Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • Can Remote Court Services Help to Improve Digital Equity?

    Technology has allowed courts across the country to maintain - and even expand, -services during COVID-19. In Utah, courts held remote hearings and used Doodle to schedule hearings and request interpreters. The virtual schedules filled up fast and, in some cases, officials had to bring laptops and tablets to people who lacked access to technology. Spreading the word in unique ways, including social media, and setting up mobile courts addressed some access issues, particularly among people experiencing homelessness.

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  • A 'Zoom boom' boosted civic engagement across Kansas. But will it continue?

    When courthouses and in-person government meetings shut down because of COVID-19, officials satisfied Kansas’ open meeting mandate by using pandemic relief aid to equip buildings with the technology needed to live stream proceedings and allow constituents to comment remotely. Crowds watching on platforms like Facebook Live were substantially higher than in-person attendance had ever been. Several cities linked agendas online and found creative ways to include public comments in meetings. Advocates are looking to maintain the public’s increased civic engagement as courts and government offices are reopening.

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  • Tourism in time of pandemic. How the Safar Project opened minds and borders

    An Italian travel writer and a publishing house partnered to recreate the experience of travel to new places, providing tourists with a virtual experience and tour guides with a source of income to replace their lost businesses when the pandemic shut down actual travel. Called the Safar project (Arabic for travel), the service charges 15 euros for one and a half hour Zoom tours featuring live explanations and interactions with local people, limited only by time zones and cellular reception. An average of 50 tourists have signed on with the seven tour guides who have been recruited so far.

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  • India's healthcare workers are busting misinformation on WhatsApp

    Accredited social health activists (ASHA) across India fight COVID-19 related misinformation on WhatsApp. ASHAs provide basic health care to people in their villages, which puts them on the frontline of treating COVID-19 patients and educating people to dispel the many myths about the virus and its treatments. ASHAs' local interactions often identify prevailing myths, which they quickly dispel in their face-to-face exchanges and by posting in the many local WhatsApp groups that have been created. The local groups have been an effective mode of educating people and helped ASHAs gain villagers’ trust.

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  • In The Wake Of Worsening Achievement Gap, Officials Ponder Private Help For Public Schools

    Private donors and businesses are helping some Connecticut public schools provide students and their families with access to the internet, a critical need when distance learning is imposed. Long-term hopes to close the growing achievement gap between wealthy and poorer schools through public-private partnerships need more time to ripen. But some nearer-term successes include one philanthropy's grant to provide 60,000 laptops and broadband internet to students statewide who otherwise lacked access, while a grant in Norwalk put 1,000 families online to help with homework and healthcare access.

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  • Free Wi-Fi, e-magazines, dial-a-story: Kansas City libraries' popular pandemic services

    Digital library services in Kansas City were ramped up to serve patrons even as doors closed to visitors during the pandemic. Wi-Fi Hotspots were made available for downloading books, virtual story times for children were offered, and in addition to digital programs, services like dial-a-story were also offered over the phone for families without adequate internet service.

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  • The pandemic program that helped Kansas City families pay for internet

    The Internet Access Support Program has provided over 1,000 families with internet access in the wake of the pandemic. With work, school, and telehealth appointments relying on a stable internet connection, economically disadvantaged households were unable to participate in vital services without the internet.

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  • Markham, Ont., vaccine initiative shows what happens when tech and faith team up

    A community effort spearheaded by a local church and a software company is helping senior citizens in Markham, Ontario secure Covid vaccine appointments. Ahead of the vaccine rollout, a reverend and a parishioner began collecting senior's information via an online form, which allowed them to streamline the signup process. The effort's success has attracted surrounding communities who are now working with the duo to reach their seniors as well.

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  • Indians are crowdsourcing aid as covid surges

    In India, citizen-led small-scale digital efforts are helping to connect Covid-19 patients with the resources, supplies, and medical equipment they need to survive. The citizen groups are largely using online platforms to crowdsource what they need, with some matching buyers and sellers and others "debunking inaccurate leads."

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  • Zoom Court Is Changing How Justice Is Served

    When the pandemic shut courthouses, millions of court hearings and even trials moved online to keep the system operating. That shift is becoming permanent, at least for minor, routine proceedings. There are many reasons to be wary of entrusting the entire justice system to "virtual justice." But there are also significant upsides already being realized. In New Jersey and Michigan, far more defendants and jurors complied with summonses. And nationwide, lawyers, jurors, and litigants enjoyed the convenience of not commuting.

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