Understanding barriers to online experience for people with physical and sensory disabilities using discursive social psychology

  • Authors:

  • Natilene I. Bowker

  • Affiliations:

  • The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand, Psychology, School of Information and Social Sciences, Private Bag 31914, 5040, Lower Hutt, New Zealand

  • Venue:
  • Universal Access in the Information Society
  • Year:
  • 2010

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Abstract

Using social psychology, this study discursively explores barriers limiting the online experiences of people with disabilities. Twenty-one people in New Zealand with physical and sensory disabilities volunteered to participate in an online interview. Data demonstrated a disabling differentials repertoire (pattern), comprising four linguistic resources: negative reactions (when disability was disclosed), exclusion, gatekeeping, and disability costs. In addition to the technology alone, human values embedded in the construction of online technology, and participants’ cultural competency, as well as stereotyped attitudes and economic factors prevalent offline, define and restrain people with disabilities’ online experience. The social identity model of deindividuation is discussed.