No Cover Image

ResearchReportExternalBody 1536 views 139 downloads

Digital Media Usage of Sensory Impaired Users in Wales 2018 Report

Yan Wu Orcid Logo, Stephen Lindsay, Jonathan Cable, Rhys Jones, Leighton Evans, Xianghua Xie

Swansea University Author: Yan Wu Orcid Logo

Abstract

This document reports the main statistical findings from a survey of digital media usage and attitudes of sensory impaired users in Wales. The report offers a comprehensive review of the benefits that digital media has brought to sensory impaired users in Wales and some of the barriers that affect p...

Full description

Published: Swansea University and RNIB Cymru 2018
Online Access: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/media/Digital%20Media%20Usage%20of%20Sensory%20Impaired%20Users%20in%20Wales.pdf
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa45949
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Abstract: This document reports the main statistical findings from a survey of digital media usage and attitudes of sensory impaired users in Wales. The report offers a comprehensive review of the benefits that digital media has brought to sensory impaired users in Wales and some of the barriers that affect people who have sensory loss. Reported data shows that although only used by half of the sight-impaired community, digital media is crucial to the wellbeing of the sight-impaired users. However, blind and partially sighted people who responded to the questionnaire demonstrate a disadvantaged level of digital media engagement. This report has identified a number of barriers facing people who are sensory impaired in Wales in accessing information, education and services. Barriers were identified mainly in the areas of financial restraints, access to training opportunities, and web accessibility. In addition to emphasise the importance of financial support, digital skills training and web accessibility, the report also recommend a new technology design agenda to the industry in both public and private sectors. Authors endorse what Graham Pullin (2009) suggests the ‘resonant design’ approach, which incorporates disabled and non-disabled users based on coincident needs. Design should emphasize on users and tailor the technology capacity around the need of the user, even such design might look like low-tech and long-lasting.
Keywords: Digital media, sight impaired users, Wales, financial restraints, training, web accessibility, design
College: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences