Doorways to Digital Inclusion
At this year’s Mozilla Festival, we will imagine a more inclusive internet
Mozilla is exploring key issues affecting the health of the internet and this year’s Mozilla Festival includes exciting programming on Digital Inclusion.
The open Internet is strengthened with every new voice, but there are many barriers that prevent full inclusion online. More than half of the world isn’t on the Internet, and those that are are often limited by language barriers, accessibility, affordability, unreliable infrastructure, and censorship. Those who have access may join online communities that don’t respect aspects of their identity including gender, sexual orientation, race, or ethnicity.
The MozFest Digital Inclusion space will provide opportunities to delve into the following topics, and more…
- Creating inclusive online communities
- Impacts of access and security issues on marginalized and vulnerable communities
- Building for accessibility
- Localization challenges and solutions
- Censorship, intimidation and freedom of expression
- Access and affordability solutions, including hardware, data, infrastructure, and policy solutions
Unlocking Doors; Building Empathy
Using the metaphor of locked doors, participants and contributors will be able to share some of the barriers they face day to day, and how those experiences shape the internet for them. People will be able to experience the frustrations of limited data and how difficult choices must be made; simulate the experience of colour blindness or dyslexia; and explore the vast discrepancies between languages spoken around the world and those used on the web.
Share your experiences with others and help to create solutions to “unlock the doors” by imagining a more inclusive internet — one that allows everyone equal opportunity to safely use the internet to improve their lives and communities.
The Keys to a More Inclusive Internet
Through listening and discussion sessions in the Learning Forum; interactive exhibits in the Gallery; and hands-on making or playing in the Shed, participants will develop skills to help build the inclusive internet we imagine. MozFest attendees will bring back to their communities a new awareness of digital inclusion issues, as well as concrete ideas, tools, and projects for making change.
Add Your Voice
Are you enthusiastic about creating diverse and inclusive online spaces? We’re looking for folks who have ideas, questions, projects, or expertise to join us in the Digital Inclusion track. If this describes you, please propose a session using this form.
Looking forward to seeing you at MozFest 2017!
Hannah, Joe, Kenyatta, Leah, Martha, and Michael
The Digital Inclusion Wrangler Team
