Barbareschi, G; Aranda Jan, C; Nique, M; Ramos Barajas, F; Holloway, C; (2019) Mobile Phones as Assistive Technologies: Gaps and Opportunities. In: MacLachlan, M and Berman-Bieler, R, (eds.) Proceedings of the GReAT Summit 2019. WHO: Geneva, Switzerland.

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Abstract

In the last decade, mobile phones have become invaluable allays in the everyday lives of people with disabilities. Even in low and middle income countries mobile phones are highly popular and the penetration rate of mobile technology is almost three times higher than for desktop computers and broadband lines. Despite their diffusion and their importance, large datasets on how people with disabilities in lower resourced settings use mobile phones, the services they access and the barriers they encounter when interacting with mobile technology, are scarce. This article presents data from a survey with 1000 participants that explored how people with disabilities use mobile phones and the impact that mobile technology has on their daily lives. Findings highlight the presence of a mobile gap with many people with disability struggling to acquire and operate mobile phones independently. Most respondents had only access to basic or feature phones that lacked appropriate accessibility features and offered limited functionality. However, participants still described mobile phones as invaluable tools that could increase access to basic services and offer support in many important activities in their daily lives.

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