b4us:

Internet access is an amenity, not a luxury

In working closely with social services, I’ve discovered that some internet providers actually offer discounted internet packages to those on disability, due to the fact that to most, internet is a required amenity

I’ve had multiple people tell me this is silly and that this is just people on disability leeching off the government, especially those who entered adulthood before the rise of the internet, but things have changed since then.

Without the internet, those on disability can’t:

-Check their bank accounts and track their bills remotely

-Apply for a job with a company that only offers online applications (yes, that’s a very real thing) or discover job opportunities that aren’t listed in the newspaper

-Discover new community resources, such as upcoming food and clothing drives

-Order groceries online if they have low mobility and can’t go to the store themselves

-Pursue schooling by studying online, rather than spending their livelyhood on textbooks

-Look up tutorials on things such as cooking and what cleaners to use for specific tasks, instead of endangering themselves by going into those tasks blind

Internet is an amenity. Society is dependent on it and taking it away from those who can’t afford it would take so much more from them in the long run.