ICTs and disability in the Commonwealth

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can play a very significant role in enabling people with disabilities to participate fully in society. Yet, across the Commonwealth, there are huge variations in the extent to which they are indeed used for this purpose. Constraints relating to cultural perceptions of disability, the costs of assistive technologies, and a lack of awareness about the potential that people with disabilities have to contribute to their societies, present serious impediments to the wider utilisation of these technologies in the interests of those with disabilities. This short article explores some of the exciting initiatives that have been undertaken in the ICT field, and highlights critical factors that must be addressed in order to ensure that people with disabilities can indeed utilise ICTs to participate fully within the societies in which they live.