Bridging the Divide: Exploring the use of digital and physical technology to aid mobility impaired people living in an informal settlement Giulia Barbareschi UCL Interaction Centre & Global Disability Innovation Hub, London, United Kingdom,
[email protected] Ben Oldfrey Global Disability Innovation Hub & Institute of Making, London, United Kingdom,
[email protected] Long Xin UCL Interaction Centre, London, United Kingdom,
[email protected] Grace N. Magomere Community Researcher, Nairobi, Kenya,
[email protected] Wycliffe A. Wetende Community Researcher, Nairobi, Kenya,
[email protected] Carol Wanjira Community Researcher, Nairobi, Kenya Joyce Olenja School of Public Health, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya,
[email protected] Victoria Austin Global Disability Innovation Hub, London, United Kingdom,
[email protected] Catherine Holloway UCL Interaction Centre & Global Disability Innovation Hub, London, United Kingdom,
[email protected] ABSTRACT Living in informality is challenging. It is even harder when you have a mobility impairment. Traditional assistive products such as wheelchairs are essential to enable people to travel. Wheelchairs are considered a Human Right. However, they are difficult to access. On the other hand, mobile phones are becoming ubiquitous and are increasingly seen as an assistive technology. Should therefore a mobile phone be considered a Human Right? To help understand the role of the mobile phone in contrast of a more traditional assistive technology – the wheelchair, we conducted contextual interviews with eight mobility impaired people who live in Kibera, a large informal settlement in Nairobi. Our findings show mobile phones act as an accessibility bridge when physical accessibility becomes too challenging.