Local, Regional and National Initiatives

There are literally hundreds of options for possible projects to increase senior technology literacy and access. Every day, more ideas and opportunities are identified and more people are introduced to information technology.

To helped inform the process of identifying what types of programs or services the City of Seattle could or should fund within this project, Madrona Resource Associates (MRA, a local public policy consulting firm) conducted a limited investigation of what is currently being done to improve information technology literacy and access among seniors locally, regionally and nationally. Over a two week period, MRA conducted research via telephone and Internet, using a survey form tailored to match the one being used by Citizens Technology and Telecommunications Advisory Board members for their interviews. MRA worked with the City’s Community Technology Planner to identify an initial list of contacts and leads. These sources lead to dozens of references, of which 26 were determined to be of direct relevance and included in the research results.

Overall research results are described below. A brief summary of and contact information for each initiative is included in Appendix H to this report. A more detailed description of each initiative is available from the Technology Division of the Seattle Executive Services Department or via the City’s web site, <www.seattle.gov/tech>.

Categories of Activity

The initiatives analyzed in this research fall into several categories of activity, with many fitting into more than one category (see table below):

1. The most common type of program or service is an access and training site that provides basic computer instruction and training, either partially or exclusively for seniors. Of the 26 initiatives described, 15 fit within this category.


2. Eleven initiatives consist of or include a resource web site intended to serve as an information resource for seniors.


3. Six can be described as advocacy/representation efforts, seeking to provide seniors or another age group with a voice in how the information age is to proceed.


4. accessibility, making technology more available to those with physical impairments or challenges.


5. Three are intergenerational in nature, providing activities that link seniors with youth.


6. Two include a focus on providing infrastructure, the hardware, software, wiring, etc. needed to put information technology to work for seniors.


7. One includes an academic research component, investigating how seniors learn to use information technology.

1 = access and training site, 2 = resource web site, 3 = advocacy / representation effort, 4 = accessibility, 5 = intergenerational,
6 = infrastructure, 7 = academic research

Analysis Questions and Findings

What Facilities Are Available to Seniors?

—Judging from the initiatives identified in this research, by far the most common type of program being offered to seniors is a computer lab or learning center where they can acquire the basic skills of using computers and the Internet. Very few programs offered access and training for other types of information technology. Exceptions included a few media centers that provide training in radio, television and web broadcasting, a program that uses video conferencing and one that uses telephone conference calling to reach the homebound.

What Applications Do Seniors Use?

—The list of software applications being used by seniors in these programs would not differ greatly from those used by the general population. They include (from most commonly used to least commonly used) word processing, e-mail, web browsing, financial, games, spread sheeting, database, web publishing, desktop publishing, audio and video conferencing, newsgroups and chatting (an Internet search revealed over 50 chat forums devoted to senior topics).

What Do Seniors Use These Applications For?

—Respondents state that seniors are using computer applications for much the same purposes as other users: to write correspondence and other documents, to gather information and learn, to better organize data and to automate time-consuming tasks such as doing taxes. E-mail is especially desirable because it helps seniors stay in touch with friends, relatives and (for grandparents) grandchildren. Word-processing and tax/financial software is also highly valued, as is genealogy software.

What Most Enables or Attracts Seniors to Use Computers?

—Respondents report that seniors are attracted to computers for many of the same reasons as other people: they open up new horizons, make certain tasks easier and facilitate communication. One program reports that they use Apple Macintosh machines because these are easier for seniors to learn than Windows-based machines. Word of mouth from same-aged friends, user-friendly lab set-ups and easy-to-comprehend menus, senior lab instructors and assistants, quality one-on-one instruction and continuing support were all cited as important factors.

What Are The Largest Barriers To Senior Use Of Computers?

—Fear of the unknown was often mentioned as a big barrier, along with fear of damaging the equipment and a reluctance to try. One respondent said that many seniors are afraid of, and/or indignant to, "technology" of any kind. Accessibility was also frequently mentioned, usually referring to the need to make computers and other forms of information technology more accessible to those with physical impairments such as poor vision, hearing, inability to grip, operate or make fine movements. But computer technology is also made inaccessible to seniors because of a prohibitive cost of purchasing the hardware and software, along with a lack of adequate transportation and/or mobility necessary to get to public access sites and facilities.

Is Or Was There A Government Role?

—Most initiatives were run by non-profits, academic facilities or community groups. However, government grants and other forms of financing were involved at least to some degree in most initiatives, providing funding for hardware, software or connectivity. One program, ASNet, provides a hardware and software "backbone" which individuals and organizations can use to improve senior access to information and services.

Where Is The Funding Coming From?

—Resources to operate these initiatives are coming from a diverse group of sources including grants, private assistance, use fees, cable franchises and bartering. As mentioned above, government grants played a role in many of these initiatives, but not all. Many programs rely on financial support and/or in-kind donations of hardware, software, technical training and support, etc. from foundations or the private sector. One respondent reported that this was because companies were waking up to the huge potential market for their products that seniors represent. Programs adjacent to centers of high-tech industry, such as Silicon Valley and the Seattle area, seemed to be especially benefiting from contributions from these firms and their employees. A number of programs were partially or completely self-supporting, based on fees for membership and services provided. Cable television franchise fees support at least one other program, Multnomah Community Television. Several programs were engaging in reciprocal arrangements with other organizations such as getting free space in a school in return for members providing tutoring to students. Some programs expressed concern that money is available to get started, but sustaining operating funds is difficult.

Is There Volunteer/Community Involvement?

—Almost every initiative was partially or totally reliant on volunteer involvement. Very few computer instructors are getting paid for their efforts, usually only the ones who also run the facilities. Programs which concentrate on training senior volunteers so they can train their peers (such as the Wallingford Senior Center and SeniorNet of Puget Sound) report favorable results and increased interest.

Do Participants "Produce" Or Just "Consume" Information?

—Most programs were still at the stage of teaching seniors how to become familiar with the world of information technology and to consume its information. Only a few were engaging seniors in producing information for distribution to others. Exceptions included programs where seniors created and mounted their own web sites or web-based materials, such as oral history and local nostalgia projects. Also, several programs, especially the intergenerational ones, involved seniors in doing on-line research and presenting their findings via the web and/or teleconferencing. One program featured seniors as "web jockeys," running a web-based call-in show.

Lessons Learned: Program Components

The City of Seattle has identified four major components of programs that facilitate technology literacy and access for seniors: 1) Involvement; 2) Equipment and Connectivity; 3) Training; and 4) Staff and Volunteers. The initiatives studied during this research provide a number of instructive lessons about what helps or hinders utilizing each of these components as part of a successful strategy to put computers into the hands of seniors and make sure they get used. Those lessons are considered below.

Involvement —Involvement can and should take many forms if a program is to be successful. For example, the BEV-Seniors use Listserv technology to provide involvement via Internet discussion groups on senior-focused topics, but they also hold monthly meetings, recognizing that electronic communication is not a substitute for face-to-face interaction. Locating a program within a facility or service that seniors are already using for another purpose (such as an assisted living facility, senior center or museum) is also a good strategy for promoting involvement. Several programs (including BEV-Seniors, The Generation Connection Society and "Kids as Agents of Change") have recognized that including an intergenerational component is a spur to involvement for many seniors. In general, a program is more likely to be successful in promoting broad senior involvement if technology is used as a tool to achieve the program’s focus, rather than being the focus itself. EASI’s environmental mission and Global Action of Aging’s advocacy efforts are examples of this.

Equipment and Connectivity —One important lesson from these initiatives, especially the experience of senior-focused learning centers such as the Wallingford Senior Center, is that how the equipment is set up is as important as what equipment is available. A rudimentary system designed with the needs and interests of seniors in mind is of more use than an advanced system that is not set up for seniors. Another lesson is that it is important to try to facilitate connections between learning centers and the home, for example by providing Internet access. SeniorNet and others report that seniors who can continue their studies and activities via a home-based connection are much more likely to retain knowledge and interest. OMSI and others put their curricula on-line so participants can review and complete assignments from home. A project budget can disappear quickly when it is used to purchase equipment, but several programs are learning that they can get the equipment they want through federal and state programs if that equipment is then used, at least in part, to provide seniors with access to information relevant to that federal or state program.

Training —As mentioned before, training seniors to use computers is the single most common activity in these initiatives. Perhaps the most consistent message relating to this component was that of "seniors training seniors"—it is very productive to train seniors so that they can be the ones to train other seniors. Like most groups, seniors were reported to learn best from their peers. The Acorn Public Housing project also combined computer training with job skills training, hoping to provide not only literacy and access, but also employment.

Staff and Volunteers —Successful initiatives, such as the Wallingford Senior Center, relied on a mix of paid staff and volunteers. An entirely volunteer effort is severely limited in its potential size and scope, but volunteers are almost always necessary to keep the organization from becoming top-heavy or insupportable in the medium and long term. One program, ElderWeb, turns every participant into a volunteer by creating an on-line technical support forum in which members solve each other’s computer use problems. In general, the more reliant an initiative is on volunteer leadership, the greater the need to divide leadership responsibilities among volunteers so that no one’s burden is unreasonable. Most of these successful initiatives were also expanding their staff and volunteer capabilities by affiliating and collaborating with other organizations pursuing similar goals.