They’ve used it to  

….read the news, get a job, do homework on the bus, find a husband, and tell their story.  They’ve used it to check their checking account balance, create bills and pay their bills, file taxes, and keep a home budget.  They’ve used it to find lyrics to songs they’d sing at a wedding, locate parts for their lawn-mower repair shop, and create brochures for their home cleaning business. They’ve used it to learn to read and write. 

They’ve used it to practice and practice and practice until they were sure they could pass their GED test, explain PowerPoint to an interviewer, take on more responsibility at work, and begin a community college program. 

They’ve accessed information and courses they wouldn’t have otherwise because of time limitations, transportation issues, family and childcare needs, shyness, and a mistrust of classrooms. 

They’ve used it over and over and over again.  Before their children were up, while they were at school, and after they went to sleep.  

They’ve logged in at 6am, noon, midnight, and 3am, from fast food joints, bookstores, schools, libraries, bus stations, hospitals, offices, the homes of others, and from the comfort of their own home.   

Children, grandchildren, cousins, uncles, spouses, neighbors, friends, bosses and supervisors have all been their mentors, trainers, and advocates. 

They’ve used it to connect with old friends, a new city, fellow hurricane survivors, job seekers, case managers, distant relatives, better jobs, and new opportunities. 

They’ve used it to cross the digital divide, to open doors, to regain their confidence, improve their self-esteem, to become more sure of themselves, and understand their potential.

They’ve used it to design their own solutions, to move from “hopelessness” to “hope,” from “I won’t” to “I will, ” from “I can’t” to “I can.”