Ashbury Senior Computer Community CenterNDIA has published the PDF version and an online version of the Digital Inclusion Startup Manual, a new guidebook for local individuals, organizations and institutions that are “looking to increase access and use of technology in disadvantaged communities through digital literacy training, affordable home broadband, affordable devices and tech support.”

The new Manual was written by NDIA staff Angela Siefer, Bill Callahan and Tianca Crocker, with a lot of help from experienced local practitioners and allies who participated in a Digital Inclusion Startup Manual Working Group. Working Group members contributed several key sections of the Manual’s basic narrative as well as local examples and “practitioner advice columns”.

The Manual’s eight chapters provide readers with definitions of basic terms and concepts; concrete advice on strategic topics like community needs analysis, priority-setting, and alliances; and discussions of successful community approaches to digital literacy training, affordable Internet access, affordable devices, and tech support. The last chapter focuses on tools for program sustainability, including strategic relationship-building, and aggressive, systematic data collection and use.  Each chapter is illustrated with examples of successful local efforts.

The creation of NDIA’s Digital Inclusion Startup Manual was supported by a generous grant from Google Fiber.