Hi Audrey,

You are right that high bandwidth computer access costs are an  
obstacle for many people.  But some cities and states are beginning  
to set up free or lower-cost high bandwidth wireless options, and I  
am hoping that that trend will continue.

Regarding access to the web from handhelds, right now, for an  
additional $5/month ($45 instead of $40) for my Verizon mobile phone  
I have Web access at about 128K. During the day I use minutes, but    
If I access the web after 9 pm weekdays or anytime weekends it's free  
access for as long as I want.

All the best,

David


On Aug 27, 2006, at 10:58 AM, Audrey Riffenburgh wrote:


> Dear David,

>

> Yes! There is great potential in this new technology, especially  

> with videos in many languages. One thing to keep in mind, however,  

> is that even with a handheld, you need to have the funds to  

> subscribe to an internet service, right? I have not gotten one  

> because I don't want to add another $40 to my monthly technology  

> bill. Or maybe I'm missing out on some great free services. If so,  

> TELL ME! :)

>

> Audrey Riffenburgh, M.A., President

> Riffenburgh & Associates

> Specialists in Health Literacy & Plain Language since 1994

> Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

> Phone: (505) 345-1107   E-mail: ar at plainlanguageworks.com

> Founding Member, The Clear Language Group, www.clearlanguagegroup.com

> Ph.D. Student in Health Communication, Univ. of New Mexico

>

>

>

>

>

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: "David Rosen" <djrosen at comcast.net>

> To: "The Health and Literacy Discussion List"  

> <healthliteracy at nifl.gov>

> Cc: "The Technology and Literacy Discussion List"  

> <technology at nifl.gov>

> Sent: Saturday, August 26, 2006 2:23 PM

> Subject: [HealthLiteracy 357] Handhelds and Health Literacy

>

> > Health, Technology and Literacy colleagues,

> >

> > Paul has raised an important issue.

> >

> > Industrialized countries have reached a fork in the road. For health

> > literacy, financial literacy, legal literacy, homeland security

> > awareness, and in every other area where government and

> > nongovernmental agencies need to reach everyone with critical

> > information there are two paths:

> >

> > 1. Create and distribute print materials, with illustrations

> > (expensive, but necessary if not everyone has access to web sites or

> > good reading skills)

> > 2. Create web sites with print, visuals and audio, in multiple

> > languages (possibly less expensive, but not easily available to the

> > poor or those who are uncomfortable with computers)

> >

> > Many organizations, to be as inclusive as possible,  now reluctantly

> > walk down both paths.

> >

> > But a new era may be dawning where everyone has access to web pages

> > that offer information in many languages, with pictures and videos

> > and/or audible or written text --  the era of the ubiquitous

> > handheld.  Right now this is the privilege of the well-educated,  

> well-

> > to-do (often younger) professional with agile thumbs and good  

> reading

> > eyesight, or increasingly of the youthful "digital natives."  But

> > that can change.  It _will_ change as the market demands it.  People

> > who need reading glasses (like me) will ask for larger screens.

> > People who are used to keyboards will ask for inexpensive keyboard

> > options in the size they want.

> >

> > Handheld technology advancements are moving fast. Have you seen the

> > Chocolate, a mobile phone which offers navigation (directions) and

> > MP3 capacity (you can play tunes, listen to audio files) for around

> > $250? And more poor people, low-literate adults, are comfortable  

> with

> > mobile phones than with computers.

> >

> > Health educators, let's push this along.  Let's forge a partnership

> > with creative technology design folks -- like the M.I.T. Media Lab,

> > from which the $100 One-Laptop-Per-Child computer emerged -- to

> > design inexpensive handhelds with web access which meet the needs  

> for

> > health literacy the world over. As Dr. Paul Farmer (_Mountains  

> Beyond

> > Mountains_ by Tracy Kidder)  might put it, we need to think about

> > this as a "Preferential Option for the Poor" issue, as providing  

> good

> > health care information for everyone, not just for the well-to-do,

> > those who can read or understand English, or those who are

> > comfortable using a computer.  For everyone.

> >

> > David J. Rosen

> > djrosen at comcast.net

> >

> >

> > On Aug 26, 2006, at 11:39 AM, TraceyAssociates at aol.com wrote:

> >

> >> The Pew Internet and American Life Project has a very interesting

> >> article on this topic.

> >>

> >> A significant related question for those designing materials to

> >> assist this audience is the lack of access of low literacy adults

> >> to the Internet. Although Internet access continues to grow rapidly

> >> among most groups, a study in the above project notes that a

> >> significant number of low literacy adults still do not have access

> >> to the Internet.

> >>

> >> As such, designing materials only for distribution on the Internet,

> >> such as the brilliant (pun intended) MyPyramid.gov program and the

> >> increasing trend to provide only online patient education programs

> >> by major pharmaceutical companies (to save money) may be short-

> >> changing the audiences who need these programs the most.

> >>

> >> Wherever possible, online programs that meet both the patient

> >> instruction needs of educators and the needs of the majority of

> >> searchers on the Internet should remain an objective in program

> >> design.

> >>

> >> Paul Tracey

> >> www.learningaboutdiabetes.org

> >> ----------------------------------------------------

> >> National Institute for Literacy

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> >> HealthLiteracy at nifl.gov

> >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to

> >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/healthliteracy

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > ----------------------------------------------------

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> >

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David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net