Digital exclusion: coming out from behind closed doors

Abstract

Government visions of a digital future show little indication of how disabled people, reliant on access technology, will participate. Access technology has the potential to offer independent use of the Internet but many disabled people already face barriers which prevent them having equitable digital experiences.Multiple obstacles include high set-up costs, inadequate technical support and exclusive design practices. Due to the high levels of personalisation required, many disabled people are restricted to using computers at home. As a result their problems with access often remain unacknowledged and hidden behind closed doors. As online governance of welfare gathers pace, so greater awareness of the diversity of ways in which disabled people interact with digital environments is called for. Without this, government expansion into digital-only welfare risks isolating even further those who have the most to gain. Awareness of barriers to digital access needs to be highlighted. Barriers can be grouped into three sequential layers. The first is the price of access technology. This is high in comparison to computer equipment bought from mainstream retailers. Screen reading and text scanning programs cost many hundreds of pounds plus additional costs of upgrading. For disabled people on fixed incomes, the finance alone can create insurmountable obstacles. Where the technology is in place, the second layer of barriers concern the procurement of appropriate training. Access technology requires specialist support, seldom available from local computer stores or independent retailers. Where training packages are offered, much time can be spent in orientation 4 rather than applying knowledge to practice. Online support which assumes visual and audio acuity is not always appropriate. Face-to-face support is overly expensive as is telephone assistance which uses premium rate numbers and fails to take into account the degree of individual personalisation required. As if this were not enough, starting out with computers requires a complex mix of initial knowledge and skills. A standard computer keyboard can pose unsolvable mysteries to the uninitiated; zoom commands which increase the size of the content on screen are a useful and free aid for magnification but the necessary key combination can be difficult to find. Additional function keys and a numeric keypad increase opportunities for potential confusion and, as if the learning curve were not steep enough, Internet safety guidelines, including awareness of viruses, scams and how to shop online securely, are all essential knowledge. The media promotes online shopping as convenient and moneysaving and for people with mobility or sensory impairment this can be a prime reason for using the Internet. However, online retail environments involve multiple form filling and these can be inaccessible to screen reading software. The additional layers of security designed to safeguard financial transactions make it impossible for many users to complete purchases in particular where text...

From disparity to parity : understandig the barriers to inclusion of persons with visual disabilities in the digital revolution of Uganda

“…Assistive technologies that work effectively for most PWVDs are tenable at a price which is usually higher than a computer bought from a mainstream retailer. A screen reader or screen magnifier costs many hundreds of pounds plus additional costs of upgrading from time to time; therefore out of reach for many who are unemployed or live on fixed incomes such as pensions or unemployment benefits (Bird & Plumpton, 2008;Watling, 2011). This has profound effects on their adoption.…”

“…For PWVDs who rely on alternative assistive technology, customized home access remains the most realistic option for getting online (Watling, 2011). However, home use of ICTs is often curtailed by affordability.…”

“…Access technology requires specialist support, which is seldom available from local computer stores or independent retailers (Watling, 2011). Even where training packages are offered, usually on CD ROMs accompanying screen reader or screen magnifier programmes, much time can be spent in orientation rather than applying knowledge to practice.…”

“…However, both faceto-face support and telephone assistance are overly expensive (Watling, 2011), and they often fail to take into account the degree of individual personalization required. The alternative would have been social support; but the benefit PWVDs can get from this is also minimal, hampered by the scarcity of information about accessibility in ICTs.…”

“…In terms of use, solutions which focus on increased community-based access, for example in libraries, coffee shops and pubs, fail to take into account the diversity of ways in which PWDs make use of alternative assistive technologies (Watling, 2011). Here users are assumed to have the mobility to sit at a standard height workbench or table, use a standard computer keyboard or mouse and work with default monitor and system display settings.…”