Indigenous Affairs

Native American elders face a technology gap. This organization aims to fix it

KJZZ | By Kathy Ritchie

Published August 3, 2026 at 6:31 AM MST

Roughly 20 Native American elders participated in the workshop. They were able to keep the tablets they learned on.

Last month, Native American elders were invited to participate in a workshop about tech. That’s because we live in an everchanging world when it comes to technology.

But for Indigenous elders, the technology gap can be even greater. That’s why Native Health in Arizona, a community health center, hosted a series of workshops called Elder Tech 101.

“The program specifically targets age 55-plus and those folks under 200% of the federal poverty level,” explains Walter Murillo, the CEO of Native Health. He says each participant received a tablet.

“Our goal here is to make sure that we have a usable device and we walk them through everyday living so that it becomes more comfortable for them,” he says “And they are able to participate in things like health care and in banking and other things.”

Murillo says Native Health plans to hold more workshops this year.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The story has been updated to correct the spelling of Walter Murillo's name.

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