For millions of older adults, language can be a significant challenge when seeking training in critical technology skills. OATS is proud to announce that half of our award-winning classes and programs are now available in languages other than English.
- Chinese: (14 percent)
- English: (50 percent)
- Haitian Creole: (3 percent)
- Spanish: (26 percent)
- Vietnamese: (6 percent)
- Russian: (1percent)
New multilingual programs are rolled out on an ongoing basis, most recently including a 5-week course in Vietnamese (Computer Essentials), and new AI programs in Spanish and Chinese.
“We are thrilled to have reached this important milestone,” said Director of Education Marisa Giorgi. “As an organization, we aim to remove barriers that prevent the adoption of digital tools among older adults. Ensuring that non-English speaking older adults have access to our worldclass trainings and materials helps us to achieve our mission.”
To ensure relevancy and optimize the benefit to participants, OATS staff work with trainers to incorporate feedback garnered from surveys to determine which programs should be translate. The systematic approach to incorporate participant input into program design also includes outreach to targeted groups of learners.
Serving diverse older adult populations, including speakers of languages other than English, is a core commitment at OATS. At least 12 Senior Planet licensed partners serve non-English speaking communities. Additionally, the Senior Planet hotline offers tech support for a range of questions and is available in Spanish and English. The impact of multilingual technology training programs can be life-changing, as shown in the eloquent testimonial of two individuals who participated in Senior Planet virtual Mandarin-speaking training for two years.
“We are both in our 80s with disabilities and language barriers that set barriers on technology. We were once asked to use an online tool to refill our medications, and we were not sure how to do it. We brought up the question to an AACI Senior Wellness manager who helped us do it. She also encouraged us to join the online technology program to gain more understanding of iPhone/ iPad, Online applications, and technology. We took the online technology program over 2 years and learned as much as we could. We are now able to navigate health resources and entertainment through technology. We are so grateful for the program to help us learn to use technology independently. Thank you AACI and OATS-AARP for offering programs to enrich our aging lives,” said Angel Woo and Yong Qing Song.