Comcast announces a series of initiatives designed to help address the digital divide for low-income Americans with disabilities through the Internet Essentials program, an Internet adoption program for low-income households.
One of which is a grant from the company to the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) to help fund the creation and delivery of digital literacy training programs specifically designed to address the needs of low-income people in the disability community. Once developed, the programs will be delivered at 10 AAPD affiliates across the country, as well as shared online for anyone to access, according to a media release from Comcast Corporation.
“The Internet is an incredible resource so long as you have the skills and the tools to use it,” says David L. Cohen, senior executive vice president and chief diversity officer at Comcast Corporation, in the release.
“By partnering with AAPD and working with the disability community, we want to address and break down the barriers to broadband adoption that are unique to this population. The first step is to address digital literacy issues and facilitate digital skills development. So, we’re going to create relevant training programs and then fund their delivery at locations across the country.”
“Having an Internet connection at home is absolutely vital for low-income people living with disabilities,” comments Maria Town, President and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities. “I commend Comcast for extending its Internet Essentials program to people with disabilities because it will help us advance our mission to provide equal access, integration, and full inclusion for Americans with disabilities.”
To apply for the program, low-income applicants simply need to show they are participating in one of more than a dozen different government assistance programs, per the release. To view the full list of government programs, and for more information, visit Internet Essentials.
[Source(s): Comcast Corporation, Business Wire]
