Around 40 Vibrant Health employees participated in this event, where they were given a unique persona with a series of tasks that needed to be completed in order and challenged to complete as many tasks as they could. They interacted with different resources around the room, such as the library, health center, employment office, utilities office, and school.
Thank you to Andrea Perdomo-Morales, Chief Health Equity Officer at Vibrant Health for coordinating this event, and for Kansas City Kansas Public Schools for allowing us to use their space for the event. Also, thank you to our volunteers for taking the time to participate, including Emily Spradling from Literacy KC, Charli McGill from Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, and Megan Dorantes from The Toolbox KC. We also had some great Vibrant Health staff step in as Resource Participants, so thank you for your hard work and engagement!
The exercise highlighted that personas with more resources available to them were able to complete their tasks more efficiently and effectively and have “free time” in their week, but those with little to no resources often could only complete a few tasks with some unable to complete any in a week.
Vibrant Health staff engaged tremendously with the Simulation, trying their best to complete their tasks while trying to navigate the system. Something that surprised us was that they were quick to work together, one participant offering others “cheap Uber rides” and attempting to help each other. This is a great way to show camaraderie and connected communities and likely represents how people in the community support one another.
Once the simulation finished, participants engaged in a debrief discussion about thoughts and opinions about participants’ experiences from both the “agency” side and the individual side. The design of the simulation succeeded in evoking strong emotions in participants. One participant realized that “it can be hard trying to complete a task if you have basic internet skills or if you don’t have access to technology.” Participants had some great engagements, explaining that they were frustrated, confused, tired, and overall more empathetic towards people living within the digital divide.
Then the participants joined in their breakout sessions to discuss potential actionable solutions. Each group had different insights to share, but the themes still remain the same. They said that “we need to meet people where they are, but also have their barriers in mind.” This is especially important for healthcare professionals to understand, as they work with clients everyday who usually come in for a visit with many barriers to living a healthy life, digitally connected or not.
Other dichotomies that were explored in the simulation included native English speakers versus non-natives, young versus old, rural versus urban, able-bodied versus disabled, and different modes of transportation. Then when you tie in these issues along with healthcare access, the barriers keep piling up more and more. One participant noted that “we need to remove the stigma around being digitally disconnected, as well as age, financial status, justice involved, language barrier, etc.”
Vibrant Health employees also discussed the resources that they and other healthcare agencies currently provide, such as Community Health Workers, and how there is more of a need for “resource conveners” like them. Some of them had no idea that digital navigators existed in the real world outside of the simulation, and it’s training and information sharing spaces like these that will allow people to take a step back from their day-to-day and see where resources are or might be lacking.
During the event, participants gave their feedback via a pre- and post-survey that provided additional insights. Over a quarter of the participants came into the simulation not knowing anything about the digital divide. Then after the simulation, most said that their perception of the digital divide changed, and that they are more prepared to explain the impacts of the digital divide in their community to others. Overall, most of the participants said that they gained new insights or realizations from participating in the simulation. All of the participants who gave feedback said that they would recommend that their friends or colleagues participate in a Digital Divide Simulation. Many participants shared that they will be more empathetic to clients and other people they interact with daily who might be disconnected, since they’ll be able to understand where they’re coming from.
What’s next? The digital divide will continue to be a reality for too many, even with unprecedented funding coming for internet access, devices and digital skills training through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act down to state and local levels. We must continue to engage with all sectors and consult those most affected to ensure we develop effective solutions. In the meantime, look for a Digital Divide Simulation near you soon and contact KC Digital Drive if you are interested in hosting your own Digital Divide Simulation in your community! See our project page for more details here.