SV: SV: [governance] IS THE DIGITAL DIVIDE A PHANTOM?

[Kicki Nordström]

Dear Norbert,

I think you have a very valid point in the following:
"By the way, has it been tried to use screen reader software for the purpose of making information society technologies more accessible to illiterate/not-yet-literate people? "

I have suggested this many times, but no one seems to understand how important screen reading programs can be for other groups outside the context of blind and visually impaired persons. 

We also know that at least 10% (in industrial countries there statistics is available),  have Dyslexia  and for those a screen reading program is very helpful as well. There are many more than blind persons who should benefit from a screen reading program. 

But I think we are discussing two things here, the access to computers and electricity in developing countries and in particular in rural areas. This  does not contradict to the need of screen reading programs for those of need. I would not like to see a society that gives priorities to non-disabled persons first and then provide those with special needs later, with what is available. If we are talking of closing the ICT divide, we must embrace all persons! The first is to make sure people have access to a computer, and electricity. Then we must ensure that programs used are accessible for all people, and for this reason programs must be compatible and accessible. 

Yours
Kicki 


Kicki Nordström
Synskadades Riksförbund (SRF) 
World Blind Union (WBU)
122 88 Enskede
Sweden
Tel: +46 (0)8 399 000
Fax: +46 (0)8 725 99 20
Cell: +46 (0)70 766 18 19
E-mail: kicki.nordstrom at srfriks.org 

kicki.nordstrom at telia.com (private) 


-----Ursprungligt meddelande-----
Från: Norbert Bollow [mailto:nb at bollow.ch] 
Skickat: den 30 juli 2007 13:51
Till: governance at lists.cpsr.org
Ämne: Re: SV: [governance] IS THE DIGITAL DIVIDE A PHANTOM?

Kwasi Boakye-Akyeampong <kboakye1 at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

> Norbert, you wrote:
> "This of course needs to be funded somehow, but as soon as this has 
> been achieved, all visually disabled people everywhere will be able to 
> benefit from this ...".
> 
> I disagree with the underlined bit because in the developing
> (under-developed) regions, even the non-visually impaired are 
> struggling to have access to computers. Internet access is even worse.

Yes, yes.  I have been to rural Africa (not where tourists go, but where the genuine reality is), and I would certainly say that visiting with the wonderful people living there or in some other region with major technological and economic development challenges, and trying to understand them and their situations as well as possible for an outsider who can only commit a relatively limited amount of time to getting to know them, that is certainly an absolutely very fundamentally valuable experience for anyone who would like to make a contribution toward bridging or reducing the digital divide.

Please don't dismiss my statements about the benefits of making screen reader software available as Free Software by addressing me as if I were someone who doesn't know what he's talking about.  It is not necessary to have reliable electricity or internet connectivity before screen reader software becomes valuable to visually disabled people.  Even when for a given area it is not possible to do more than visiting them e.g. once a week with a mobile "information society communication center" containing one or more battery operated laptop computers, certainly at least one of those computers should be equipped with screen reader software.

By the way, has it been tried to use screen reader software for the purpose of making information society technologies more accessible to illiterate/not-yet-literate people?

> Believe me, the digital divide issue is worse than we make it sound. 
> Most of the solutions we propose are just not practicable in the 
> deprived regions. They are models fit for the developed countries. For 
> instance, most developing countries are struggling with electricity 
> supply even in the cities. Most rural communities are not connected to 
> the national electricity grid. So bridging the digital divide goes 
> beyond providing them with computers.

Certainly.  In my opinion, based on the observations that I have made, empowering people to use computers productively is much more difficult than providing them with computers, electricity and some kind of internet connection.  Quite a lot of measures are necessary in order to transform that human-empowerment task from being virtually-unsolvably difficult into being feasible with the ordinary level of skill that can be realistically expected from teachers at rural schools in economically underdeveloped regions of the world.

One measure that will in my opinion help a lot is to provide them with Free Software rather than proprietary software.

Screen reader software is a special case because in that area, AFAIK the needed functionality does not exist yet as Free Software, hence there is a need for thinking about how the develeopment of this kind of software as Free Software can be funded.

In most other important areas, the essential functionality is already available as Free Software and just needs to be marketed more effectively.

Greetings,
Norbert.


-- 
Norbert Bollow <nb at bollow.ch>                    http://Norbert.ch
President of the Swiss Internet User Group SIUG  http://SIUG.ch ____________________________________________________________
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