What’s new? Across the Buckeye State in 2023, more than 1,500 families received free laptop computers from AT&T, connecting more Ohioans to greater possibility.
Who’s getting the free laptops? We asked trusted groups including the Cleveland Foundation, Central Ohio’s COSI science center, the MetroHealth Institute for H.O.P.E., and the Public Library Association to identify students and families who need a laptop in communities including Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, East Cleveland, and East Palestine.
What’s the problem? The lack of large screen devices puts many low-income families at a sizable disadvantage for education and jobs. In the U.S., 41% of adults with lower incomes do not have a desktop or laptop computer.
See for yourself: Participants at a Digital Literacy Celebration hosted by the Public Library Association (PLA), the East Cleveland Public Library (ECPL), and AT&T were among those receiving laptops. Hear from them in this video.
That event highlighted PLA’s selection of ECPL as one of more than 200 libraries nationwide to participate in a digital literacy workshop incentive, supported by AT&T. The Celebration of Learners welcomed 100 guests and featured a fireside chat about the digital divide as well as the laptop distribution.
What else? Just two weeks later, 500 Cleveland families visited the new headquarters of the Cleveland Foundation and their Neighborhood Connections program to receive free laptops provided by AT&T and Compudopt. This event, as well as the federal Affordable Connectivity Program, were among topics discussed on Cleveland NBC-TV affiliate WKYC’s public affairs program, ‘We The People.’
These are just some of the ways we’re working to help bridge the digital divide in Ohio and across the country. We look forward to continuing to collaborate across the state in 2024 to connect more families in our communities.
