article

Increasing participation in the information society by people with disabilities and their families in lower-income countries using mainstream technologies

Authors:

Al CookAuthors Info & Claims

Universal Access in the Information Society, Volume 15, Issue 2

Pages 189 - 198

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-015-0418-z

Published: 01 June 2016 Publication History

Abstract

Assistive technology (AT) has been actively researched, developed and implemented throughout higher-income countries, but is relatively absent from lower-income countries. In lower-income countries, there is very little AT for reading, writing, communicating and for participation in the information society. In order for persons with disabilities in lower-income countries to participate fully in society, mainstream information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as mobile phones should be used as AT. This paper explores the potential for using mainstream ICTs as AT in lower-income countries, keeping in mind current ICT trends, characteristics of the post-PC era and ICT-based AT in higher-income countries. The paper concludes with a case study where mobile phones and SMS were used by people with disabilities and their caregivers to access information in a resourced-limited community in Bogota, Colombia. Mobile phones, a readily available mainstream ICT in this community, were a useful tool for addressing the information exclusion of people with disabilities and caregivers.

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Cited By

Šumak BŠpindler MDebeljak MHeričko MPušnik M(2019)An empirical evaluation of a hands-free computer interaction for users with motor disabilitiesJournal of Biomedical Informatics10.1016/j.jbi.2019.10324996:COnline publication date: 1-Aug-2019
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.jbi.2019.103249

Increasing participation in the information society by people with disabilities and their families in lower-income countries using mainstream technologies
1. Social and professional topics
  1. Professional topics
    1. Computing profession
  2. User characteristics

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cover image Universal Access in the Information Society

Universal Access in the Information Society Volume 15, Issue 2

June 2016

131 pages

ISSN:1615-5289

EISSN:1615-5297

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Copyright © Copyright © 2016 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

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Springer-Verlag

Berlin, Heidelberg

Publication History

Published: 01 June 2016

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Cited By

Šumak BŠpindler MDebeljak MHeričko MPušnik M(2019)An empirical evaluation of a hands-free computer interaction for users with motor disabilitiesJournal of Biomedical Informatics10.1016/j.jbi.2019.10324996:COnline publication date: 1-Aug-2019
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.jbi.2019.103249

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