The Potentialities of Online Technology for Blind and Sight-Impaired People (January 1999 - December 1999)

• Funder: Small Australian Research Council Grant (Amount of grant: $18,232)

This was a qualitative study of fifteen blind and vision impaired persons and sixteen professionals who work with blind and vision impaired persons. It sought to explore the potential role of the Internet in information provision for people who are blind and vision impaired. Traditional forms of access to information, such as print, have meant that people who are blind and sight impaired have more difficulty in accessing the same range of information that people who are sighted take for granted. Increasingly, computers are being viewed as the solution to the problem of access to the printed word. This study sought to understand the role of the Internet in information provision, within the context of other forms of information gathering media and everyday information needs. A particular focus was on whether the Internet might level the playing field for blind and sight-impaired people living in rural areas.

Research Questions

• What are the information and communication needs of sight-impaired people?

• To what extent are sight-impaired people using online services to meet those needs now? In what other ways are those needs being met?

• How readily accessible is adaptive equipment (e.g., public access, and cost)? Are there differences between country and city areas?

• What are the other barriers to the use of online services? Are there differences between country and city areas?

• What roles can online services play in the lives of people with sight impairments?

• In what ways will online services enhance, or hinder, social integration?

• How best can online services be delivered and integrated into the lives of people with sight impairments?

• How can online services be extended in new and creative ways for the benefit of people with sight impairments?

Current Status

The project is completed. A short report is available in the publications section of this web site. Several articles have been published in refereed journals. (See: Publications, People with Disabilities.)