Designing Laptops for Resettled Refugees: How an Endless OS and IRC Partnership Impacted Thousands
Image courtesy of IRC
For almost a century, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has helped newly resettled families achieve stability and self-sufficiency by providing essential services including cultural orientation, housing, employment support, and other skill-building programs. In 2019, the Digital Access Project was launched in collaboration with Endless OS to address another challenge in these communities: digital access.
The mission of the Endless OS Foundation is to help all people and communities connect with technology, guided by the belief that access to personal computing is critical for productivity, learning and job skills.
The Digital Access Project started with the procurement of refurbished computers that included the Endless Operating System with highly personalized content for refugee communities. To meet needs specific to the families, the Endless OS and IRC teams jointly created Rescue Tools, an offline app that contains multi-language fact sheets, podcasts, and videos about important information such as housing, healthcare, transportation, employment, refugee rights, and other topics. Further, the customized Endless OS desktop highlights other apps that are useful for newly resettled refugees: resume writers, social media, budget planners, and games.
The access to technology became even more vital to families and staff as COVID-19 forced all IRC programs to go virtual. IRC offices quickly integrated the laptops and used them to deliver Cultural Orientation, English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, Job Readiness Training, and many other crucial programs throughout the pandemic. Families relied on the laptops to support their children as schools across the country operated remotely.
By July 2020, 550 laptops had been distributed to refugee families who were able to continue participating in important IRC programs, support children attending virtual school, and communicate with loved ones during quarantines and lockdowns. Unfortunately, the effects of the pandemic reached the global supply chain and the program was paused due to a shortage of laptops. The IRC used this time to support digital inclusion programs with flexible funding based on community need; for example, seeing a gap in digital literacy skills in their community, the Atlanta office developed Technology Orientation alongside Cultural Orientation, providing more individualized support.
Image courtesy of IRC
By April 2021, 1,308 Endless OS Laptops were distributed to refugee families, and the IRC estimates that almost 4,000 people were reached. The operating system was a natural fit for this program, designed for true digital beginners. Katrina Martinez, the Employment Empowerment Manager in Tucson, “likes using Endless OS for teaching clients who are digital beginners and finds that the OS, which resembles a phone interface, is helpful for teaching digital skills.”
The laptops have been crucial for job searching, staying connected with friends and family, and for children attending virtual school. According to IRC New York:
“A Resettlement client reported that the laptop has helped with managing her classes, completing homework and other assignments. She also shared that the laptops provide a way for her family to come together as they will gather at home to watch movies as they continue to try to find safe ways to entertain themselves during the pandemic. However, she stated that the most special part about the laptop is that it has allowed her the opportunity to conduct regular Zoom calls with her sister.”
The Digital Access Project is a clear example of how thoughtful partnerships can have a wide impact when designed with intention and the critical nature of usable technology as a way to help people explore, connect, and create.