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Meeting Our Residents’ Digital Needs!

At IBA, we constantly assess the challenges our residents face and implement programming to support them in overcoming these barriers. A great example of this process is our Resident Services Program's recent response to our residents’ needs surrounding access to reliable technology.

In a 2020 survey conducted to assess community needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, 21% of the residents reported technology challenges (having adequate access to the necessary technology, confidently knowing how to use technology, etc.) as a primary concern. Upon receiving these survey results, the Resident Services Program immediately began developing technology workshops and coaching to support our residents' ability to communicate, access online resources, and engage with the outside world – including our own virtual wellness and recreational programs, which continued throughout the pandemic on Zoom and Facebook Live.

Thanks to the feedback of our residents, IBA developed and now offers the Digital Equity Program. Supported by a generous grant from the Age Strong Commission, the Digital Equity Program, through our Resident Services Program, includes technology workshops and one-on-one technology coaching sessions that will run through October 2023. To further support residents, they are also offering free Wi-Fi connectivity services for those residents that lack access to the internet in their homes.

IBA aims to serve over sixty residents through these digital equity group workshops and individual technology training sessions. Workshops will cover topics such as how to use technological devices (tablets, computers, smartphones, etc.), how to set up and use Zoom, how to open an email account, how to send a text message or email, and how to use the Internet to find resources, among other topics. We will also offer personalized 1:1 support, and we will pay for Wi-Fi services for 83 residents.

Joel Ramos, our Data and Evaluation Manager, is the instructor for these workshops and coaching sessions. He is also helping residents secure Wi-Fi access through Comcast so everyone can easily connect to the digital world.

It’s great to see our residents taking full advantage of these workshops and training sessions!

It is thanks to grants and donations from readers like you that we at IBA can keep closing the equity gap that impacts our community. Please consider donating to our Resident Services Program here, and be part of our plan to implement even more services for Villa Victoria!

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