This week—October 7–11—is Digital Inclusion Week, powered by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance. It’s a week for celebrating the advantages of digital access; advocating universal accessibility; and recognizing those who work to ensure access for all.
Among these workers are Digital Navigators, who coach clients on everything from finding affordable connectivity to finding the Accessibility menu on an iPhone. If you’ve taken a digital skills class, chances are your instructor was a certified Digital Navigator.
Like all teachers, Digital Navigators work just as hard outside of “class time.” Today, Walter Prescher, one of BridgingApps’ Navigators, shares his schedule for a typical work week.

A Week in the Life of a Digital Navigator by Walter Prescher
Monday is the day I confirm my schedule for the week and participate in staff meetings. Depending on the week, I might only have the Teams morning meeting (a weekly virtual meeting for the BridgingApps team). Or I might have a second, afternoon meeting with the entire Digital Navigator Cohort (comprising 13 locations across the United States that are working under a grant from Google.org).
Monday is also my day to research and prep for the clients I am seeing later in the week.
Tuesday morning, I may be on the road to see clients across the diverse counties I serve in the Brazos Valley. Otherwise, Tuesday is my coordination day, when I check in with clients, follow up on referrals, schedule intakes, and contact new referral sources.
Tuesday afternoon (again, if I am not on the road), I see clients for in-person or virtual training sessions.
On Wednesday, the morning is prep time for my two main weekly events. The first of these is noon to 1 p.m. the same day, in the hallway outside the College Station VA (Veterans Affairs) Clinic. I usually spend most of that time helping clients recover passwords for different Veterans Affairs or Department of Defense websites, so they can access necessary documentation.
After returning to my office on Wednesday afternoon, I usually have at least one virtual client meeting.
Thursday morning is the second big weekly event: I trek out to the Bryan American Legion Hall for their Thursday Morning Veterans Coffee and Donuts, 8–10 a.m. There, I assist with everything from email accounts, to social media, to showing older Veterans the accessibility settings that help them see and use their phones. Then, in the afternoon, I meet with individual clients as scheduled.
Friday is my “light work day,” dedicated to administrative duties. This is when I update records, write any assigned articles, and reach out to clients who need appointments scheduled for the next week.
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One of the best aspects of this work is when I help a client set up a new-to-them device for the first time. Especially when it’s their first computer. There is always so much joy, even when they are a bit intimidated by the process, because they know they are about to enter a whole new realm of possibilities.