Infoxchange Australia vido: What is Digital Inclusion?

At Infoxchange Australia, we like to imagine a world where everyone, everywhere has equal access to information technology.

Civil and democratic societies demand that everyone be able to access and share information. In the 20th century, this meant being able to read and gain access to print materials, radio and television. In the 21st century, it means having access to information and communications technology; it means digital inclusion.

Digital inclusion does not simply mean 'connecting everyone to the internet'. Digital inclusion is about improving the quality of life of socially excluded people.

It is fundamental to digital inclusion and the maintenance of a civil and democratic society that models to provide affordable access, appropriate training and relevant content be developed and applied. No society can survive at the forefront of advanced nations without taking advantage of the communications technologies that emerge as the society develops.

Infoxchange Australia's Digital Inclusion Initiative (DII) is a hands-on grassroots program that aims to implement a whole-of-community approach to community building and economic development using new technologies as tools to provide equal access for all residents in disadvantaged communities.

DII adopts a direct action strategy to address issues of affordable access to information technology, economic development of disadvantaged communities, increasing information technology skills, creation of relevant web-based content and the inspiration of local communities to lifelong learning.