Mobile Technology and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities

2017

Przegląd Pedagogiczny, 2025

The ongoing social changes can contribute to the minimalization of negative phenomena, such as social exclusion, marginalization, discrimination, or stigmatization. Technological solutions supporting educational activities in the context of lifelong learning and social work and people at risk of social exclusion are increasingly becoming an area of analysis regarding their usefulness, quality, differentiation, and adaptation to environmental and local contexts. This paper focuses on analyses of mobile applications as a tool for supporting people at risk of social exclusion in the context of lifelong, informal learning. The authors describe the theoretical, social, and educational background of crucial aspects of social exclusion. The authors also present examples of selected mobile applications that are important and valuable in enhancing the lifelong education of people from groups at risk of social exclusion. The authors focus on indicating those essential solutions that can be perceived as tools that help strengthen the emotional and psychological aspects of everyday life of people from socially marginalized groups. The authors also present mobile apps that are important in the context of everyday support for people with disabilities. The paper also emphasizes the importance of applications for developing parental and social competencies of people from groups at risk of social exclusion.

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of a process undertaken to improve the provision of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for children with disabilities in the formal education system of a developing country. Methodology/approach
We review two inclusion-oriented interventions that have been implemented by a disability centre at a regional university in the Caribbean; firstly a survey of 100 primary and high schools in Jamaica to assess their technology accessibility and inclusiveness for children with disabilities, and secondly, a collaborative project between the centre and a government institution to provide assistive technologies, training and curriculum components for students with disabilities. Findings
The results indicate that more than 77 per cent of Jamaican schools are inaccessible to children with disabilities, and 90 per cent of children with disabilities have not been provided with modern technologies to assist with their education. Inadequacies with the technological Communication and Information Technologies Annual: Digital Empowerment: Opportunities and Challenges of Inclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean Studies in Media and Communications, Volume 12, 25
39 Copyright r 2017 by Emerald Group Publishing Limited All rights of reproduction in any form reserved ISSN: 2050-2060/doi:10.1108/S2050-206020160000012003 25 Downloaded by University of The West Indies at Mona, Doctor Anthea Henderson At 10:17 20 March 2017 (PT) infrastructure of the educational system are related to broader inaccessibility issues for children with disabilities. A significant hindrance to ICT procurement is connected to costs of technology hardware and software, but institutional advocacy can be instrumental in mobilizing support for technology investments, particularly for vulnerable groups. Originality/value
Partnerships between institutions, advocacy groups and government are important in developing countries in order to incorporate and sustain initiatives for ICT provision for children with disabilities in the education system. Keywords: Disability; children; information and communication technologies; access to education

Disability citizenship and independence through mobile technology? A study exploring adoption and use of a mobile technology platform

Disability citizenship and independence through mobile technology: a study exploring adoption and use of a mobile technology platform Abstract This paper explores the use of mobile technology as experienced by people with disability. The intention of the mobile technology is to increase community independence and participation by increasing the user's autonomy through a range of apps and a 24/7 Help Centre. It examines their experiences of the device, the perceptions of its effectiveness through the eyes of carers and service providers, and the impact of the technology on the lives of the individuals. An interpretive qualitative study design was adopted involving observations and interviews with 15 participants, their significant others and their service providers. The data is analysed using the 'PHAATE' model which represents the factors for consideration in service design which are policy, human/person, activity, assistance, technology and environment. The findings indicate that the mobile technology extensively increased the participants' communication and sharing of events and information particularly with family members. Carers and service providers talked about the benefits of the technology in terms of security, safety and independence. Nonetheless, all involved in the research identified technical, behavioural and roll out problems associated with the mobile technology. Overall incorporating mobile technology into the lives of people with disabilities provides opportunities for the development of greater independence and disability citizenship.

The potential of technology to connect people and provide access to education, commerce, employment and entertainment has never been greater or more rapidly changing. Communication technologies and new media promise to ‘revolutionize our lives’ by breaking down barriers and expanding access for disabled people. Yet, it is also true that technology can create unexpected and undercritiqued forms of social exclusion for disabled people. In addition to exploring some of the ways that even (or especially) assistive technology can result in new forms of social exclusion, we also propose alternative ways of thinking about inclusive and accessible (as opposed to assistive) technology and provide some very practical ways that accessible technologies would promote greater access and flexibility for disabled students and adults. We contend that technology should be conceived of as a global, accessible and inclusive concept, not one that requires a qualifier based on who it is for.

2018

This paper examines the ways in which Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) can promote greater inclusion of persons with disabilities. It characterizes the patterns of ICT use among persons with disabilities in Latin America and the Caribbean and proposes recommendations and strategies to expand access to and use of ICT among persons with disabilities in the region to harness the potential of these tools to promote greater inclusion. This investigation is based on mixed methods that include the analysis of census data, complemented by interviews, bibliographic review and online searches of legislation, policies and programmes to promote ICT use among persons with disabilities.

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. We conclude the paper 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.

2016

In most research projects there is a tendency not to consult young disabled children about their priorities and experiences. Their needs and aspirations are pre-empted through service providers. Furthermore, there is little research about how resilient young disabled children are in dealing with or overcoming the barriers in their daily lives due to inadequate provision of mobility devices. Therefore, this study undertook to explore and describe the perceptions and experiences of a sample of children with mobility impairments from disadvantaged backgrounds with regard to the impact of lack of access to mobility devices on their lives. From 1998-2000 in a qualitative study, a case study design was used as a method of inquiry to explore the experiences and perceptions of disabled children at a special school in a township in Cape Town in the Western Cape Province, South Africa with regard to the impact of inadequate provision of mobility devices on their lives. Analysis of the stories...

2021

The purpose of this literature-based study was to investigate the way in which psychological and disability perspectives, in a South African context, can be accommodated in the Framework for the Rational Analysis of Mobile Education model to promote inclusive approaches in mobile learning. This model aims to guide the way in which learning materials are designed to facilitate mobile learning effectively. This is important because mobile learning can enhance interaction in teaching and learning. The literature suggests that since psychological and disability perspectives have not been adequately dealt with in the model, two components should be added so that inclusivity, particularly in relation to students with different abilities, can be accommodated. Further research regarding disabilities and the use of mobile learning will help educators and higher education institutions to expand their capacity towards adopting these technologies.

Disability is not inability. A disability is only actually a disability only when it prevents someone from doing what they want or need to do. Technologies and communication devices help reduce physical barriers. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide a model to allow people with disabilities to better integrate socially and economically into their communities by supporting personal access to information and knowledge, learning and teaching situations, personal communication and interaction and access to educational administrative procedures. When we talk about accessibility issues, removing barriers to accessing ICTs by persons with disabilities is of paramount importance. Government agencies, NGOs and private sector should all come out to remove barriers to access ICTs and work together with the stakeholders so that people with disabilities are able to live independent life.