Bridging the Digital Divide behind the walls: Empowering older adults through digital skills in the OAR Unit

For five consecutive weeks, every Wednesday brought more than just another day inside the Older Adults Reentry (OAR) Unit at the Middlesex Jail & House of Correction in North Billerica, Massachusetts. It brought opportunity, hope, and a chance to build confidence for life beyond incarceration.

Through a partnership with Connected Nation (CN), a series of virtual Digital Skills classes was delivered to a dedicated group of men ages 55 and older, along with a few staff members. While staff participated, the primary focus of the program was to prepare incarcerated individuals for successful reentry into today's increasingly digital world.

When the program first began, 10 eager inmates volunteered to participate. They understood that technology has become part of nearly every aspect of daily life, from applying for jobs and communicating through email to accessing essential services and participating in virtual appointments. They wanted to be ready for the opportunities waiting for them outside the facility. 

For many of these men, the new range of technology was unfamiliar territory. As technology rapidly transformed the way society communicates, works, and accesses services, returning to a world that relies so heavily on digital tools can be overwhelming with the fast pace of change. This made digital literacy an essential part of helping participants prepare for a successful reentry into their communities.

One of the most rewarding aspects of the program was seeing participants begin their transition back into the community while the knowledge they had gained was still fresh. By the third week of classes, several participants had already been released and were able to immediately begin applying what they had learned as they started their search for employment, explored new opportunities, and navigated everyday digital tasks in the public world.

Rethinking how to teach tech

Delivering these classes, however, came with unique challenges. Because of the correctional environment and the security policies required by both the facility and the organizations involved, participants did not have access to laptops, desktop computers, tablets, or mobile devices in their housing unit. 

Teaching digital skills virtually without allowing students to physically interact with technology presented an obstacle unlike most educational settings. Rather than allowing those barriers to limit the learning experience, the CN Digital Skills Facilitator embraced the challenge. 

To bridge that gap, CN developed custom learning materials specifically designed for this audience. These hands-on teaching aids helped participants understand the physical components of a computer, including the keyboard, touchpad, screen, ports, and mouse functions. What initially seemed like one of the most difficult topics to virtually teach, computer basics became much easier to understand through creative instruction and practical demonstrations. 

That same thoughtful approach carried into every lesson throughout the five-week series. Participants learned: computer basics, internet basics, email basics, cybersecurity, and videoconferencing.

Each class was carefully adapted to make complex technology concepts easy to understand, even without direct access to a computer. Lessons focused not only on explaining how technology works but also on building the confidence needed to use these skills once participants returned to their communities. Week after week, the determination shown by the class was inspiring. Questions were asked, discussions were meaningful, and participants demonstrated a genuine desire to learn skills that could improve their futures.