ICT-enabled self-determination, disability and young people

ABSTRACT

Research and practice about self-determination in the context of disability has centred on teaching skills and providing support to help people with impairments to be independent. However, limited research exists about the impact of Information and Communication Technologies, in particular social media and mobile devices, on the development of self-determination skills among people with disabilities. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study which collected data from observations, a researcher diary, focus groups, individual interviews and data from social media. The focus of the study was on young people with vision impairments who were transitioning to university life. The study found that the participants developed self-determination skills by using and adapting collaborative and interactive online tools and mobile devices according to their transition needs. This finding expands the understanding of the implications of new technologies for young people with disabilities’ personal development and the enhancement of self-determination.

KEYWORDS:

• Self-determination
• internet use
• disability
• ICTs
• young adults
• transition

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Edgar Pacheco holds a PhD in Information Systems from Victoria University of Wellington. He also has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Public Policy from Victoria University. As a Research Analyst at Netsafe New Zealand, Edgar currently investigates issues related to online safety, harassment and cyberbullying. [email: [email protected]]

Miriam Lips is the inaugural Professor of e-Government at Victoria University of Wellington, in the School of Government. Miriam holds a MSc and a PhD from Erasmus University Rotterdam and an EMPA from Erasmus University, Leiden University and the Hochschule für Verwaltungswissen-schaften, Speyer. She has held academic positions at the University of Oxford and Tilburg University. [email: [email protected]].

Pak Yoong is a professor of information systems/e-commerce at Victoria University of Wellington. Pak teaches in the areas of virtual organisation, research methods and IS strategy. His research, teaching and consulting experience is in the facilitation of virtual meetings, online communities of practice, online knowledge sharing and human resource development in information technology environments. [email: [email protected]]

ORCID

Edgar Pacheco http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4145-3244