2004 Summer Institute : Final Report

Overview

"People with Disabilities and New Technologies: A Social Barriers Approach," the first summer institute of the Disability and Information Technologies (Dis-IT) Research Alliance, was held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada from June 14-18, 2004. The theme of the institute was "What is a social barriers model for information and communications technologies in the New Economy?"

Dr. Alan Roulstone (University of Sunderland, UK) was invited to discuss his social barriers approach to technology and to assist the Dis-IT Research Alliance in developing an interdisciplinary conceptual model, using the social model of disability to research new technologies. He led off the institute with a keynote presentation about the social barriers approach to technology. The remaining afternoon sessions were organized by members of the Dis-IT Research Alliance according to particular theme questions to do with disability and new technologies.

Daily sessions on the following topics were held at the University of Manitoba:

• How have people with disabilities identified challenges and benefits of new technologies?
• How can we develop information technologies to enhance the participation of people with disabilities?
• How do information technologies create opportunities and new barriers for people with disabilities?
• How do government and industry decision-making shape new information technologies?
• How does the social barriers approach affect the development of new technologies?

A talk open to the public was held June 15, 2004 at the University of Winnipeg's Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall that featured Dr. Alan Roulstone and Steve Jacobs (IDEAL Group, Inc.).

The University of Manitoba's Interdisciplinary Master's Program in Disability Studies offered a complementary graduate course from June 14-25, 2004. "Selected Topics in Disability Studies: New Technologies and People with Disabilities" (162.704) included the summer institute sessions June 14-18 and classes the following week.

Forty-two people attended the summer institute, including people with disabilities, researchers, academics, students, service providers, and representatives of disability organizations, industry, and government. Half (21) were members of the Dis-IT Research Alliance, 9 were outside registrants, 6 were students taking "Selected Topics in Disability Studies," and 6 were invited guests. See Appendix 1 for a list of participants.