Disability Online for CSR Practitioners; Disability and the Digital Divide
An Employers' Forum on Disability Briefing for CSR Practitioners
In association with AccountAbility with the support of Cable & Wireless
Technology and the new economy present both opportunities and challenges for the economic and social inclusion of disabled people, as companies seek to harness new technology for the benefit of business.
People with disabilities are more likely to be on the wrong side of the digital divide - the gap between those people who have access to and are able to use the internet and those that don't - than their non-disabled counterparts. Disabled people are over-represented amongst the groups most likely to be excluded from the internet, such as the unemployed, those with lower income or less education. They also face unique technological barriers and prejudice - yet they are often left off the digital divide agenda.
Disabled people can and do use the internet and many find it an extremely useful resource which helps them to become more independent and have access to a wider range of information and services.
In a recent poll disabled adults rated the value of the internet much more highly than non-disabled people, reporting that the internet:
- Significantly improved the quality of their lives (48% vs. 27% non-disabled)
- Made them better informed about the world (52% vs. 39% non-disabled)
- Helped them feel more connected to the world (44% vs. 38% non-disabled)
- Helped them reach out to people with similar interests and experiences (44% vs 38% non-disabled) (1)
However, too often disabled people are excluded through poor website design and have problems in accessing the adaptive hardware and software which they need to use the net.
- Only 24% of people with disabilities in the US own a computer (compared to 52% without disabilities)
- Only 11% have internet access (compared to 31% of people without disabilities) (2)
- 8% of the US population has visual, learning, cognitive, auditory or physical dexterity impairments severe enough to affect their ability to use the internet given current design failures (3)
- Two thirds of leading websites in the US are inaccessible to disabled people (4) Other studies estimate that as much as 78% - 99% of online content is inaccessible to people with impairments which affect internet use (5)
- The Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) estimates that 2 million disabled people in the UK are unable to use the internet because of accessibility issues (6)
The US report "Falling through the Net" also notes that lower access rates apply to people whose disabilities do not affect their ability to use the net (e.g. people who use wheelchairs) as well as those for whom the net is inaccessible for technical reasons (e.g. people with visual impairments).
Companies which are able to bridge the digital divide for disabled employees, customers, business partners, shareholders, as well as disabled people in the local community, will make efficiency and productivity gains while furthering the economic and social inclusion of people with disabilities.
By making websites, intranets and internal computer systems and hardware accessible to disabled people employers will enable more people to work for them while also improving services for customers, business partners and shareholders. It is in the interests of business to anticipate the regulators on this issue as many are considering how anti-discrimination legislation, including the ADA and the DDA, applies to website accessibility.
References
- Online poll by Harris Interactive (Taylor, 2000)
- Susanne Bruyere, Cornell Department of Industrial and Labor Relations, 2000
- Web Accessibility in Mind, www.webaim.org/intro
- Jackson-Sanborn, Odess-Harnish and Warren, 2001 - From a sample of leading sites, including overall most visited, clothing, international, jobs, college (US based)
- Rowland, 2000 (unpublished data); Forrester Research inc - www.webaim.org/articles/webnet2000
- http://www.rnib.org.uk/digital/welcome