Digital Equity

Seattle is working together for digital equity, to ensure all residents and neighborhoods have the information technology capacity needed for civic and cultural participation, employment, lifelong learning, and access to essential services.  We collaborate with education, community and business partners on intentional strategies and investments to create opportunities and to reduce and eliminate historical barriers to technology access and use. We connect digital equity to smart cities and to other equity & justice work.

The priority strategic areas of our digital equity work are:
* Skills training    * Connectivity    * Devices & Technical Support

We also work towards digital equity through improvements to the City's website and online services, research and evaluation, and by supporting community capacity building.  Seattle IT provides the Technology Matching Fund and other targeted grants to further digital equity. We also promote free and low-cost Internet for individuals and organizations, and free and discounted computers and other devices.

This year, 2019, we have completed and published:

• Technology Access & Adoption report, based on a survey of 4315 residents.
• Digital skill sets for diverse users: A comparison framework for curriculum and competencies (with the University of Washington)
     [Also see Skill list and worksheet or the 4/2/2019 presentation to Seattle-King County Digital Equity Network.
• 2018 Digital Equity Report on City and community efforts this past year. (Or see a 2-page summary)

The City of Seattle started its work to close the digital divide and foster digital inclusion in 1996. The City's most recent Digital Equity Action Plan was launched in 2016. This plan was developed with more than 100 community leaders, non-profit organizations, companies, and members of the public participating. They helped identify needs, a vision and possible strategies (See first vision and strategies report). Our digital equity initiatives are closely aligned with and further the City of Seattle broadband efforts, Race and Social Justice Initiative, and other education, neighborhood, equitable development, technology, cultural and human service goals. 

See more about these goals and strategies below.  Also see our progress report page. Our strategies are informed by Seattle's Technology Access and Adoption community research, consulting with the community, and other population and program data.