Making IT Work

Personal computers, the Internet and other kinds of information technology (IT) are often heralded as a great liberator for people with disabilities. That’s primarily because IT offers new ways of doing things such as working, learning and shopping that have been inaccessible.

In reality, however, IT has contributed to improved accessibility in some cases, but much of IT is itself inaccessible, creating more exclusion rather than inclusion. Telephones, websites, Interac point-of-sale terminals, online government consultations, airport check-in kiosks, and online courses at universities and colleges are just a few examples of the wide range of IT products and services that are not inclusive of the requirements of people with disabilities.

For the past four years, the Disability and Information Technologies (Dis-IT) Research Alliance has been studying how to ensure that Canadians with disabilities can make use of emerging information technologies that are crucial to participating in the knowledge-driven new economy. Led by Deborah Stienstra of the University of Manitoba, and featuring many of Canada’s foremost authorities on IT accessibility, Dis-IT’s research and events brought together researchers and representatives of partner organizations from the disability community, industry, government and service providers.

Some of the things Dis-IT’s research looked at include:

- retail and public services: bank machines, Interac point-of-sale terminals, airport check-in kiosks, ticket dispensers at movie theatres, parking lots, etc.

- eLearning: online courses and materials that colleges and universities provide over the Internet

- eDemocracy: governments and disability organizations using the Internet to consult with citizens/members and develop policy

- workplaces: how Canadian employers are using technology to create accessible work environments for workers with disabilities

Some specific projects included:

* developing a tool to evaluate the accessibility of bank machines, airport checkin kiosks, and other retail and public service technologies
* testing cell phones and Pocket PCs as wireless remote controls for operating inaccessible Interac terminals
* evaluating the accessibility of two online consultations conducted by the federal government
* developing www.disabilitypolicy.ca, a website on disability policy in Canada, in collaboration with representatives of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) and other Canadian disability advocacy organizations
* surveying students, professors and post-secondary IT specialists about the accessibility of online teaching tools used at Canadian universities and colleges

Dis-IT’s practical knowledge tools include:

* a fact sheet of tips about how disability advocacy organizations can use the Internet and other information technologies to develop policy, mobilize their members to action, etc.
* a series of fact sheets on telecommunications policy, an area where new technologies offer great potential for improved accessibility, but business trends and the federal government’s plan to de-regulate the industry threaten the potential for more inclusive telecommunications
* a fact sheet for administrators responsible for IT at colleges and universities about how to ensure that online courses and materials are accessible to students with disabilities
* a database of free and inexpensive adaptive computer software and hardware
* a policy brief to help governments conduct electronic consultations that are accessible to all Canadians
* a fact sheet for businesses and other employers about using information technology to make their workplaces more accessible to workers with disabilities

Dis-IT researchers also edited a special issue of an international academic journal called The Information Society. It presented a variety of perspectives on accessible and inclusive IT for the journal’s readership of mainstream IT scientists and policymakers, including articles by academics and business consultants, and CCD’s rights-based approach to information technology accessibility.

The Dis-IT Research Alliance would like to thank the researchers and organizations that participated for their contributions and support over the past four years. Dis-IT was supported by a grant from the Initiative on the New Economy program of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. While funding for the project is now finished, the networks created and the results will continue to help to shape inclusive and accessible IT development and policies.

For more information about the Dis-IT Research Alliance, please visit our website at www.dis-it.ca

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