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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>FYI: Interesting data about why the AT field is so important in reducing the digital divide (see below)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>67% of disabled Americans ages 18 to 64 say they own a desktop or laptop computer, compared with 84% of those in the same group who don’t have a disability</span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^</span><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Gaeir (rhymes with "fire") Dietrich<br>HTCTU Director<br>408-996-6047</span><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><br><a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/07/disabled-americans-are-less-likely-to-use-technology/" target="_blank">http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/07/disabled-americans-are-less-likely-to-use-technology/</a><o:p></o:p></p></div><div id="gmail-m_3985909739434709034m_1564021231063267016m_-6292279534668416219article"><div><h1 style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:0in;mso-line-height-alt:14.4pt'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif";font-weight:normal'>Disabled Americans are less likely to use technology<o:p></o:p></span></h1><div style='margin-bottom:17.4pt;max-width:100%'><div><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:18.0pt'><span style='font-size:14.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>By <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/author/manderson/" target="_blank" title="View posts by Monica Anderson"><span style='color:#416ED2'>Monica Anderson</span></a> and <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/author/aperrin/" target="_blank" title="View posts by Andrew Perrin"><span style='color:#416ED2'>Andrew Perrin</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p style='line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%'><em><span style='font-size:14.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>This is the second in a series of </span></em><span style='font-size:14.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/topics/digital-divide/" target="_blank"><em><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#416ED2'>posts</span></em></a><em><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> about how different demographic groups in the U.S. have fared in the digital age.</span></em><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%'><span style='font-size:14.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>More than 56 million people in the United States are living with a disability, according to <a href="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/miscellaneous/cb12-134.html" target="_blank"><span style='color:#416ED2'>the U.S. Census Bureau</span></a>. But even as a growing share of these Americans report going online or owning a smartphone, the digital divide between those who have a disability and those who don’t remains large.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%'><span style='font-size:14.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/07/disabled-americans-are-less-likely-to-use-technology/ft_17-04-06_techdisability_dotplot/" target="_blank"><span style='color:#416ED2;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=240 height=288 id="gmail-m_3985909739434709034m_1564021231063267016m_-62922795346684162192721BBDB-B292-4418-8676-B7BCE0275A2F" src="cid:30D6D076-5644-49C6-8EED-E454BFC6E4F0@hsd1.pa.comcast.net."></span></a>Disabled Americans are about three times as likely as those without a disability to say they never go online (23% vs. 8%), according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in the fall of 2016. When compared with those who do not have a disability, disabled adults are roughly 20 percentage points less likely to say they subscribe to home broadband and own a traditional computer, a smartphone or a tablet.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%'><span style='font-size:14.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Adults who report having a disability are also less likely to have multiple devices that enable them to go online. One-in-four disabled adults say they have high-speed internet at home, a smartphone, a desktop or laptop computer <em><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>and</span></em> a tablet, compared with 42% of those who report not having a disability. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%'><span style='font-size:14.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The amount of time people spend online and their comfort level with technology also varies by disability status. Disabled Americans are less likely than those who don’t have a disability to report using the internet on a daily basis (50% vs. 79%). They are also less likely to say that having a high level of confidence in their ability to use the internet and other communication devices to keep up with information describes them “very well” (39% vs. 65%), according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in spring 2016.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%'><span style='font-size:14.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>These findings are based on a pair of surveys conducted by the Center last year, when roughly one-in-six U.S. adults (16%) reported that they lived with a disability (defined here as a “health problem, disability or handicap currently keeping you from participating fully in work, school, housework or other activities”). The latest figures from the Census Bureau estimate that 19% of the U.S. population has some form of disability – a similar share to what the Center found. It is important to note that there are various forms of disabilities, often ranging in severity, so this question is meant to be a broad look at disabled Americans.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div><h4 style='mso-margin-top-alt:12.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:18.0pt'><a name="m_3985909739434709034_m_1564021231063267"></a><span style='font-size:14.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Challenges in surveying disabled Americans<o:p></o:p></span></h4></div><p style='line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%'><span style='font-size:14.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The disabled population is disproportionally <a href="https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2012/demo/p70-131.pdf" target="_blank"><span style='color:#416ED2'>comprised of seniors</span></a>, and this is an age group that generally has <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/04/03/older-adults-and-technology-use/" target="_blank"><span style='color:#416ED2'>lower levels</span></a> of digital adoption than the nation as a whole.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%'><span style='font-size:14.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Indeed, disabled Americans younger than 65 have much higher rates of having home broadband services and owning digital devices than those ages 65 and up. Still, even among younger adults, people with a disability are less likely to report using digital technology. For example, 67% of disabled Americans ages 18 to 64 say they own a desktop or laptop computer, compared with 84% of those in the same group who don’t have a disability.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%'><span style='font-size:14.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/07/disabled-americans-are-less-likely-to-use-technology/ft_17-04-05_techdisabilitytable_featured/" target="_blank"><span style='color:#416ED2;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=320 height=160 id="gmail-m_3985909739434709034m_1564021231063267016m_-6292279534668416219B22E2470-6472-4BB1-9BBD-E66BCF6B6978" src="cid:ECA2DF0B-89C1-4DCD-A04D-290002B2A662@hsd1.pa.comcast.net."></span></a>There are tools on the market aimed at making the digital experience more accessible to disabled Americans. Social media companies, for example, have experimented with <a href="http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2016/04/using-artificial-intelligence-to-help-blind-people-see-facebook/" target="_blank"><span style='color:#416ED2'>artificial intelligence</span></a> to help the visually impaired use their platforms, while other tech companies are expanding their screen-reading <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2015/07/23/this-small-change-could-make-a-big-difference-for-accessible-technology/?utm_term=.e5af61274a24" target="_blank"><span style='color:#416ED2'>software and mobile apps</span></a>. But there have also been <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/companies-face-lawsuits-over-website-accessibility-for-blind-users-1478005201" target="_blank"><span style='color:#416ED2'>dozens of lawsuits</span></a> in recent years, claiming some websites are not accessible to those with disabilities. The <a href="https://www.ada.gov/regs2016/sanprm_statement.html" target="_blank"><span style='color:#416ED2'>Department of Justice</span></a> is currently seeking public comments on how to ensure that the internet adheres to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%'><span style='font-size:14.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/debra-b-whitman-phd/sharing-economy_b_13627502.html" target="_blank"><span style='color:#416ED2'>Some experts</span></a> have suggested the sharing economy may bring about a more inclusive digital experience. Data from a 2015 Pew Research Center <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/05/19/the-new-digital-economy/" target="_blank"><span style='color:#416ED2'>survey</span></a> show that disabled Americans have the same or less experience with the sharing economy when compared with those who report having no disabilities. For example, only 7% of adults with a disability say they have ever used a ride-hailing app, compared with 18% of adults who don’t have a disability. But disabled Americans are also just as likely as those without a disability to say they have ever ordered groceries online or hired someone to do a task or run an errand via an online platform (only around 5% of both groups say they have done either of these online activities).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=gmail-m3985909739434709034m1564021231063267016m-6292279534668416219auxiliary style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:16.8pt;max-width:100%;color:rgba(0,0,0,0.65098)'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:-apple-system-font'>Topics: <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/topics/digital-divide/" target="_blank"><span style='color:#416ED2'>Digital Divide</span></a>, <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/topics/health/" target="_blank"><span style='color:#416ED2'>Health</span></a>, <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/topics/mobile/" target="_blank"><span style='color:#416ED2'>Mobile</span></a>, <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/topics/technology-adoption/" target="_blank"><span style='color:#416ED2'>Technology Adoption</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div></blockquote></div></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></body></html>