Seven years ago, NDIA released the Community Digital Inclusion Program Start-Up Manual (The Start-Up Manual). Written by NDIA founders Angela Siefer and Bill Callahan, this manual was a blueprint and a call to action. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant shifts in how digital inclusion programming could be provided, NDIA updated key sections of the manual
Fast-forward to 2024. Instead of revising the Start-Up Manual, NDIA developed an entirely new guide, the Digital Inclusion Program Manual, to celebrate innovations and excellence in our community and to honor how far it has progressed. NDIA partnered with Dell Technologies and members of the NDIA community to create a resource full of best practices and recommendations from the digital inclusion community.
“As we navigate the AI era, ensuring everyone has access to digital resources is more important than ever. By leveraging the transformative power of technology and fostering collaboration across community organizations, we can scale efforts and move closer to achieving digital equity. NDIA’s Digital Inclusion Program manual will serve as a vital resource, empowering organizations to unlock their full potential. Meaningful, lasting change hinges on partnerships, and we are excited to share our insights and amplify the best practices of experienced digital inclusion practitioners to advance progress and collective impact,” shared Maia Wagner, Head of Digital Inclusion, Sustainability & ESG, Dell Technologies, whose team contributed to the development of the manual.
The Digital Inclusion Program Manual offers the same community-based perspective NDIA has previously championed, with added and expanded chapters on the following topics:
- Research
- Community Engagement
- Program Models
- Staffing Models and Methods
- Best Practices in Space and Place Usage
- Sustaining Your Digital Inclusion Program
- Evaluation
This manual would not have been possible without the support of the many community affiliates who shared their strategies, best practices, and lessons learned. NDIA would like to thank Dell Technologies for their partnership and support in developing key content in the manual. In addition, we gratefully recognize the feedback and guidance from this project’s working group members, including:
- Magdelena Wittenzellner, Digital Inclusion Manager, East Hartford Public Library, East Hartford, CT
- Candace A. Browdy, Executive Director, ConnectLakeCounty, Illinois
- Melanie Colletti, Digital Equity Manager, The Office of the Future of Work, Colorado Department of Labor and Employment
- Vishnupriya Desai, Digital Equity Program Manager, Maryland
- Robert Gagne, Digital Navigator, Coordinator, Hamden Public Library, Hamden, CT
- Rebecca F. Kauma, Director of Digital Equity, County of Los Angeles, CA
- Dr. Youngmoo Kim, Director, Expressive and Creative Interactive Technologies (ExCITe) Center, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
- Andrea Lindsay, Director of Strategic Initiatives, PCs for People, Seattle, WA
- Lindsey McQuistion, Manager of Career Services, Goodwill of Central Texas, Austin, TX
- Nehemiah Pitts III, Chairman (May 2019 – April 2024) Community Technology & Technology Commission (CTTC), City of Austin, TX
- Jess Ross, Executive Director of Austin Free-Net, Austin, TX