Celebrating DIW with the local community embodies “Stronger Together: Mobilizing Toward Sustainability”
Digital Inclusion Week (DIW) occurred the week of October 7-11, 2024, and there were many events happening throughout this special week all across the Kansas City metro area. With support from the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), organizations were encouraged to promote efforts to be “Stronger Together: Mobilizing Toward Sustainability,” the theme for this year. We are grateful for all of our partners who collaborated with us to commemorate this annual celebration.
Here are some highlights of the week:
Oct 6: Re.Use.Full Computer Repair Cafe
- Shown in the picture above, the Computer Repair Cafe, co-hosted by Re.Use.Full and KC Digital Drive at the Lucile H. Bluford branch of the Kansas City Public Library, offered free tech support performed by volunteers for community members, including helping to transfer photos from smartphones, moving files to the cloud and other basic repairs.
Oct 7: PCs for People Pop-Up
- Reminder: PCs for People holds a pop-up retail spot at the LAMP Campus (1801 Linwood Blvd) every Monday and Friday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., so come out and visit! For additional information, email mlamb @ pcsforpeople dot org or call 816-259-0851.
Oct 8: Digital Inclusion Learning Circle
- For this month’s Digital Inclusion Learning Circle, we had Margaret Capotosto from Rockhurst Occupational Therapy’s graduate program continue her discussion on digital skills development among older adults. There was a good group of digital skills instructors in the room that offered their insights into how older adults struggle with connectivity. This fostered discussions about what each organization is doing to make a difference in the digital inclusion ecosystem and how to continue to work together and accomplish digital equity in our region. If you are interested in joining these conversations, email Leah Henriksen at lhenriksen @ kcdigitaldrive dot org.
Oct 8: Digital Skills Assistive Tech Train-the-Trainer
- Brenda Whitlock from Missouri Assistive Technology and Tammy Bruegger from Rockhurst Occupational Therapy and Assistive Technology Demo Site co-hosted this train-the-trainer session for digital skills trainers. This presentation focused on the benefits of assistive technology and how to tie them into teaching about digital skills and benefits the clients they serve. Some of the featured devices included enlarged font keyboards, ergonomic computer mice, screen readers, and much more. There was a great turnout with almost 15 practitioners present, with lots of engagement from the participants into how they can use this information to improve their current offerings. KC Digital Drive will be hosting more of these train-the-trainer sessions in the future, so stay tuned.
Oct 9: Digital Inclusion Resource Library launch (virtual)
- KC Digital Drive released a new landing page for all the digital inclusion resources in the Kansas City metropolitan area. This serves as a resource for the community and includes a base level of information that agencies, nonprofits, and community members need to know about getting resources related to digital skills classes, low-cost devices, and ways to learn more.
Oct 10: Digital Inclusion Fund New Courses Grants – Office Hours
- KC Digital Drive continues to support the KC Digital Inclusion Fund efforts by providing office hours for interested applicants. The 3rd cycle of this year’s grants is all about New Courses, specifically in the digital inclusion space. This grant application is open now until November 15, and there are a few office hours left. For more information, go to the website www.kcdif.org, or email kcdif @ kcdigitaldrive dot org.
Oct 11: Digital Divide Simulation – Virtual Info Session
- If you missed this virtual info session, look on the Digital Divide Simulation project page for a shortened recorded info session about how you can use the Simulation in your communities you serve. The Digital Divide Simulation is an immersive experience to illustrate the real-life impact and challenges faced by people with limited access to technology and the skills needed to participate in digital life.
Oct 12: Per Scholas Computer Repair Event
- KC Digital Drive co-hosted a Computer Repair event with Per Scholas at the LAMP Campus, offering free tech assistance to the community, including spyware removal, software support/user training, hardware troubleshooting, and other Windows and Mac iOS issues. Per Scholas is a program that trains students to provide IT support in a variety of tech fields, and they moved into Kansas City in early 2024. Look out for more events like this coming to you soon!
Thank you to GFiber for being a sponsor for this week’s list of events.
