Comcast Partners with the American Association of People with Disabilities to Help Close the Digital Divide
September 10 2019 - 9:30AM
Business Wire
Company Announces Grant to Fund Creation and
Delivery of Specialized Digital Literacy Training Program Materials
and Classes for the Disability Community
Since 2011, Comcast’s Internet Essentials
Program Has Connected More than 8 Million Low-Income Americans to
the Internet, Including Nearly 210,000 Individuals in the Greater
Washington, D.C. Metro Area
At the Newseum today, Comcast announced a series of initiatives
designed to help address the digital divide for low-income
Americans with disabilities through the Internet Essentials
program, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive Internet
adoption program for low-income households. The largest of these
was a grant from the Company to the American Association of People
with Disabilities (AAPD). The Comcast grant will 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.
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the full release here:
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Comcast partners with the American
Association of People with Disabilities to help close the digital
divide. (Photo: Business Wire)
According to Pew Research Center, 23 percent of people with
disabilities say they never go online and 57 percent say they do
not have a home broadband subscription.
The grant follows last month’s announcement that, since 2011,
the Internet Essentials program has connected more than eight
million low-income Americans to the Internet at home, including
nearly 210,000 in the greater Washington, D.C. metro area, 90
percent of whom were not connected to the Internet at home until
they signed up through Internet Essentials. In addition, the
company made the most significant eligibility change in the
program’s history, expanding eligibility to all low-income
households residing in the Comcast service area, including all
low-income seniors, adults, and people with disabilities.
“The Internet is an incredible resource so long as you have the
skills and the tools to use it,” said David L. Cohen, Senior
Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at Comcast
Corporation. “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,” said 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.”
In addition, Comcast held events across the Washington, DC area
to raise awareness of the digital divide with special guests
Paralympic Gold Medalist and Purple Heart Recipient Rico Roman, and
Olympic Gold Medalists from the U.S. Women’s Hockey Team Jocelyne
Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando.
As part of the day’s events, the Company held a digital literacy
assembly at Walker Jones Elementary, where Cohen surprised 50 sixth
graders with free laptops and six months of complimentary Internet
Essentials service. The company also hosted a digital inclusion
event at the Hattie Holmes Senior Wellness Center where 100 seniors
were given free laptops to help them stay connected to family and
friends in the 21st century way of life. Lastly, Comcast held a
Youth Hockey Clinic with Roman, Lamoureux-Davidson, and
Lamoureux-Morando, where the Company surprised 25 students from
Cornerstone Schools in Ward 7 with free laptops to help further
their education. In partnership with Dell Technologies, the
companies provided new equipment to Friends of Fort Dupont Ice
Arena for its computer lab.
Internet Essentials has an integrated, wrap-around design that
addresses each of the three major barriers to broadband adoption
that research has identified. These include: a lack of digital
literacy skills, lack of awareness of the relevance of the Internet
to everyday life needs, and fear of the Internet; the lack of a
computer; and cost of internet service. The program is structured
as a partnership between Comcast and tens of thousands of school
districts, libraries, elected officials, and nonprofit community
partners.
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. A full list can be found at
www.internetessentials.com. The website can be read in seven
different languages and there is also a dedicated phone number
1-855-846-8376. Spanish-only speakers can call 1-855-765-6995.
About Comcast
Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and
technology company with three primary businesses: Comcast Cable,
NBCUniversal, and Sky. Comcast Cable is one of the United States’
largest video, high-speed Internet, and phone providers to
residential customers under the Xfinity brand, and also provides
these services to businesses. It also provides wireless and
security and automation services to residential customers under the
Xfinity brand. NBCUniversal is global and operates news,
entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo
broadcast networks, television production operations, television
station groups, Universal Pictures, and Universal Parks and
Resorts. Sky is one of Europe's leading media and entertainment
companies, connecting customers to a broad range of video content
through its pay television services. It also provides
communications services, including residential high-speed Internet,
phone, and wireless services. Sky operates the Sky News broadcast
network and sports and entertainment networks, produces original
content, and has exclusive content rights.
Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.
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Charlie Douglas charlie_douglas@comcast.com (215) 264-8020
Rachel Zabinski rachel_zabinski@comcast.com (215)
531-4438
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