2016 Annual Conference

This session will present the effects of and efforts taken to assist individuals in low income communities suffering from a lack of computer knowledge, function, and computer and internet access.

Adult educators and learners who are interested in making themselves a presence in the communities in which they seek to educate.

In today's technology advanced world access to the internet or home computer may seem commonplace to most of us with an estimated eighty five percent of American adults using the internet (Araque, 2013), however the lack of internet access and a computer is still a hardship for many Americans. Low-income communities have struggled with gaining access to computers and Internet technology due to a lack of resources and opportunities (Araque, 2013). This lag between income groups has been labeled the digital divide, which describes the perceived disadvantages affecting those unable or unwilling to make use of technology in their daily life (Araque,2013). But being disconnected isn't just a function of being poor, these days, it is also a reason some people stay poor (Smith,2012). As the Internet has become an essential platform for job-hunting and furthering education, those without access are finding the basic tools for escaping poverty increasingly out of reach (Smith,2012).