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Digital Britain: Barriers And Solutions To Internet Use By Persons With Disabilities

Source: UK Consumer Expert Group (CEG)
Posted on: 25th October 2009

The Consumer Expert Group (CEG) was asked in the Digital Britain Report to report on the specific issues facing disabled people using the Internet.

This report responds to that request. We urge that this report is used to inform the government’s long-term strategy, as well as the immediate work that is being done by both the Consortium for the Promotion of Digital Participation and by the Champion for Digital Inclusion, Martha Lane Fox, in their work to get people online.

In the course of research for this report it became clear that there are a number of issues which specifically affect disabled people and discourage them from using the Internet. The research also shows that people with certain disabilities face issues that are very specific to their disability.

These issues came up repeatedly in evidence provided by CEG members themselves, and in discussions with other organisations. This report is informed by their practical experience of supporting disabled people to get online. This report focuses mainly on Internet access via computers because this is currently the most common form of access and most of the evidence we received was about that form of access. However, other ways of acessing the Internet such as TVs and mobile phones that are often presented as easier or cheaper ways to use the Internet are assessed as well.

The issues, consistently cited as reasons for low take-up can be grouped under four headings that reflect the journey into ongoing Internet access:

  1. Motivation
  2. Starting out and getting online
  3. Continuing the journey: Making the Internet work for me
  4. Enjoying the benefits and dealing with the dangers/risks of using the Internet

Motivation

Disabled people’s decisions about not going online will often be informed by the same issues that influence non-disabled people: fear of not being able to use it, the fact that the person is living contentedly offline, anxiety about the costs, fear of the web itself etc. For those who see no relevance in going online encouraging use of the Internet is often a case of getting people to see the benefit for them personally.

For some disabled people, a number of specific additional reasons can combine to make the Internet and computers inaccessible and put them off going online. Disabled people are less likely to be in work so they are less likely to have had contact with computers and technology. As a result disabled people can be less likely to be aware of the benefits that technology can bring, or have less familiarity with computers.

There are a range of disabilities with different needs. Specific disabilities require a range of different access technology and considerations for accessibility in web design. The high cost of access technology often puts this technology out of the reach of disabled people and can put people who need access technology off going online. With only 50% of disabled people in employment, and many over the age of retirement, prohibitive costs are a significant reason why disabled people are reluctant to go online. This is the also the case for the costs of buying the computer and broadband connection. For many disabled people, these basic costs are out of reach even before any additional costs have been factored in.

Motivation is not the only issue. Very often, the supply side of Internet use for disabled people is just not adequate. Websites, sign-up pages and forms are often inaccessible, even with access technology. None of the major content authoring tools are fully accessible and this means disabled people lose the opportunity to ‘create’ online and are barred from uploading their own User Generated Content (UGC). If the technology and infrastructure is not accessible it will be hard to convince disabled people to go online. One bad experience online can make some people give up.

Starting Out and Getting Online

A lack of awareness about the access technology available, and of the ways in which it can help break down the barriers to the Internet, is another key issue in looking at low take-up for disabled people. The lack of awareness amongst mainstream retail outlets about access technology is another limiting factor. Disabled people can’t get appropriate advice from mainstream retailers on suitable equipment at the point of purchase.

Internet and information technology (IT) without them having to buy the equipment themselves. It can be easier than getting a computer and broadband subscription into the home and it offers a way to experience the Internet without prohibitive costs.

Public access is certainly beneficial for some groups, in particular for older people, for whom the social interaction which comes with public access can be an advantage. For some groups though, public access points are not a feasible option. Access technology often needs to be personalised for the user and the best personal settings and preferences for that user need to be saved. But this is not possible in public access points and it can easily take up to half an hour to reset the personal settings. In these cases, even those public access points with access technology can’t provide the same experience that someone would get with a computer and broadband connection in their home. For housebound people, or people with severe disabilities needing complex access technology, including specialist keyboards as well as software, the only realistic way in which they can fully engage with the Internet will be with access at home.

Using access technology requires training and training requires funding to access it. Furthermore, for training to be accessible it must be carried out in an appropriate manner which in many cases will mean that one to one training is required.

Alternatives to using the computer to access the Internet, such as mobile phones or a television, come with their own accessibility problems that need addressing before they can be presented as viable alternatives for disabled people.

Continuing the Journey: Making the Internet work for me

Website design and usability continue to act as barriers for disabled peoples’ full engagement with the Internet and IT. Unless accessibility is embedded as a first principle in website design, access technology software will continually be playing catch up to try and find solutions to inaccessible website development.

The ever increasing interactive nature of website design and application development is actually making the situation much harder to resolve. Software development such as Flash and AJAX, and use of CAPTCHAs5, cause problems for access technology and more websites become inaccessible to disabled people. Although the increasing use of graphics might be beneficial for some disabled people, it makes the use of access technology that relies on text streams impossible unless a text alternative is available. One example of access technology which is reliant on text streams are the screen readers for visually impaired or dyslexic people.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2 (WCAG2) try to address some of these emerging accessibility issues but their complex nature makes it difficult for web designers and programmers to implement. Guidance on implementing WCAG 2 should be introduced to make clearer to website designers exactly how these guidelines apply to them, and how the decisions that web designers take to address accessibility issues actually affects disabled people using the website.

In addition to being made accessible, websites need to be usable for people who are using access technology. In one example, the homepage of a publicly funded website which is fully readable with a screen reader, took the blind user of a screen reader 17 minutes to read.

Ongoing support is essential for some disabled people using the Internet. This support needs to be provided in a format which is accessible. The problem of how to provide such support, and how to fund it emerged from the evidence of several different organisations. For some people, telephone helplines might be feasible, however other options would need to be considered for people who are deaf and hard of hearing, such as offering a text phone number, accepting calls through Text Relay (formerly TypeTalk). Home visits are a good way of supporting people’s use of the Internet, especially when people encounter unexpected problems with the computer. But most charities don’t have the funds to support this kind of activity. Training centres need to have more than just start up funding, they also need ongoing capital funding to ensure they can continue to provide ongoing training to people who need it.

The constantly changing nature and sophistication of technology is yet another barrier for access technology users. Access technology software on a computer is often reset when the Windows operating system updates itself. In addition, access technology software can become obsolete when the operating system it interacts with is upgraded. There is a cost and a training need associated with keeping up with the latest versions of access technology. These issues can make disabled users of access technology much more reluctant to persist with Internet use.

Enjoying the benefits and dealing with the dangers/risks of using the Internet

It came across strongly that off-line alternatives to on-line services need to continue to be provided. The CEG believes that even where disabled people are using access technology they may not get ‘equal access’ to the Internet. An experienced user of screen reader software will use shortcuts to get to the page that they want to, without reading all of the pages on the way. Similarly some disabled people tend to restrict their use of the Internet to websites which they know are fully accessible.

Some disabled people may never be able to go online, or may never choose to. Already we can see a shift towards online only services which exclude disabled people who cannot access the Internet, or choose not to use it. For these reasons the CEG believes it is imperative that adequately resourced services continue to be provided offline.

Some disabled people, particularly those with learning difficulties or mental health problems, seem likely to be more vulnerable to the negative aspects of the Internet, for example scams/fraud. They need particular support in this area. However potential fraud is faced by all users of the Internet, and it is important for everyone, including disabled users, to be educated about the dangers of the online world as a standard part of any Internet training.

We recognise that the growing use of mobile phones to access the Internet may mean Government chooses to meet its agenda for Digital Britain by encouraging Internet access via alternatives to the computer such as mobile phones, game consoles or via a digital television with Internet capability. While we recognise the growing use of mobile phones as a device to access the Internet is helpful for some, they are not a suitable alternative for everyone. At this point, standard mobile phones are not disabled people friendly and those with access technology are substantially more expensive.

Television design and remote controls are also an area in which we recognise there are accessibility issues for disabled people. Devices such as mobile phones and television can not be considered as cheaper viable alternatives to get online for some disabled people, because of their current lack of accessibility and usability for disabled people or the cost associated with purchasing accessible versions.

Read The Full Report Here

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