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Bridging the Digital Divide in schools

All Victorian children - regardless of age, income, race, ethnicity, disability or geography - must have access to the technological tools and skills needed in the knowledge economy.

Bridging the Digital Divide in schools is a Growing Victoria initiative announced in the 2001 - 2002 State Budget, which will provide $63 million over three years to schools with the most need.
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News & Media Releases

Introducing the great digital divide
It's a society where the best jobs and the best education are the preserve of a privileged few.
Skills.net Members tops 58,000
Congratulations to all Skills.net projects as the number of Skills.net members goes above 58,000.
Volunteers needed by Rural & Peninsula Disability Support inc (RPDS)
RPDS is a volunteer self help program on the Mornington Peninsula helping housebound and Elderly mobility disabled to get online from home using recycled computers and our own subsidised internet service.

Funding Opportunities

Funding round for My Connected Community now open
Applications are encouraged from organisations able to provide support and training to those hardest to reach including people from non-English speaking backgrounds, Indigenous communities, people with disabilities and low income earners.
Invitation to apply for e-gaps program funding
This program has been developed to provide public Internet access terminals in areas currently lacking such access.

International

Digital Divide Web site - US
A comprehensive clearinghouse for information about efforts to provide all Americans with access to the Internet and other information technologies..
Section 508 - US
In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities.
The Digital Divide
Patrick Smith looks at why are there so few women in IT and what’s being done to shift the balance.

Meetings

ARATA Conference 2001: Practical Magic - Putting Theory into Practice.
2-4 October 2001, Brisbane.

Projects

Connecting Communities
Connecting Communities brings together programs that deliver Internet access and training programs.
The Dodo Project
The goal of this program is to utilize outdated computer hardware to help small charities and disadvantaged individuals.
my connected community (known as mc2) is an initiative of the Victorian Government's Connecting Communities policy.
Funded by Multimedia Victoria & coordinated by VICNET, the main objective of mc2 is to encourage community groups located in Victoria (Australia) to create their own online communities.

Reports

"Old dogs learning new clicks" - older Australians in the information age
Paper presented by Helen Scott at the E-Commerce, Electronic Banking And Older People Seminar
Falling Through the Net: Toward Digital Inclusion
US report published by the Commerce Department in October 2000.
Guide to Minimum Web Site Standards
All the key things about AGLS, accessibility and other standards, as well as handy checklists, resources and contacts.
Isaac Balbin presents one of the Alfred Deakin Lectures
Australia's IT challenge is to bridge training and education: learning 'how' is not so hard, knowing 'why' takes government funding.
May 2001 issue of PC Update
This edition includes a report on increasing accessibility for disabled.
Understanding the Digital Divide
The term "digital divide" refers to the gap between individuals, households, businesses and geographic areas at different socio-economic levels with regard to their opportunities to access information and communication technologies (ICTs) and their use of the Internet.
World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
The Online Council has agreed to the adoption of the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines as the common best practice standard for all Australian government websites.

Software/Hardware

Bobby 3.2
Bobby is a free service provided by CAST to help Web page authors identify and repair significant barriers to access by individuals with disabilities.

Training

Skills.net
Skills.net, a Connecting Victoria initiative, is a community-based program to provide affordable internet training and access to people who wouldn't otherwise have access to the internet.
The Hub of the IT&T Skills Exchange
"The IT Skills Hub is a unique initiative that brings together large and small IT&T businesses with education and training providers to ensure that current and future employees in the sector are offered the most up to date and industry relevant training," said Dr Kemp.
Training In Shepparton To The Visually Impaired
In partnership with Vision Australia, The info Xchange has just completed a pilot project to provide basic computer training to vision impaired clients, support people, volunteers and staff.
Volunteers Needed
Volunteers needed for the training component of the Reach for the Clouds Project
mc2 Training Workshops - a "hands-on" 2 hour training session, for free!
Use my connected community (mc2) to find, join or start your own online community!

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