Exploration of ICT Appropriation by Disabled People and its Effect on the Self-Perceived Normalcy

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are omnipresent and define the interactions in society. Within society, there are vulnerable groups of people for whom ICT use is more challenging. Disabled people are the most vulnerable ICT users. To identify the digital divides of access and impact of ICT on disabled users, an exploratory qualitative study was conducted. Relying on a French national association for disability that grants unique access to disabled ICT users, two focus groups and 10 in-depth interviews were carried. The study allows to propose a model of ICT use and effects for disabled people, integrating several types of disabilities. The results show that ICT appropriation by disabled users depends on their perceived self-efficacy in ICT. ICT use can lead to negative effects, including social exclusion and low perceived normalcy. To address societal interests and develop the literature, a research agenda is proposed.

Download Full-text

A Contemporary View on Online and Web Tools for Students with Sensory & Learning Disabilities

International Journal of Online and Biomedical Engineering (iJOE) ◽

10.3991/ijoe.v15i12.10833 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (12) ◽

pp. 97

Author(s):

Vasiliki Bravou ◽

Athanasios S. Drigas

Keyword(s):

Special Needs ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Disabled People ◽

Students With Special Needs ◽

Daily Lives ◽

Web Tools ◽

Special Needs Education ◽

Sensory Learning ◽

Information And Communication

<p class="0abstract">In the last 30 years, the use of information and communication technologies, the evolution of hardware and software for special needs people, as well as the spreading of the World Wide Web, is assisting people with disabilities in overcoming obstacles, accessing information, learning and participating in activities, which otherwise were not able to carry out. Special needs education is the process adjusting the education of learners with disabilities according to their unique requirements. Evolvement of technology has made computers and mobile devices capable of complementing usual teaching processes for students with special needs. In this report we present a summary of some representative online applications for assisting disabled people in the learning process and their daily lives.</p>

Download Full-text

How nonprofits use Facebook to craft infrastructure

First Monday ◽

10.5210/fm.v26i3.10265 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Libby Hemphill ◽

A.J. Million ◽

Ingrid Erickson

Keyword(s):

Civic Engagement ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Uses And Gratifications ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Technology Choice ◽

Non Profit ◽

Ict Use ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Moral Economies ◽

Task Technology Fit

We present findings from interviews with 23 individuals affiliated with non-profit organizations (NPOs) to understand how they deploy information and communication technologies (ICTs) in their civic engagement efforts. Existing research about NPO ICT use is often critical, but we did not find evidence that NPOs fail to use tools effectively. Rather, we detail how NPOs assemble various ICTs to create infrastructures that align with their values. Overall, we find that existing theories about technology choice (e.g., task-technology fit, uses and gratifications) do not explain the assemblages NPOs describe. We argue that the infrastructures they fashion can be explained through the lens of moral economies rather than utility. Together, the rhetorics of infrastructure and moral economies capture the motivations and constraints our participants expressed and challenge how prevailing theories of ICT use describe the non-profit landscape.

Download Full-text

De-skilling Effects on Journalists: ICTs and the Labour Process of Taiwanese Newspaper Reporters

Canadian Journal of Communication ◽

10.22230/cjc.2006v31n3a1763 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Chang-de Liu

Keyword(s):

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

New Technologies ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Managerial Control ◽

Nouvelles Technologies ◽

Labour Process ◽

Conditions De Travail ◽

Charge De Travail ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Depth Interviews

Abstract: Through in-depth interviews with Taiwanese newspaper workers, this paper illustrates the “de-skilling” effects of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on journalists. In recent years, Taiwanese reporters have experienced an increase in workload and an intensification of managerial control due to the introduction of new technologies in the newsroom. Using ICTs in the workplace consequently has harmed journalists’ working conditions and autonomy. Moreover, ICTs have led to a trivialization of reporting tasks and devaluation of reporters’ experience and knowledge. The degradation of reporting work resulting from the use of ICTs has enabled managers at Taiwanese newspapers to hire young employees to fill the jobs of experienced reporters and to reduce salary costs. Résumé : En se fondant sur des entretiens en profondeur menés avec les employés de quotidiens taiwanais, cet article illustre la déqualification de journalistes causée par les technologies de communication et de l’information (TCIs). Depuis quelques années, les reporters taiwanais ont subi une augmentation de leur charge de travail et du contrôle administratif exercé sur eux à la suite de l’introduction de nouvelles technologies dans les salles de nouvelles. Ainsi, les TCIs au travail ont porté atteinte aux conditions de travail et à l’autonomie des journalistes. En outre, les TCIs ont banalisé les tâches des reporters et ont dévalué leur expérience et leur savoir. La dégradation du travail journalistique résultant de l’introduction des TCIs a permis aux dirigeants des quotidiens taiwanais d’engager de jeunes employés à la place de reporters expérimentés et de réduire les salaires.

Download Full-text

Migrants’ wellbeing and use of information and communication technologies.

International Health Trends and Perspectives ◽

10.32920/ihtp.v1i2.1421 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 139-160

Author(s):

Jordana Salma ◽

Lalita Kaewwilai ◽

Savera Aziz Ali

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Social Role ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Social Activities ◽

Digital Learning ◽

Migrant Populations ◽

Ict Use ◽

Information And Communication

The number of migrants is increasing worldwide coupled with an ever-expanding entrenchment of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the fabric of daily life. There has been little attention in the health disciplines to the unique ways migrants adopt and are influenced by ICTs across multiple local and transnational social spaces. This scoping review explores the current evidence on migrants’ ICT-mediated transnational social activities and related influences on wellbeing. The review was conducted using Arksey and O'Malley’s (2005) methodological framework and a total of 37 articles were included for the final study. Key findings highlight barriers and facilitators of ICT use in transnational contexts, types of ICT-mediated transnational social activities; and reported influences on migrants’ wellbeing. Migrants’ ICT use facilitates reciprocal channels of social support and continuation of valued social roles. Social role disruption, unequal exchange of social support, and mismatch between migrants’ expectations around ICT use and that of left-behind communities are some of the negative processes with psychological, social, and emotional consequences identified in the review. Main review conclusions emphasize the need to further explore the quality and intensity of ICT-mediated social influences on migrants’ wellbeing and to incorporate a transnational lens in the design of digital learning interventions targeting vulnerable migrant populations.

Download Full-text

Information and Communication Technology Uses in Agriculture

E-Agriculture and Rural Development ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-2655-3.ch017 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 235-251

Author(s):

Tizita Alemayehu Wasihun ◽

Blessing Maumbe

Keyword(s):

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Value Chain ◽

Success Factors ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Value Chains ◽

Key Success Factors ◽

Ict Use ◽

Strategic Role ◽

Information And Communication

The world has experienced an unprecedented growth in information and communication technologies (ICT) through the widespread use of personal computers, Internet, and mobile phones. The objectives of this chapter are to examine trends in ICT use in agriculture, identify key success factors for ICT utilization in agriculture, and investigate the implications of ICT-enabled value chains for the agribusiness industry. The chapter describes the strategic role of ICT in the development of both e-commerce and mobile commerce in agriculture globally. The chapter identifies the leading areas of ICT use in agriculture and agribusinesses as input procurement, production, marketing, food traceability, and financial service delivery. Producers are increasingly seeking ways to add value to their businesses by integrating ICT in the value chain. Similarly, consumers are becoming more knowledgeable about how they could use ICT to articulate their preferences. The chapter discusses key success factors for ICT applications affecting both the internal and external environment of agribusiness firms. The chapter concludes by drawing implications for ICT use in agriculture and agribusiness value chains.

Download Full-text

The Impact of Gender in ICT Usage, Education and Career

Advances in Social Networking and Online Communities - Gender and Social Computing ◽

10.4018/978-1-60960-759-3.ch007 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 98-119 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Bernhard Ertl ◽

Kathrin Helling ◽

Kathy Kikis-Papadakis

Keyword(s):

Empirical Study ◽

Gender Bias ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Current Situation ◽

Gender Inequalities ◽

Ict Use ◽

Information And Communication ◽

The Impact

Gender is an important issue in the context of information and communication technologies (ICT). Studies show that ICT use is subject to gender bias, e.g. in relation to ICT use and interests. This contribution describes the current situation of gender and ICT professions in Germany and Greece. Based on an empirical study, it shows particular areas in ICT education that suffer from gender inequalities in both countries. Furthermore, the chapter elaborates how gender inequalities develop from secondary to professional ICT careers based on statistics from Germany and Greece.

Download Full-text

“ICT Is for Boys”

International Journal of Information Communication Technologies and Human Development ◽

10.4018/ijicthd.2019040101 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 1-24

Author(s):

Erica Norstedt ◽

Annika Andersson ◽

Evylyn Pettersson ◽

Simon Klintestrand

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Developing Countries ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Gender Gap ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Equal Opportunities ◽

Men And Women ◽

Research And Practice ◽

Ict Use ◽

Information And Communication

There is worldwide consensus on how important women are for development where gender equality is seen as a prerequisite for sustainable development. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are seen as one of the most promising tools for the empowerment of women in developing countries. Men and women therefore need to have equal opportunities to access and use ICTs. Here, the authors, however, find a huge gender gap, and the reasons for this gap are still not fully understood or investigated. The purpose of this study is therefore to further investigate the reasons for this gap in ICT use. Based on a review of existing literature, as well as interviews with men and women from developing countries, the main finding is that the impeding factor underlying all barriers described in the literature relates to social norms. Based on this insight, the authors end the paper by discussing implications for research and practice.

Download Full-text

“He too will become a nation and he too will become great”: The information needs of the “Bnei Menashe” immigrant community in Israel as capability

International Communication Gazette ◽

10.1177/1748048518820459 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 82 (4) ◽

pp. 384-403 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Baruch Shomron ◽

Amit Schejter

Keyword(s):

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Information Needs ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Capabilities Approach ◽

Immigrant Community ◽

Critical Information ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Depth Interviews ◽

Role Of Information

The “Bnei Menashe” are a marginalized community that immigrated from India to Israel. The community has diverse information needs, yet they are characterized by difficulties that prevent them from acquiring vital information. In this study, we utilized Sen’s (1993) “capabilities approach” as well as Friedland et al. (2012) “critical information needs” for the identification of the Bnei Menashe’s information capabilities, and the ways in which they answer them. The study was conducted using semi-structured individual in-depth interviews. The findings of the study relate that the Bnei Menashe succeed only partially in realizing the capability of being informed. This is a result of the partial technological exclusion that characterizes the community. This is a first-of-its-kind study, as the Bnei Menashe have not been studied methodically. Furthermore, the utilization of the capabilities approach represents a major contribution to existing communication theories, as the approach allows for a more wholesome understanding of the role of information and communication technologies in society.

Download Full-text

A review of the use of information and communication technologies for dietary assessment

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114509990638 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 101 (S2) ◽

pp. S102-S112 ◽

Cited By ~ 113

Author(s):

Joy Ngo ◽

Anouk Engelen ◽

Marja Molag ◽

Joni Roesle ◽

Purificación García-Segovia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Dietary Assessment ◽

Age Groups ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Digital Photography ◽

Smart Cards ◽

Vulnerable Groups ◽

Personal Digital Assistants ◽

Computer Assisted ◽

Information And Communication

Presently used dietary-assessment methods often present difficulties for researchers and respondents, and misreporting errors are common. Methods using information and communication technologies (ICT) may improve quality and accuracy. The present paper presents a systematic literature review describing studies applying ICT to dietary assessment. Eligible papers published between January 1995 and February 2008 were classified into four assessment categories: computerised assessment; personal digital assistants (PDA); digital photography; smart cards. Computerised assessments comprise frequency questionnaires, 24 h recalls (24HR) and diet history assessments. Self-administered computerised assessments, which can include audio support, may reduce literacy problems, be translated and are useful for younger age groups, but less so for those unfamiliar with computers. Self-administered 24HR utilising computers yielded comparable results as standard methods, but needed supervision if used in children. Computer-assisted interviewer-administered recall results were similar to conventional recalls, and reduced inter-interviewer variability. PDA showed some advantages but did not reduce underreporting. Mobile phone meal photos did not improve PDA accuracy. Digital photography for assessing individual food intake in dining facilities was accurate for adults and children, although validity was slightly higher with direct visual observation. Smart cards in dining facilities were useful for measuring food choice but not total dietary intake. In conclusion, computerised assessments and PDA are promising, and could improve dietary assessment quality in some vulnerable groups and decrease researcher workload. Both still need comprehensive evaluation for micronutrient intake assessment. Further work is necessary for improving ICT tools in established and new methods and for their rigorous evaluation.

Download Full-text