Trelena Thomas left her job as a nurse to care for her three daughters, one a quadriplegic, before computers and the Internet became mainstays of the job. She didn’t expect that such technology would eventually become an important tool in her new job as a stay-at-home mom, but lacking a home computer has increasingly interfered with her daughters’ school work and her ability to find services for the family.

“I actually counted today, and I was told to ‘just look it up online’ four times,” she said when calhealthreport.org met up with the family to film the first segment in our three-part series.

Visit the family below on a typical night without home Internet, then return as the Thomases receive a free computer and discounted broadband connectivity via the San Diego Broadband Initiative, which helps low-income families bridge the digital divide.

The Modern Divide from robertknauf on Vimeo.