Digital technologies for social inclusion of individuals with disabilities

Digital technologies and musical participation for people with intellectual disabilities

Research on the aspirations of people with intellectual disabilities documents the importance of alternative zones of inclusion where they can assert their own definitions of ability and normality. This stands in contrast to assumptions concerning technology and disability that position technology as ‘normalising’ the disabled body. This paper reports on the role of a digital music jamming tool...

Social Skills Interventions for Individuals with Learning Disabilities

Social skill deficits have become a defining characteristic of students with specific learning disability (SLD). Attempts have been made to enhance social functioning through structured training approaches. The effectiveness of these efforts was evaluated in a quantitative research synthesis (meta-analysis), which revealed a “small” effect with very few differences among teachers, peers, or stu...

Digital Inclusion Without Social Inclusion: The consumption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) within homeless subculture in Scotland

This pilot study examined how homeless people in central Scotland integrate and appropriate mobile phones and the Internet into their everyday lives, and the meanings these information and communication technologies (ICTs) come to hold for them. It was found that ‘digital inclusion’ does not necessarily lead to ‘social inclusion’ into mainstream society, since homeless individuals tend to use I...

Use of Assistive Technology and Need for Social Support for Elderly With Physical Disabilities

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to examine the use of assistive technology, social support in everyday life and psychological existential orientation for individuals with physical disabilities.  Methods: Forty-six elderly persons with physical disabilities (aged 73.7±10.6 years, range 53-93 years) were examined with regard to the use of assistive technology, social support...

The Digital Divide and Social Inclusion