Don Schauder

The role of the internet for people with disabilities: issues of access and equity for public libraries

This article reports two studies, which, although separate, focus on related issues concerned with online access for people with disabilities in the context of information and library provision. The first project concerns the potentialities of online services for people who are blind and sight impaired and has a particular emphasis on information-seeking behaviour. The second project concerns online services for people with disabilities in Australian public libraries, and focuses on evaluation of adaptive equipment, associated training and strategies for improving access. Four research questions, relevant to one or both of the projects, are selected for discussion in the article: What are the information needs of people with disabilities, particularly people who are blind and sight impaired? What are the recreational interests of people with a diverse range of disabilities? What role can the internet play in meeting information needs and in serving recreational interests? How can public libraries assist people with disabilities to use the internet and thus address issues of access and equity for this group of people? The article reviews the literature in relation to the four questions, describes the interpretivist conceptual framework used for both studies, and outlines the research method used for each. The results of the two studies, relevant to each of the questions, is then presented. A major conclusion to the article is that the development of partnerships between public libraries and local disability groups is likely to result in significant benefits for people with disabilities.

The Internet for the Blind and Visually Impaired

A qualitative study of fifteen blind or visually impaired persons and sixteen professionals who work with blind and visually impaired persons sought to explore the potential role of the Internet in information provision for this group of people. Traditional forms of access to information such as print have meant that people who are blind and visually impaired have more difficulty in accessing the same range of information that people who are sighted take for granted. Increasingly, computers are being viewed as the solution to the problem of access to the printed word. This study sought to understand the role of the Internet in information provision, within the context of other sources of information and everyday information needs. The article presents findings about the current ways in which people who are blind and visually impaired find information for their everyday lives; the role of the Internet in this process; barriers to using computers and the Internet; and three case studies in information seeking.

Choice and Constraint in Academic Work on Campus and at Home

Abstract While new technologies increasingly enable the dislocation of a wide range of work-related activities from those spaces in which they have been traditionally performed, gender and the organisation of domestic space all bear upon academics ‘parameters of choice when contemplating where and when they might perform certain of their work-related tasks. Beyond this, job-related constraints concerning home working were found to be greatest at either end of the academic hierarchy. If many managerial staffonly worked at home ‘in their own time ‘, casual academic staff were often ‘homeworkers by default ‘, in that the nature of their working conditions on campus typically obliged them to perform much of their work at home, whatever their personal preference. In conclusion, it is argued that future discussions around academic homeworking must be conducted within the broader context of the length and intensity of the working day.

To choose or not to choose: exploring Australians` views about internet banking

This paper explores Australian domestic customers’ choices with regard to Internet banking, examining why it is taken up by some Australians and not others. The constructivist conceptual framework and the grounded nature of the method enabled in-depth exploration of key issues not undertaken before by the mainly positivist studies. The purposeful sample of 32 participants was selected to represent the major categories of people relevant to the research. Everett Rogers’ famous analysis of ‘diffusion of innovations’ was one theoretical framework used to illuminate the findings; the other was digital divide factors in relation to banking choices. The findings include 1) that the major motivation for people to adopt Internet banking is convenience, closely linked to time savings and ease of accessibility, as well as confidence and skill in Internet use; and 2) that, at the time of the study, digital divide factors were playing an important part in banking choices.

A Level Playing Field for Internet Opportunities? Issues for Rural and City Blind and Visually Impaired People

Abstract Qualitative research investigated the attitudes to, and experiences of, 20 visually impaired people in rural and urban areas of Australia to accessing information via the Internet. The views of professionals working in this area were also ascertained. The present role of the Internet in assisting visually impaired people was gauged, as were reasons for them not using it. Also studied was the role in this area for support organisations for visually impaired people. While many of the findings of the research apply to a wide spectrum of visually impaired people, specific issues for people living in rural areas are included in the article.