Thank you for visiting vipsurvey.org.
This website was initially constructed for the purpose of conducting a survey from the 1st of March 2004 to the 31st of September 2004. The survey was part of a Doctoral study investigating the way in which people with disabilities access Internet-related technologies.
On Thursday 15 February 2007, the researcher Scott Hollier was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). The survey data played a key role in identifying the issues surrounding the 'disability divide' and significantly contributed to the creation of new knowledge in this area.
To everyone who contributed to this study,
I'd like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for participating in this study. After what seems like a long wait, it is wonderful to have the opportunity to release the data from this thesis into the public realm where it is my hope that the results can make a difference for people with disabilities, and in particular people who are blind or vision impaired.
Thanks again,
Dr Scott Hollier
People with disabilities, and in particular people who are blind or vision impaired, are not embracing computing and Internet-related technologies at the same rate as the able-bodied population. The purpose of this study was to find the reasons behind this digital divide for people with disabilities and provide solutions. The investigation into this ‘disability divide’ initially examined the historical significance of the social construction of disability, the developments of computing and Internet-related technologies and the evolution of associated government and corporate policies. In order to gain an understanding of the specific elements in the current disability divide, interviews were conducted with a range of government representatives, multinational information technology developers and online information providers in Australia and the United States of America. In order to gain an understanding of what people with disabilities required from information technology, a national survey was conducted with people who are blind or vision impaired to determine their computing and Internet experiences. This study clearly identified that people with vision disabilities have a high level of computing and Internet expertise and it is specific barriers, rather than lack of will, that has prevented access to computing and Internet-related technologies. These barriers include issues relating to the perception of disability in society, Federal and state government policy, corporate policy, mainstream computing products, assistive technologies, real-time online communication, poverty and a lack of educational opportunities. Addressing the issues in these areas will significantly reduce the impact of the disability divide, allowing people who are blind or vision impaired to participate more effectively in the information age.
To download the PDF, just select the link below. The PDF has been created in Adobe Acrobat 7 with the enabling of tagging and a host of other accessibility features. If you are still unable to access the PDF, please e-mail the author will can send a copy to you in an alternative electronic format.
If you wish to reference the information in this thesis, the details are as follows:
Author: Scott Hollier
Date: 2007
Title: The Disability Divide: A Study into the Impact of Computing and Internet-related Technologies on People who are Blind or Vision Impaired
University: Curtin University of Technology
City: Perth
Country: Australia