In partnership with the award-winning nonprofit Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) and the Urban League of Palm Beach County, Comcast recently hosted a senior digital literacy event.
The summit brought together community leaders, local organizations and members of the philanthropic community to bolster training efforts for local seniors so they can use smartphones, surf the web and use technology to help them in their daily lives.
OATS shared its unique training perspective and proven methodology with the summit participants.
The summit took place at the Quantum Foundation in West Palm Beach. OATS founder and Executive Director Thomas Kamber opened with a keynote speech, “Designing Technology Programs in an Age of Innovation.” His address provided an overview of patterns of technology adoption by seniors, the benefits of digital participation and strategies for building community coalitions around technology adoption. “Today, more than ever, it’s essential to help older adults learn and use technology to stay connected, and the Urban League and Comcast are doing groundbreaking work,” Kamber said.
The speech was followed by capacity-building training for anyone interested in creating or expanding a technology program for seniors in their community. These sessions included training seminars highlighting best practices for working with seniors and technology; information on how community partners can use the OATS curriculum and methodology; and a planning session for local partners to commit to helping facilitate digital literacy for seniors.
The Comcast Internet Essentials program has connected more than 400,000 low-income Floridians to online access at home through low-cost, high-speed Internet access, subsidized technology products and free training. Eligibility requirements and sign-up instructions are detailed at www.internetessentials.com/seniors.
ABOVE: Thomas Kamber, founder and executive director of Older Adults Technology Services, giving his presentation.
