How disability impacts digital poverty
Robin Christopherson | 02 Sep 2024Access to the internet, online services, and digital tools is increasingly essential in areas as broad as education, employment, healthcare, financial independence, public services and social inclusion. Yet, for millions of disabled people, the promise of digital inclusion remains unfulfilled. This disparity is stark, contributing to what is known as "digital poverty" – the lack of access, skills, and opportunities in the digital realm.
As we approach End Digital Poverty Day on 12 September, it’s crucial to explore how disability can impact digital poverty, making it even more difficult for disabled individuals to participate fully in society. Let’s look at some of the additional barriers that disabled people may face.
Affordability
One of the most significant barriers to digital inclusion for disabled people is financial. On average, disabled individuals have lower disposable incomes due to various factors, including higher living costs related to their impairment, limited access to employment, and the need for specialised care or equipment. This financial strain often results in reduced ability to afford devices, the on-going broadband and mobile contracts, or assistive technology that could improve their access to digital devices.
In the UK, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation reports that nearly half of all people in poverty are either disabled or live in a household where someone is disabled. This financial hardship directly impacts their ability to stay connected in a world where digital engagement is becoming increasingly essential in our daily lives.
Useful resources for finding funding, and navigating the cost-of-living crisis
- Cost of Living crisis: helpful digital resources
- Factsheet: Finding funding for an adapted computer system
- Webinar playback: Cost of living crisis and how digital can help
Could you support us in addressing digital poverty by becoming a corporate partner, similar to Capgemini and BT?
Ageing and Digital confidence
Many older adults have lower levels of digital confidence. The Age UK charity highlights that nearly half of people aged 75 and over have never used the internet, and for those who have, a significant proportion struggle with even basic tasks like using a search engine or setting up an email account. Many also lack the often essential, on-going support of family or friends.
Moreover, the prevalence of disability or impairment increases with age, and this demographic trend presents another challenge to digital inclusion. Older adults are more likely to experience disabilities that can affect their ability to use digital devices. For instance, vision impairments, hearing loss, and motor difficulties are common in older age, and these can make navigating websites and apps much more challenging.
These access challenges associated with ageing, combined with a lack of confidence or support, exacerbate the particular digital poverty and exclusion experienced by older people.
Useful resources for improving digital confidence for older people
- Digital Skills Training for disabled adults and anyone aged 65 and over
- Request Free IT Support at Home
- Factsheet: Technology for Seniors
Inaccessibility of websites and apps
Even when disabled individuals can afford digital devices and have the skills and confidence to use them, they often encounter another significant barrier: inaccessibility. Many websites and apps are not designed with accessibility in mind, making them difficult or impossible to use for disabled people.
For example, vision-impaired users may rely on screen readers to navigate the internet. However, if a website is not properly coded with alternative text for images or if it doesn’t work with a keyboard and requires the use of a mouse, or if it relies heavily on visual cues without text descriptions, it becomes inaccessible.
Similarly, individuals with motor impairments may struggle to use apps that require precise touch interactions if they include small buttons or tightly spaced controls.
The global web accessibility guidelines clearly set out how to make web content more accessible and inclusive but, despite it being a legal requirement in the UK and many other countries around the world, adherence to these guidelines is far from universal.
As a result, many disabled people find themselves shut out of essential online services, from banking to booking an appointment with the doctor.
Lack of awareness of accessibility technology and features
A further issue compounding digital poverty among disabled individuals is the lack of awareness or knowledge about assistive technology and accessibility features that could greatly improve their access to digital devices and services. Most modern devices come equipped with a range of accessibility settings, such as text-to-speech, screen magnification, and voice control. However, these features are often underused because users are either unaware of their existence or find them too difficult to configure without assistance.
For instance, a person with a hearing impairment might benefit from subtitles on video content, but they might not know how to enable this feature. Similarly, someone with dyslexia could find reading on a screen easier if they knew how to change font sizes or text and background colours.
The AbilityNet website is also crammed with information on that other area that is so vital; assistive technology. If the accessibility settings in your devices don’t meet your needs, then there is a wealth of specialist software and devices that should be able to help. If you’d like to email or talk to someone about what solutions or settings you could benefit from, do get in touch with us.
Let’s end digital poverty
As we prepare to mark End Digital Poverty Day, it’s essential to recognise the unique challenges that disabled people face in the digital age. Addressing these issues requires a multi-faceted approach that includes raising employment levels within our talented disabled community, improving the affordability of getting online, enhancing accessibility standards, raising awareness of existing features, and providing targeted support to those who need it most.
Only by tackling these barriers can we move towards a more inclusive digital society where everyone, regardless of age or impairment, can benefit from the opportunities that the digital world offers.
Don't miss our talks at Connected Britain 2024!
Join me on 11 September 2024 for a pivotal talk at Connected Britain 2024 in London on 'Overcoming the UK’s Digital Divide'. In this session, I will join a panel and explore the progress made in the past 12 months toward bridging the digital divide in the UK.
As an Association Partner, we are pleased to offer an exclusive 15% discount on tickets. Use the promo code ‘ABILITY15’ when purchasing your tickets to take advantage of this special offer. Additionally, Connected Britain offers a free ticket programme for members of the public sector, broadband operators, and more. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to be part of the conversation shaping the UK's digital future.
