Draft Mission Statement:
The Washington State Library, guided by legislative directives, collaborates with our partners, Inclusive Data Solutions, to build a tool to measure digital equity. Together, we are crafting a comprehensive toolkit, designed with members of the community to take back control of thier stories, and share their ideas and solutions to the issues that affect their friends and neighbors. This toolkit aims to understand individuals' holistic digital experiences, shedding light on people's aspirations, goals, and overall quality of life. This project is committed to the principle of 'Nothing About Us Without Us,' ensuring that the toolkit's creation is inclusive, representative, and reflective of the diverse voices across Washington.
Project Goals:
Provide the legislature a report with information about people’s goals related to digital skills, roadblocks to access that are social, economic, or location-based; the local solutions people create to meet their goals (strengths-based approach, not a deficit narrative), what supports they want, and from whom they want that support to feel confident.
This report will include instructions for how to interpret and understand data in formats decision-makers may not have seen before.
This funding is intended to survey people who have been historically, intentionally misrepresented, mistreated, and unheard. The purpose of seeking this information is:
To support writing policy, request funding, & create and administer programs that provide the kind of support wanted locally, and make those programs more accessible, culturally appropriate, and diverse.
Proof of concept that community-co-creation is a methodology that produces authentic, actionable data that will allow for resources to be used for greatest impact on those we serve.
Timeline