Via New America Media comes the news that elderly Latin@s are being targeted in the digital divide:

A recently launched nationwide program will aim to help elderly Latino/Americans get comfortable in cyberspace in an effort to overcome one of the widest gaps in the so-called “digital divide” between those who are able to access and use the Internet and others who are not.

Wanda Rodriguez-Mercado, a project coordinator at the Pasadena-based National Association for Hispanic Elderly, a non-profit group that helped test Generations on Line Espanol, said she expects the program to make a big difference in the lives of senior citizens.

“In working with Hispanic and Latino elders every day, I know the thrill of discovery for them and the disappointment when they know something is beyond their reach,” Rodriguez-Mercado said. “I watched a woman in her 70′s go from shy to confident when she was able to use the Internet and quickly become a mentor to others.”

The issue of access is not going to just go away. As the article states even younger Latin@s are not always using the internet because of language barriers. But even so, it’s really great to see that elderly populations are getting attention they deserve and are recognized as important internet consumers.