Centering the Margins: Policy Challenges and Stakeholder Perspectives on Digital Inclusion

How do digitalized public services shape experiences of vulnerability — and what can we learn when we center the voices of those most affected?

This panel webinar brings together researchers to explore key insights from their work on digital inclusion, focusing on the often-overlooked barriers encountered by precarious populations in increasingly digital environments.

Panelists Kendall Ho, Elizabeth FitzGerald, Gina Netto and Gilda Seddighi will share insights from their research on both visible and more subtle forms of digital vulnerabilities — including those that only became apparent through close engagement with affected communities and stakeholders.

They will reflect on policy-related challenges identified in their research, such as

• capacity limitations,
• mismatched systems, and
• structural constraints

that service providers, municipal authorities, and voluntary organizations face in supporting marginalized groups.

Drawing on models like the pentagram partnership framework, the conversation will highlight socially accountable and collaborative approaches to digital service design.

Through appreciative inquiry, the panel will also explore how research can influence policy and inclusion strategies, and what tools — such as participatory methods and accessible dissemination — help make stakeholder collaboration more meaningful and effective.

We’ll close with forward-looking reflections on digital inclusion: What strategies and actions are needed to move from today’s challenges toward a more equitable and inclusive digital future?

Join us for a rich dialogue on policy challenges and stakeholder perspectives on digital inclusion.

Dr. Kendall Ho is an emergency medicine specialist, Professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC) Faculty of Medicine, and Lead the Digital Emergency Medicine Unit. He is the medical director of the BC Ministry of Health HealthLink BC virtual physician program, and clinical evaluation lead of the BC Real Time Virtual Support provincial virtual care services. His Digital Emergency Medicine research and knowledge translation work focus on virtual care, wearables and sensors, machine learning and artificial intelligence in urgent and emergency care, and multicultural engagement in digital health literacy. His body of research and educational work has been recognized with multiple awards, and received the BC Medal of Good Citizenship for his community work. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

Dr Elizabeth FitzGerald is a Senior Lecturer in the Institute for Educational Technology (IET) at the Open University, UK and the EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) champion for IET. She has extensive experience in learner journeys, both in formal situation and informal. She focuses on research in educational equity and practice, that harnesses her expertise in pedagogy and theory-based evaluative learning. She has over 75 publications and has gained funding from Horizon Europe, HEFCE, EPSRC, ESRC, Ordnance Survey and the Home Office.

Gina Netto is a Professor in International Migration and Racial Justice. She has led publicly funded research across a broad range of public policy areas, including access to, experiences with, and outcomes of housing, (mental) health and social care services, as well as participation in the labour market and creative industries. She is currently the Principal Investigator of the Protecting Minority Ethnic Communities Online (PRIME) project, funded by UKRI through the Strategic Priorities Fund. PRIME is a consortium of five universities—Heriot-Watt University (lead), Cranfield University, the Open University, and the Universities of Glasgow and York—working in partnership with community organisations and government bodies. The project investigates the impact of digitalisation on three interrelated services: health, housing, and energy supply.

Gilda Seddighi is a Senior Researcher at NORCE Norwegian Research Centre – division Health and Society. She holds a PhD in Gender and Media Studies, with a dissertation titled "Politicization of Grievable Lives on Iranian Facebook Pages." Her research focuses on gendered and racialized exclusionary mechanisms in digitalization processes and datafied forms of work. She is currently leading a project on reducing digital inequalities among immigrant-background youth who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET).