Attendees at the 12th Annual Telehealth Summit of South Carolina had the opportunity to walk in someone else’s shoes and learn the challenges faced by people with limited access to technology during a Digital Divide Simulation hosted by KC Digital Drive.
During the simulation, participants were given a persona to play for a “one month” period measured as four, 15-minute long “weeks.” They were assigned tasks to accomplish such as enrolling their children in school, applying for government programs or finding housing online. Only their persona had barriers including no transportation or no access to the internet, some lacked digital skills. Participants became frustrated after realizing that without internet access, completing their task was very difficult to almost impossible. Feeling that frustration is the point of the simulation because it helps people empathize with others who are impacted by the Digital Divide.
