Getting Seniors Online

Benton Foundation and Connected Living
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
9am - 5pm

is a day-ling convening in Washington, DC, to explore the most effective ways to get America’s low-income seniors online. This event will present a case study of a Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) project in Illinois that sought to engage low-income seniors and people with disabilities in regular and sustained computer and Internet use. We will also examine similar projects from across the country and consider important policy implications at the federal, state and local levels.

Agenda

Getting Illinois Low Income Seniors and People with Disabilities Online – we’ll take a case study analysis approach to examine the following:

• Barriers: What did this project reveal about the continuing barriers to getting seniors online? How can they best be overcome?
• Instructional Methods: How effective were the instructional methods used by this project to get seniors online?
• Outcomes: What outcomes from increased broadband usage have the project participants experienced? How are these quantified?

Effective Practices – we’ll highlight programs that have developed effective digital literacy and computer training programs for low-income seniors. Examples will be drawn from municipal efforts, as well as from the non-profit sector.

Policy Implications – we’ll examine what research into outcomes for senior broadband adoption programs suggests for policy. Roundtable discussions will delve into policy questions for federal, state and local policymakers.

For more information on logistics and registration, please contact Cecilia Garcia (cgarcia@benton.org) or visit www.gettingseniorsonline.org. Please note that seating is limited, in order to maximize discussion and interaction.

Background

America’s 42 million seniors have the lowest Internet penetration (40%) of any age segment. Yet vital government and private services including food stamps, social security accounts and healthcare are quickly moving online. Also, the need for many seniors to retire later means they require computer job skills for today’s economy. This event aims to study and promote the most effective ways of getting all American seniors online. It will survey best practices, study the successes and challenges of recent sustainable broadband adoption programs such as those funded by the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, and bring together organizations interested in developing new programs to solve this important national issue of digital inclusion.