Empowering Technology
- News Article
- Jul 7
- 2 min read
Keeping people with disabilities connected through digital literacy
Today, many of us take our ability to navigate technology for granted. From banking and shopping to talking to friends and family, many of us are using technology for these everyday activities. Without digital skills, individuals can become isolated and disempowered. “As people who don’t live with any kind of physical or mental disabilities, we don’t realize how often disability can lead to isolation,” says Elizabeth Kaleta, Director of Social Inclusion and Support Services at Cerebral Palsy (CP) Alberta. In 2010, after realizing the rapidly changing technologies were leaving people behind, CP Alberta started offering the ComputAbilities program to help people with disabilities feel connected in an increasingly digital world. Held weekly over three months, the course is offered four times a year — and many people currently enrolled in ComputAbilities have been taking the classes for years, including Greg Liknes and Chris Cli.
Over the last 15 years, the program has evolved, although most of the basics have remained the same: teaching seniors and people with disabilities to do everything from typing to coding, and using programs like Microsoft Word and Google Maps. As social media became more popular, they added instruction on using these platforms. As the program has grown, so too has the focus on digital safety. Seniors in particular can be vulnerable to online scams. Every component of what ComputAbilities teaches — from applying for jobs to online banking to social media — includes education about potential scams and risks in using this technology. More recently, they’ve introduced a tablet course, making technology even more accessible. Many assistive tools for people with disabilities rely on tablets. But all the hardware required to teach these classes can become obsolete quickly and upgrading is expensive. That’s where Edmonton Community Foundation (ECF) comes in. By providing CP Alberta with a $20,000 grant, ECF helped the organization upgrade their computers and tablets.
The effectiveness of programs like ComputAbilities depends entirely on being ableto provide learning on up-to-date technology,” says Cassandra Lundell, ECF’s Manager, Grants.
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