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Education also plays a key role
in digital inclusion for people with a
disability. The ADII score for tertiary-
educated Australians with disability
Digital inclusion & disability is 53.8, compared with 49.7 for those
The Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII) presents data secondary school.
on digital inclusion and disability. However, it is important
to remember that our data defines disability as people who
receive either the disability support pension (DSP) from
Centrelink (83% of these respondents), or the Department of
Veterans’ Affairs disability pension (17%).
T
40.0 for those who did not complete
Digital Ability research in Australia
has considered the importance of
accessibility. However, studies have
focused primarily on ensuring the
accessibility and usabi lity of digital
content and technology, rather
than improving access to digital
he DSP is means tested, and (male) average of 53.7. Similarly, infrastructure. The ADII data suggests
while the Veterans’ Affairs Affordability for women with disability unequal access to digital infrastructure
disability pension is not, most is 42.7 compared with the national may present another potential barrier
average of 51.7. to digital inclusion for people with a
people receiving this latter payment
report a below-average household
Despite these improved scores,
disability.
income. The ADII results, therefore, digital inclusion remains relatively represent outcomes for a distinct low for people with a disability. Their recognised as relevant to the digital
group within the wider community of national score of 47.0 is still 9.5 points inclusion of Australians with disability.
Australians with disability. behind the Australia-wide score of People with a disability in Sydney,
56.5. This ‘disability gap’ is wider in Melbourne, and Brisbane all scored
picture for the digital inclusion of capital cities, but narrower in rural significantly lower on this sub-index
people with a disability. Since 2014, Australia. than their fellow residents.
In 2017 the ADII reveals a mixed
scores for this cohort have increased
60
with a secondary education, and just
Age influences digital inclusion for
Affordability has long been
Given that large cities typically
nationally (up 5.2 points, to 47.0), Australians with disability, with those provide more opportunities to
in capital cities (up 5.4 points to aged 35–49 recording higher scores participate in low-cost digital skills
47.9), and across rural Australia (up than those aged 50–64 years (49.2 and training, the relatively low Digital
5.3 points to 45.1). Scores for both 42.0 respectively). Interestingly, in 2017 Ability scores for people with
women and men with disability have the ADII score for Australians with disability in these cities is surprising.
increased since 2014, with women disability aged 65+ rose above the This suggests additional, as-yet
scoring marginally higher than men. score for the same age group without unidentified barriers to digital
However, Affordability remains an a disability for the first time (45.5 inclusion for this group, and a need
issue, confirming the findings of versus 42.9). This suggests mainstream for accessibility training in the use of
earlier Australian research. At 46.0, digital inclusion programs could learn digital technology.
the Affordability score for men with from the experience and motivations disability is lower than the national of older Australians with disability.
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Read the full report:
digitalinclusionindex.org.au
linkonline.com.au