By Sabine Carlis Hansen
For most people, the inherent incompatibility between people with certain disabilities and digital technologies is not hard to imagine full stop However capitalize that comma the actual work that goes into obtaining and maintaining levels of access remain hidden at large full stop insurrections correct that choose 1 = Interactions between capitalize interactions these individuals and digital technologies could almost classify as their own distinct languages full stop They are learned capitalize they and customized by the people who use them comma abstracted from the final product that other sea delete previous two words others see.
Issues of access only accelerate at the pace that Denmark as a country embraces digitalization. Hjelholt and Schou (2017) note that priorities and values in the country shifted throughout the 2000’s so that efficiency and competitiveness was put before values of privacy and inclusion. At the same time, being digital came to be viewed as the ethical obligation of the citizen and the way they must contribute to society. This is clearly seen through policies such as mandatory self-service through portals such as borger.dk and digital post. This means that one must be able to use these digital platforms to be a functional citizen in Denmark. In addition to this, other functions are increasingly supported by online activities and digital technologies, be it social interaction, entertainment, activism, education, work, etc. Many studies show that this is especially true for people with disabilities (see for instance Baumgartner et al. 2023), since they often use digital media as a way of being independent. However, a dichotomy lies in the fact that the design of digital technologies increases accessibility for some but impairs it for others, depending on the nature of their disability. Other means of use are therefore necessary for some people.
For my research project, I want to focus on the interaction between individuals with mobility issues and computers in Denmark. Because of limited time and resources, I had to tighten my scope to only include physical mobility, closing off subjects such as sensory or cognitive disabilities. However, I still wanted to hold the specific definition open due to the existence of conditions affecting mobility and constricting use of ICTs that I don’t yet know of. What comes to mind as of now are conditions such as CP, arthritis, amputation, spinal cord injury, chronic pain, or neurological issues like mine. Due to a functional neurological disorder affecting my hands and arms, I am not able to use a keyboard and mouse. In this context, I have found the world of digital accessibility tricky. Assistive technology that is actually usable can be insanely expensive and free software is at best subpar, at worst unusable. Further, several municipalities, including my own, do not have digital or communicative accessibility on the agenda. This means that acquiring the various tools needed to access digital technologies properly is often up to the individual, resulting in both systemic and financial barriers. Using a sociotechnical viewpoint and logics from ANT, I want to shed light on how individuals with mobility issues interact with content on their computers. In this context, I’m interested in what kind of (if any) assistive technology they combine and utilize for different purposes and the continuous work that goes into gaining their level of access.
Finding a method: Walking/go-along interview but digital
My educational background in organizational change, digital innovation, and design tells me that to map out a system or process, one must listen to actual users to see how they work. It also happens to be the consensus that to conclude anything about disabilities, people with disabilities should be involved (Lin et al. 2022). I want to hear from people who have made digital access work for them, but also from people who have not; those who remain invisible in the digital world. In deciding this, I quickly realized that issues could lie in the task of finding and contacting subjects who have difficulties communicating through online channels. When researching the best ways to proceed, I fell into a rabbit hole of the inherent ableism of methodologies and the considerations needed when researching people with disabilities (see for example Porkertová et al., 2024). Participant observations hold their own logistical problems when assistive technology is involved, and classic interviews can lack depth when trying to understand lived experiences.
I then learned that the ethnographic walking/go-along interview has been found especially useful for this research demographic (Bartlett et al. 2023; Butler & Derrett 2014; Porkertová et al. 2024). Butler & Derrett (2014), for instance, asked disabled participants to choose a route that had significance to their everyday lives and talk about their experiences along the way. This allowed an extra layer of depth to their understanding. Disabilities became visible through interaction with their environment instead of abstract talks of limitations or diagnoses. The goal was to understand disability in the context of specific environments and activities, making way for discussions about lived experiences and real-time demonstrations.
For gathering my research data, I want to adopt the way they approached this method but in a digital context. Instead of interviewing research subjects as they interact with suburban or physical environments, I will use the method to see how they interact with digital environments. How they “walk” and the hindrances they face can, through this, become visible. I believe that, as they show how they move through digital spaces, it will give rise to dialogue about which tools they use, why, why not, etc. It could further open up for ad hoc conversations about systemic and social barriers and situations that might not have come to mind in a classic interview. As with the study I’m inspired by, I want my research subjects to choose their own route. In this context, this will mean choosing which websites, software, games, or platforms they interact with. As long as their route means something to them in their everyday lives, letting participants choose can, as demonstrated in the studies I referenced, shift the power balance of the interview and prevent strain on the participant. Additionally, I think this would allow for natural conversation about their general relationship with computers and digital content.
The invisible work of using assistive tools
Like with any tool, using accessibility tools takes practice and necessitates learning various new procedures. An end-product or achieved task is often hidden away by substantial amounts of invisible work. By seeing how participants navigate their chosen paths and hearing their thoughts about it, the different “languages” they have learned to use will become visible.
If I were to try and make visible how I interact with my computer through just text: backspace comma I don’t know how understandable it will be select will correct that choose 2 = would and it was still not represented everything full stop correct was what delete that would correct represented choose 1 = represent full stop In capitalize that a way I use several languages dash languages that I had to learn delete previous three words have customized and perfected to be able to interact with my computer full stop The capitalize that way I right correct that choose 1 = write and the way I navigate differs depending on the site I am using delete previous two words am interacting with and the specific tools I use together full stop If I didn’t capitalize if choose 2 also use a gyroscopic mouse comma it would even look different from this full stop The fact that I have my own experiences capitalize the choose 8 within this space Pickens me correct Pickens choose 1 = beckons to consider my position entity delete that position I let delete that position entity correct that spell that Papa Oscar Sierra India Tango India Oscar November Alpha Lima India Tango Yankee choose 1 = positionality and think about the biases I bring into the project full stop Interactions capitalize that with peers throughout the years have taught me that people can’t imagine how things work differently for me full stop However, capitalize that that also means that I can’t assume I know anything about how others with disabilities make things work for them full stop there very correct that the specific way I make things work and the invisibility surrounding it makes me even more excited to uncover the varied networks of others correct others choose 2 = others’ digital access full stop new line