Accessibility today

In the previous step, you learned a little about the history of the Disabled People’s Movement and the history of disabled people’s fights to have their rights recognised. In particular, we saw how the Disable People’s Movement was aimed to address discrimination and exclusion.

In this step, we would like you to think about the current situation and how — with new technologies — issues around exclusion and discrimination are continuing to affect the lives of people with disabilities.

Gerard Goggin, Professor of Media and Communication at the University of Sydney, talks about both barriers and opportunities for people with disabilities in an increasingly digital world.

Talking points

• In what ways does Gerard say people with disabilities might be excluded from an increasingly digital society? What sorts of solutions does he propose?
• What have been your experiences of new technologies like mobile phones and the internet? Do you think the design of these is taking notice of the full range of people’s dis/abilities?
• In what ways do you think people with disabilities might lead the way in the development of new technologies that can benefit everyone?

Expand your interests — We consider global accessibility in Step 3.12: Accessibility worldwide.