Digital inclusion of people with disabilities: a qualitative study of intra-disability diversity in the digital realm

Abstract

This paper presents an in-depth study of intra-disability diversity in the digital realm and the related role of individuality and selectiveness in the digital choices and experiences of people with disabilities (PwD). The study adopts the interactionist model of disability and problematises conceptual uniformity in research that focuses on the medical and socially-constructed features of disability as those determining digital constraints and affordances for PwD. Through primary qualitative evidence, it argues that individuality and selectiveness shape a complex terrain of intra-disability diversity, which forms the nuances and experiences of digital inclusion for PwD. Thus, it invites researchers to move beyond disability-fixed categorisations and offers a 3-tier recommendation for future research to explain the range of PwD' perceptions and experiences in the digital realm.

Attitudes and Perceptions Toward Healthcare Technology Adoption Among Older Adults in Singapore: A Qualitative Study

“…According to Tsatsou, creating opportunities for digital inclusion is critical especially with digital technologies potentially amplifying complex inequalities ( 12 ). These complexities include how different communities access technologies, use them, and benefit from them.…”

Social access: role of digital media in social relations of young people with disabilities

“…Intra-disability and intersectional diversity importantly intersect with digital media use. PWDs are sometimes treated as a homogeneous group, although their experiences can be highly divergent (Tsatsou, 2019); research at schools has, indeed, identified different groups of pupils, such as a majority feeling excluded and a small minority having close friendships, reinforced digital media use (Asbjørnslett et al, 2011; Söderström, 2009). Our study highlights three issues.…”

“…The social inclusion of PWDs usually refers to PWDs being accepted by peers, both able-bodied and those with different disabilities, bearing in mind intra-disability diversity (Goggin, 2017b; Tsatsou, 2019). Furthermore, social inclusion refers to both interpersonal relationships and community participation (e.g.…”

Electronic Word of Mouth (e-WOM) e escolha do destino turístico por pessoa com deficiência ou mobilidade reduzida (PcDMr)

“…Conforme os dados do último levantamento realizado pela Organização Mundial de Saúde (World Health Organization, 2012) mais de um bilhão de pessoas em todo o mundo possuem algum tipo de deficiência, o que equivale a cerca de 15% da população global (Domínguez Vila, Darcy, & González, 2015;Tsatsou, 2019). Tais dados, corroborados pelo potencial crescimento da população idosa (que frequentemente apresenta dificuldades de mobilidade, visão e audição) tem culminado em diversos estudos referentes ao turismo para pessoas com deficiência ou mobilidade reduzida (chamado de turismo acessível), que tem sido apontado por vários autores como um rentável nicho de mercado (Huh & Singh, 2007;Babaita, 2012;Williams et al, 2017;Rabontu, 2018 (Zbikowski, Kuzmicki, Dabrowski, & Soroka, 2011).…”

“…Entretanto, há que se observar a importância da informação em todo o processo de viagem da PcDMr, seja como canal de comunicação ou como compartilhador de experiências (Domínguez Vila et al, 2018a), sendo também importante observar que em virtude da ainda reinante exclusão das pessoas com deficiência (PcD), tem crescido o interesse dos pesquisadores em investigar de que forma as tecnologias e serviços digitais podem influenciar na qualidade de vida para a PcD (Tsatsou, 2019).…”