Final Reflection
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Final Refl ection Th e question of the importance of technology for disabled people is a complex and broad-ranging one. Although the book has not focused on every aspect of these relationships, I hope that it has provided a sense of the potential, current benefi ts without ignoring the drawbacks for disabled people. Th e evidence suggests that technology intersects with disability in complex ways, for example we need to understand the impact of say digital technology on disabled people in particular, but very few studies adopt a non-disabled control group. Th us beyond sur- vey evidence the best data emanates from careful qualitative studies of the role and meaning of technology. Without this we could not draw specifi c inferences on the general benefi ts of technology that the wider population report. Th ere is much evidence of technologies, both ‘high’ and ‘low’ tech, off ering new horizons for some disabled people. However, new technologies bring with them new demands. How many of us are surrounded by desktop or hand-held technologies that audibly signal for our attention? At times it feels as though we are servicing technologies rather than technology servicing us. In terms of communication, it often feels impossible to keep on top of the myriad forms of e-communication, while Twitter, Facebook and wider social media straddle both home and © Th e Editor(s) (if applicable) and Th e Author(s) 2016 237 A. Roulstone, Disability and Technology, DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-45042-5 238 Final Refl ection work life. To what extent then have digital devices off ered the promise of compressing space and distance only to lengthen the time taken to service these technologies? How much of our day is spent without these technologies? Notwithstanding the expectations that accompany digital technology, there are many in-principle benefi ts in terms of processing large amounts of data and communications in one place. Th ere are unplanned ben- efi ts in terms of texting for d/Deaf people, better wheelchair design/ functionality and access features embedded in off -the-shelf technologies. Th e extent to which pre-existing social dynamics and divisions shape the experience of technology remains an important question. However, there has been no widespread evidence in this review of research that these dynamics remain the same as say 20–30 years ago. Th e spread of technol- ogy, processing capacity and reduced cost smooth the path to enabling technology. However, there remain maldistributive forces that continue to limit access to even iconic technology such as the wheelchair. Clinical judgement and wider narratives continue to shape just who can have access to wheelchairs. Many tools for independent living continue to be framed as ‘health technologies’, although I sense this is changing. Th e World Wide Web off ers some disabled people the opportunity to pres- ent images of themselves that foreground online belonging, rather than risk a master status of disabled being imposed upon them. However, the internet provides a breeding ground for hate and cyber-bullying. New technologies such as cochlear implants, life sustaining devices and pre- birth diagnostics suggest benefi ts may inhere from cradle to grave, but they provoke new ethical dilemmas as to just who we can be and which technologies we can freely embrace or reject. New fears arise where a disabled person adopts a rejectionist stance: Will they still be aff orded full social rights when they could be ‘cured’ of an impairment? It is clear that social forces continue to shape technology in a way that requires vigilance, evidence and at times continued activism to ensure it fulfi ls its enabling potential. Bibliography Anderberg, P. (2007). 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