Unlimited Computer Access Encourages Independent Living

When you think of a Neighborhood Network Center, do you always think of a centralized learning center? It's time to rethink that image.

Welcome to the Neighborhood Network Center (NNC) at Rolling Green Apartments in Hillsboro, OR. This 25-unit apartment complex was designed to house disabled tenants, mostly quadriplegics. The goal of this NNC is to provide all tenants with computers access, whether it be in their unit or at community-use computers in the apartment's common areas.

The learning program for this center is based on the needs of individual tenants, rather than only providing training in a classroom setting. Centralized computer classes are offered occasionally and are often taught by the tenants. The residents love the fact that they have access to computers almost anywhere they go in the complex.

The owner, Hillsboro Supportive Housing, Inc., and the management agent, Quadriplegics United Against Dependency, Inc. (QUAD Inc.), encourage their tenants to live independently. Having unlimited access to computers and high speed internet has contributed to this goal.