Down East Maine used tech solutions for seniors during pandemic; gets National Digital Navigator Corps grant

Sandra Zaia and great-granddaughter (NDEC photo)

Pandemic lockdowns left many rural seniors disconnected and isolated. In one part of Maine there was immediate help through technology: "A digital equity center in Down East Maine helped older residents learn how to use the internet to stay connected and informed," reports Carolyn Campbell of The Daily Yonder. "Now a national grant program will give them the chance to train more residents."

Susan Corbett, the founder of Maine’s National Digital Equity Center, said the center taught seniors how to connect via Zoom. "The instructors would use the phone to teach them how to turn on the computer saying, ‘Run your finger up the side of the tablet and press the button it on. The goal was to get the person to click on the Zoom link. When they did, you can imagine their pure joy when connecting for the first time and seeing the instructor,” Corbett told Campbell.

Down East Maine in red
(Wikipedia map, adapted)

Elaine Abbott, an economic development planner from Washington County, Maine, has been working with Corbett for broadband access for all. "Corbett, Abbott, and others have been working with the region’s Passamaquoddy tribal leaders, broadband consultants, state agencies, and regional boards to assess the region’s needs and develop a broadband coalition strategy providing access to all citizens of Maine, regardless of their ZIP code," writes Campbell.

Efforts of these rural leaders have paid off: "Last month the National Digital Inclusion Alliance named Maine’s National Digital Equity Center as one of 18 grant recipients from across the country to become part of the nation’s first National Digital Navigator Corps," Campbell reports. "In their press release, NDIA stated the grants will go toward hiring community-based digital navigators alongside programmatic and technical support to help thousands of residents gain much-needed access to the internet, devices, and digital-skills training."