YYC Tech Community Events CalendarYYC Tech Community Events Calendar
The centre is pleased to invite you to our upcoming webinar, “Ensuring Digital Access to Emerging Technologies”. In today’s fast-paced digital age, emerging technologies are reshaping our world, revolutionizing industries and transforming the way we live, work and interact. From artificial intelligence to blockchain, virtual reality to quantum computing; the potential of these innovations is awe-inspiring. However, as we marvel at their possibilities, we must also address a critical challenge: ensuring equitable access to these technologies for all individuals, regardless of their background or circumstances.
As advancements continue at a rapid pace, a significant concern arises-the risk of leaving certain communities behind, unable to partake in the benefits of these advancements due to barriers in access, education or resources. This lack of inclusivity not only hinders the potential for progress but also perpetuates existing disparity in society. Our upcoming webinar aims to shed light on this pressing issue and initiate a conversation about how we can bridge the digital divide. At CSIT, we firmly believe that by coming together as a community, we can develop strategies and solutions to make emerging technologies accessible to everyone regardless of age, gender, social-economic background, disability or race.
During the webinar, we would be exploring various aspects of the digital access challenge, including identifying the barriers to digital access, promoting digital literacy and education, fostering inclusive design and development, as well as collaborative efforts for change. We are bringing together a panel of amazing thought leaders from diverse backgrounds and experiences who are at the forefront of the digital access movement. We would be having Amy Van Es of Gooder, Meena Das from Namaste Data and Anne Louise of Digital Diversity Solutions. Their insight and expertise will help us gain a comprehensive understanding of the issue and inspire us to take meaningful action.
Mark your calendars and join us for an enlightening and thought-provoking discussion on August 31st 2023, at 12PM MDT. Together, let’s embark on a journey towards an inclusive digital future!
Stay tuned for further updates and registration details.
The Speakers:
Meena Das (she/her) is the founder, consultant, and facilitator of two practices – NamasteData and Data Is For Everyone. NamasteData focuses on advancing data equity for nonprofits and social impact agencies, while Data Is For Everyone provides invaluable tools and resources to help people learn how to navigate the world of data.
Meena is a specialist in designing and teaching equitable research tools and analyzing engagement. She supports nonprofits in three critical areas: data collection assessments, community surveys, and staff workshops on improving data equity, incorporating data collection, visualization, and human-centric algorithms.
You can learn more about her work through the bi-weekly newsletter, ‘Dear Human’, or directly connect with her on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/meenadas.
Amy Van Es – A former growth strategist, Amy spent the first decade of her career rapidly scaling businesses in the tech sector. Though she was great at hitting internal goals and KPIs, she was often left to wonder what impact she was really having on her customers, and on the world as a whole. What effect did these modern business practices have on real people?
This question led her to study business ethics and how it relates to the work with technology she spent her career focussed on. After years of intensive research and development, Amy emerged with a set of tools and frameworks that empower companies like yours to think through the implications of the work you’re doing, operationalize your values, and run a truly ethical modern business.
Currently, she’s the founder and principal consultant at Gooder, a technology and ethics consulting firm.
Connect with Amy on LinkedIn, by email (amy@begooder.ca) or subscribe to Gooder’s email newsletter to learn more.
Anne Louise – Digital Diversity Solutions is a digital policy network initiative focused on addressing gaps and overlooked pragmatic /systemic oversights in the current accessibility dialogue. Its goal is to create implementable solutions that work regardless of budget or expertise. While many organizations specialize in adaptive technology, advanced large-scale training, and funding for digital accessibility, DDS prioritizes onboarding principles and practices that have been overlooked not because they are difficult but because they seem obvious and are often easily ignored.
As coordinators of the Digital Diversity Working Group (DDWG), we lead digital policy, space-making, and educational initiatives. The DDWG advocates for IDEA-informed data and AI policy, supports virtual events, and addresses socio-economic barriers to co-learning.
DDS leads the”Plain Language Project,” which enhances accessibility in policy discussions around emergent tech, AI, data, and the digital divide. Through the “Space Maker Audit,” Digital Diversity offers its network of allied organizations a complimentary no-cost to low-cost step-by-step set of actions to create and facilitate more inclusive virtual events.
Join our “Spacemaker Pledge” for collective action in creating equitable virtual digital spaces webinars and events. Consider signing up as a signatory; a simple way to start bridging the digital divide.
Bring your questions, comments, and curiosity. We can’t wait to see you!
The Digital Commons is a community-based webcast initiative developed through the Centre for Social Impact Technology, meant to reach the community on intersectional issues that matter to them.
The city-wide Centre for Social Impact Technology nurtures dialogue, learning, and action where social innovation and digital technology innovation meet.
