Digital disability divide in information society. A framework based on a structured literature review

Pages283-298
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-10-2014-0050
Published date10 August 2015
Date10 August 2015
AuthorNeeraj Sachdeva,Anne-Marie Tuikka,Kai Kristian Kimppa,Reima Suomi
Subject MatterInformation & knowledge management,Information management & governance
Digital disability divide in
information society
A framework based on a structured
literature review
Neeraj Sachdeva
Turku Centre for Computer Science (TUCS) and
Department of Management, University of Turku, Turku, Finland, and
Anne-Marie Tuikka, Kai Kristian Kimppa and Reima Suomi
Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, University of Turku,
Turku, Finland
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to create a conceptual framework, based on a structured
literature review, to analyze the digital disability divide and help nd solutions for it. A digital disability
divide exists between people with impairments and those without impairments. Multiple studies have
shown that people without impairments are less likely to own a computer or have an Internet connection
than are people with impairments. However, the digital disability divide is seen in relation not only to
access but also to accessibility and use. For people with impairments, new technological innovations
offer solutions for everyday challenges, such as nding information, communicating with others and
using electronic services.
Design/methodology/approach – For this study, 4,778 conference and journal publications were
systematically analyzed.
Findings – A number of key ndings emerged. This eld is relatively new, and the literature is highly
focused on the technological and social aspects of the digital disability divide, with technology and
societal attributes being the core sub-attributes for a comprehensive model. The previous literature did
not signicantly study the consequences of the nancial situation of individuals; rather, the
predominant focus was on the have-nots and countries with low income potentials. Furthermore,
motivation reveals a compelling case within the digital disability divide subset.
Originality/value – The review provides a consolidated view of past research on the general topic of
the digital disability divide and the attributes that affect it.
Keywords Information society, Digital divide(s), Inequalities
Paper type Literature review
1. Introduction
The digital divide is a multidimensional, complex phenomenon that exists within and
between countries (Bertot, 2003). Early research on the digital divide concentrated on its
technological dimensions (DiMaggio and Hargittai, 2006). In particular, studies were
conducted to track user access to Internet and computers, either in private homes or in
community access points such as workplaces, schools and libraries (Kaye, 2000;
Dobransky and Hargittai, 2006). Over time, the criticism toward technically biased
research on the digital divide has generated multiple streams of research. These streams
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/1477-996X.htm
Digital
disability
divide
283
Received 14 October 2014
Revised 27 January 2015
13 March 2015
Accepted 13 March 2015
Journalof Information,
Communicationand Ethics in
Society
Vol.13 No. 3/4, 2015
pp.283-298
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1477-996X
DOI 10.1108/JICES-10-2014-0050
include studies on the economic, information accessibility and information literacy
dimensions of the digital divide (Bertot, 2003;Hawkins, 2005).
Within the national context, the digital divide is noticeable between people with
different nancial (Wei and Hindman, 2011), educational (Lengsfeld, 2011), regional or
racial statuses (Hoffman and Novak, 1998;Fairlie, 2004). This gap also exists between
people with impairments and those without impairments. Although some researchers
(Dobransky and Hargittai, 2006) refer to this gap as the disability divide, we use the term
“digital disability divide” in this paper because it indicates that the gap is studied in the
context of information and communication technologies (ICT). We dene the digital
disability divide as one type of digital divide that can overlap with other types of digital
divides, such as linguistic or cultural digital divides (Keniston, 2004). Much like other
digital divides, the digital disability divide can be studied in both national and
international contexts (Borg et al., 2011), and it has multiple dimensions, such as access,
accessibility and use (Dobransky and Hargittai, 2006).
Multiple studies on access to ICT (Kaye, 2000;Dobransky and Hargittai, 2006;
Hollier, 2007) have revealed that people with impairments are less likely to have a
computer or Internet access at home than people without impairments. This lack of
access can be associated with socioeconomic status. Accordingly, people with
impairments use the Internet less often than do people without impairments; this
phenomenon is seen even when they are compared with people who have a computer
and Internet access at home (Kaye, 2000;Dobransky and Hargittai, 2006). The gap is
even greater when the comparison is made with people who do not have a computer or
Internet access at home and thus must access the Internet at community access points.
According to Dobransky and Hargittai (2006), people with impairments are less
likely to engage in multiple online activities compared to those without impairments.
For example, citizens with impairments are less likely to use the Internet to
communicate with others, make purchases, look for particular services, use online
banking or search for jobs. On the other hand, they are more likely to play games and, as
can be expected, look for health-related information and search for information on public
organizations online.
People with impairments are not a homogeneous group, and they face different types
of barriers according to their type of impairment, economic situation and social
background. Impairment is independently related to a lack of Internet access for those
who are visually impaired or who have difculties typing (Dobransky and Hargittai,
2006). Functionally blind people have trouble reading scanned documents and graphics
on the computer, even when using state-of-the-art screen readers (Lazar et al., 2007).
Difculty in typing can be related to different types of disabilities, such as cognitive
impairments or motoric impairments. For example, a cognitive impairment can affect a
person’s ability to acknowledge letters and thus prevent him/her from using a keyboard
(Friedman and Bryen, 2007).
Those with functional blindness or cognitive impairments might need specic tools
to use computers and other technological devices; these tools are referred to as assistive
technology. Assistive technology can also include computers and robots, as long
as these devices function to help person with impairments accomplish a task or acquire
information. The ability to access technology – both recreational and utility-based – is
related to a person’s nancial standing; thus, gaps based on economic conditions are
also seen in the case of people with impairments. The nancial costs of technology
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