This week, you will conduct an equity-impact assessment of the technology you have selected for your Course Project. The goal of this assignment is to provide a framework for removing barriers that disadvantaged people may experience in accessing and utilizing new technologies, as well as analyzing technologies through the lens of equity.
A good synonym for equity is fairness. In an ideal world, everyone would enjoy the same opportunities for success, and outcomes would be purely a result of merit. Unfortunately, factors such as resource inequality and discrimination make it much more difficult, or even impossible, for some people to access the same benefits from emerging technologies that others might take for granted.
As you thought about the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to your technology, your primary focus may have been on how this technology affects you or other people who are similar to you in various ways. In this assignment, your goal will be to consider how this technology impacts other groups, for better or for worse.
Please include each of the following elements in a response of two to three pages (600–900 words).
- Begin with a two- to three-sentence goal statement for your technology. What is the intended impact?
- Identify and explain groups that may be impacted by the technology. This can include, but is not limited to, low-income populations, communities of color, linguistic minorities, LGBTQA+ communities, and immigrant or refugee populations.
- Identify and explain regions that may be impacted by the technology. This can include, but is not limited to, urban communities, rural communities, coastal communities, industrial communities, and ethnic enclave.
- Analyze potential positive and negative impact(s) or unintended consequences for three identified populations. Your chosen populations should include at least one group (see #2) and at least one region (see #3). As part of your analysis, include the following for each of the three populations you select.
- Identify the population.
- Describe the potential positive and negative impacts and consequences.
- Propose actions to mitigate negative impacts or enhance positive impacts.