Components of the Digital Inclusion Forum program include:
* An online resource center
* Webinars and surveys
* An awards and scholarship program
According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, only 38% of Americans with disabilities have access to and make regular use of the Internet. Further, there is a clear disparity among overall American users based on age, income, race, education and location:
* The median age of non-Internet users is 59
* 25% have incomes under $20,000/year
* 32% of those aged 65 and older now go online, compared to 88% of 18-29 year-olds
* 53% of adults living in households with less than $30,000 in annual income go online, versus 80% of those whose income is between $30,000-50,000, and 91% of adults living in households earning more than $75,000
* 40% of adults who have less than a high school education use the internet, compared to 91% of adults with at least a college degree
* Broadband is available to only 38% of rural Americans, compared to 56% of suburban residents and 58% of urban Americans
National, regional, and local governments, universities, NGOs, and for-profit organizations are conducting research and providing grants to support digital-inclusion initiatives, resulting in sizeable yet fragmented sources of information on the topic. The Digital Inclusion Forum will fill the knowledge gap with a series of interactive informational and educational activities providing local-government leaders and their institutional partners with the resources they need to address the digital divide in their communities.
"For the first time in North America, the Digital Inclusion Forum brings together elected officials, institutional stakeholders, industry, funding organizations, policy makers and regulatory authorities in the cause of bridging the digital divide in local communities," said Daniel Aghion, executive director, Wireless Internet Institute, and co-chair of the W2i Digital Cities Convention.
"In proactively working to bridge the digital divide, we must look beyond the usual focus on low-cost Internet access," said Vivek Kundra, chief technology officer, District of Columbia, and co-chair of the W2i Digital Cities Convention. "Hardware, software, training and content are also critical to solving this puzzle. In the District, we are casting a wide net to harness the best thinking on this subject to develop self-sustaining mechanisms for supporting the appropriate commitment of resources to take on this multi-faceted issue."
"I don't think that there is any way to overstate how important this is for our digitally disadvantaged communities," said Mark Ansboury, chief technology officer of OneCommunity. "The Digital Inclusion Forum will literally transform our digitally disconnected communities, and from an economic development perspective, this provides the key piece of the framework needed to compete in today's global economy."
"Digital inclusion can fuel societal transformation, enhancing workforce preparedness, providing workplace flexibility, and equipping communities with tools essential for economic competitiveness," said Frances West, director, IBM Human Ability and Accessibility Center. West points out that a key component of digital inclusion is the accessibility of IT for all people, regardless of their ability, age, literacy, technical proficiency, gender or income: "The success of digital inclusion initiatives in the US depends entirely upon bringing together leaders in industry, government and nonprofit organizations to create a collaborative ecosystem. We believe governments are in a very unique position to achieve these objectives via introduction of and participation in
sustainable business models that allow for strong public/private partnership. These collaborative partnerships can have a broad, sustainable impact on society, and we are excited to work with the Digital Inclusion Forum and other leading partners to make digital inclusion a reality in the U.S. and around the world."
"The digital divide remains both real and tangible here in the United States," said Nigel Ballard, government marketing manager, Intel Americas. "Visit any school in an affluent neighborhood and you'll discover students comfortably working through assignments using IT as a valuable part of that learning process. This familiarity with enabling technologies clearly prepares them for the work environment that of course relies end to end on computers in one form or another. Educators report more engaged students electronically filing more comprehensive homework assignments when immersed into an IT rich class environment. Visit a school on the wrong side of the tracks, however, and you'll often discover a very different picture with students getting limited access to aging computers not capable of even running the applications they'll surely encounter in the workplace. The Digital Inclusion Forum establishes a platform whereby concerned parties both in IT and education can get together and share best practices, that has to be a very good thing."
"The goals of the Digital Inclusion Forum are aligned with Microsoft's deep commitment to enabling a diverse global citizenship with technology access, connectivity, competency training and education around the digital economy," said Maria Wynne, senior director, Economic Development and Innovation. "We believe that in today's world, knowing how to use a computer and the Internet is critical to the socioeconomic future of individuals in our communities and to global competitiveness. More than 30 years of experience in 100 countries has taught us that technology can change lives dramatically, particularly for those with age-related challenges and people with disabilities. We look forward to partnering with W2i to bring forward sustainable solutions for digital literacy, access and affordability for citizens across the U.S."
