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Acrobat ReaderDOCTORAL THESIS, CERTEC 1:2006
This thesis is based on the Internet experiences of people with significant
mobility/physical impairments who are proficient and experienced computer users
in their computer world but have limitations in mobility that severely restrict
their functioning in the physical world. The Internet functioning of this group
is analysed by means of the factors attitude, control and enabling, with the
main focus on what is achievable when all access problems such as unadapted
interfaces, beginners’ difficulties and the digital divide are overcome. If the
virtual world is fully available but the real world is not – what are the
effects on learning, self image, communities of practice, sense of coherence,
power and control? What are the effects on peer-to-peer learning and cooperation?
Independent living concepts and theories manifest themselves throughout the
thesis, most obviously, perhaps, in the selection of issues that are studied and
in the perspectives. The theoretical background and concepts are those of
disability studies, with a social model and independent living perspective, but
with strong influences from rehabilitation engineering and design. Throughout
the thesis elaborations and clarifications of the possibilities of interplay and
co-existence between rehabilitation engineering and design and disability
studies are made. Different aspects of function design and technology are
examined from an expanded view on functioning, where technology is put in an
individual and social context with the FACE (Function – Attitude, Control,
Enabling) tool.
FACE - Disabled People, Technology and Internet (pdf 572 kB)