CCT 205: Digital Innovation and Cultural Transformation Lecture 8: Access/Ability

Administrivia Learning Journal reminder - questions in lecture notes (someone’s started a wiki page as well - feel free to update it…) LJ question (#5) for Matt Gorbet: Of Matt Gorbet’s five design principles, which was the most inspiring or interesting to you? Why?

Access and Accessibility Seems simple, but a rather complex concept Equal and unfettered access to everything seems assumed at times, when it is clearly not the case locally or globally - often for complex reasons

Barriers to Universal Access To IT and Internet Economic (Local/Global) Sensory/Physical Skill/education Language Culture Legal Others?

Economic Barriers “digital divide” - both local and global Infrastructure can be expensive in best cases Access has flattened on income levels, but money still buys privilege Developed/developing world - issues of access (or even existence?) of infrastructure and technology Developing/less developed world - infrastructure and services can be limited

Local solutions Early acknowledgement of divide in N. American context - why? At least basic access through private and public means (e.g., internet cafes, public libraries) Many web services themselves free - why?

Global solutions Rapidly industrializing countries build up infrastructure in core locations (e.g., India, China) Leapfrogging: why build old technologies when you can just put in the new ones? $100 laptop - access on price point, somewhat - but is that the only issue?

Sensory/Physical What does our standard computing experience assume that some among us might not be as able in accomplishing? Vision, hearing, physical dexterity, reaction times all limit potential access to IT - and usually due to established (but non- inclusive) I/O technologies

Sensory/Physical Solutions Many solutions embedded - e.g., Mac OSX Universal Access options Expandability for new input/output options - but limitations to them Good universal design is design for all, including those who don’t necessarily need it but could use it - accessibility can be accessible to all

Skill and Education Access to training can be a limit - especially relevant in early days of IT Becoming less a barrier though - accessible tools, open-source software leads to awareness and experimentation Learning software - how do you do it? Solutions to skill/education gaps? Do we even need to be equal here?

Language Early days of IT - very English centered by definition - why? Emergence of Unicode as international standard - allows for diversity in written linguistic display and dialogue, especially for languages not best represent by Roman alphabet structure Anglicized versions of Japanese/Chinese still common - why? Solutions?

Culture Internet culture might run against the grain of various cultural, political, ethnic and faith groups Internet can also provide voice to these varied groups - but in manner that fosters intercultural understanding? (e.g,. Conservapedia) 205 on Second Life - issues, challenges, and opportunities… Solutions?

Legal/IP “Unfettered” access not necessarily the case - much of the content of the Internet is, of course, not quite legal P2P culture vs. IP requirements - “free culture” vs. regulation to protect cultural production and expression Series of Tubes example - Viacom vs. YouTube

Net Neutrality Who controls whose information has priority access to “the tubes” of the Internet? If not, what’s the limit to prioritization or filtering? (e.g., Telus vs. union, Shaw vs. VoIP, AOL vs. consumer sites, US Military vs. liberal blogs, Google in China, RIAA/university networks - others?)

Learning Journal #6 Of the various barriers to IT access discussed, which has been most relevant in your life? Have you tried to overcome it? How?

Next Week IP and Copyright Seminar - Paul Tackaberry, Donna Braggins, Bruno DeGazio, Anthony Wensley on intellectual property issues Student survey - and have your say here: ings.jsp?tid=732035