Living Deafblind: A modern-historical exploration of disability (Part 5)

DISABILITY HISTORY AND INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Disability History (continued from Part 4)

Thus, began an accessibility revolution.

It is through philanthropic efforts around the turn

of the 1900s by people such as Alexander Graham Bell, and the belief that those with disabilities are indeed members of society, that segregation has turned towards inclusion. It was in the early 20th century that Anne Sullivan taught Helen Keller, a deaf/blind person, to become one of the greatest disability inclusion advocates in government houses. Fast-forward to the late 20th and early 21st century, to where technology connects people in infinite ways to information that was difficult to obtain previously.

Since the development of the telephone, individuals who are deaf/blind have increasingly maximized their potential in society. Until the advent of the telephone, the most common form of communication was in person and by way of writing letters through the postal system that was established before the turn of the 19th century. Even in the scientific and medical communities, letters make up for the majority of correspondences. Correspondences were formalized through journal publications. In fact, most medical journals still have a “correspondences” section. In the 21st century, we do still write letters but often our correspondences are through e-mail and the important documents are attachments and available to anyone who can access the internet.

There has been an evolution of how society treats disability over time. The types of institutions, technology, champions, points of access, funding opportunities, and more have evolved since the early 1900s to New Brunswick in the 2000s. In this table, I outlined some of the distinct changes between society in around 1900 and around year 2000.

Through Anne’s own struggles, she learned how to acquire information no matter the context, in order to survive and progress. Even though it has been 132 years since Anne addressed her class as valedictorian, her story is similar to that of a person with life-limiting conditions are still considered a highly vulnerable societal group that experience high rates of violence, poverty, and discrimination (Sullivan, 2009; Simcock & Manthrope, 2014). What has changed is the technology and the avenues through which funding is accessed to improve health and development. The deaf/blind are a particular population who have access to many different forms of communication as well as complex health needs who require various assistive devices, such as the internet (Watter, Owen & Munroe, 2004), hearing devices, mobility supports, specialized glasses, assistive animals and more just to be able to interact in society.

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

It is a catch 22 situation – you need a computer with internet to access funding, but you need funding to obtain a computer with internet. AGE-WELL NICE brought another gap to light: public versus private agencies and funding. ICTs are only sometimes included as an assistive technology in programs (Schreiber et al., 2017). Mobile friendly websites are still a new thing and expensive to create, so most applications and information is only really accessible with a laptop or desktop computer. However, people with disabilities are often in low-income brackets, with less education, and struggle with obtaining assistive devices (Till, 2016). Especially given that most people access health and educational information via ICTs, such as connecting to the internet with a computer, it becomes doubly important for marginalized groups to gain access to the informed, neutral and inclusive environments found on the internet.

Crowley (2002) noted that at the time of his report, eighteen years ago now, that 80% of adult Canadian internet users accessed medical information online; namely reference materials and peer support found on federal, provincial, online vendors, private websites and others. Second most accessed resource was the educational variety, particularly by university students. It is no surprise that internet access increases with educational level as one need internet in order to pursue higher education these days. Crowley (2002) stated very eloquently that “the use of the internet as an information utility underscores the way in which IT skills are becoming ubiquitous skills and an extension of literacy and numeracy” (p. 478). So, how do we increase access, it is through the development of these ubiquitous skills or by infrastructure alone? What can we learn about the experience of navigating these systems and development of IT skills? A person with disabilities must increasingly rely on ICT to access required information to achieve life goals.

Information and communication technologies (ICT) are said to be the key to Universal Design. In theory, Universal Design would allow everyone equal access regardless of disabilities. The Canadian government adopted this philosophy and invested in ICT infrastructure by way of creating Community Access Sites where members of the, often rural, community would have access to the internet that would otherwise be entirely inaccessible due to infrastructure and cost. The public access websites were specifically mandated to provide adaptive technologies so that even people with disabilities could access the CAP sites. ICT provides a bridge to people with disabilities to overcome both the medical and social models through virtual communities where Universal Design is achieved: each person is considered to be on the same level and same unknown face on the other side of a computer.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has long been identified by the Canadian government as a key element in achieving Universal Design for all. Back in 2001, education and public access sites were key elements designed by the government to bring broadband to every community by 2004 (Statistics Canada, 2003). The government was volunteered to take leadership to ensure affordable access by supporting public access sites (CAP site), to everyone, including individuals with disabilities and those with special needs. Indeed, the public access sites provided adaptive technologies that are in place to ensure that facilities are accessible for people with disabilities. In addition to technologies, support personnel were always available. It was beautiful.

Information and Communication Technology plays a major role of people with disabilities. I believe that the ways in which people with disabilities have used ICTs over history has changed how one develops self-culture. It seems to me that greater success in life has increased with the availability of ICTs. There ae three conclusions I have reached over time: 1) Studies that assess assistive device programs do not address the access points, which I suspect is through an internet portal. 2) Internet as an assistive technology is a complex issue. 3) A person with disabilities must increasingly rely on ICT to access required information to achieve life goals. People with disabilities use information and communication technology to further their education, obtain assistive devices for more effective communication experiences, obtain accommodations before going into and once in the workplace, access health information, and even prepare to travel the world. However, of 80% of those people with disabilities, 15 years old and older, 27% of them reported that they required more devices or assistance (Statistics Canada, 2012). Cost and training, of course, are common barriers to obtaining aids.