New accessibility-themed emojis including characters with hearing aids, wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs, white "probing" canes and guide dogs are to be introduced.
Their inclusion in 2019's official list means many smartphones should gain them in the second half of the year
Presented by actress and comedian Sally Phillips, A World Without Down’s Syndrome has brought important ethical debates regarding prenatal screening into the public domain. By talking to people with Down’s syndrome, family members, and professionals, Sally has presented a nuanced and thorough examination of the type of world we are living in. Following the documentary, Twitter users have continued to engage with debates and have created a resilient platform for challenging public attitudes. This paper explores the ways in which Twitter hashtags have provided a space for such important and long overdue conversations. While it would not be possible to provide a full overview of the topical conversations that the two hashtags have provoked, I aim to focus on some of the most prominent topics. The following, then, will explore the potential of alternative narratives that resist, and disrupt, normative notions of the human using the hashtags #worldwithoutdowns and #justaboutcoping.
The representational history of disabled people can largely be characterized as one of being put on display or hidden away. Self-representations have been a powerful part of the disability rights and culture movement, but recently scholars have analysed the ways in which these run the risk of creating a ‘single story’that centres the experiences of white, western, physically disabled men. Here we introduce and theorize with Project Re•Vision, our arts-based research project that resists this singularity by creating and centring, without normalizing, repre- sentations that have previously been relegated to the margins. We draw from body becoming and new materialist theory to explore the dynamic ways in which positionality illuminates bodies of difference and open into a discussion about what is at stake when these stories are let loose into the world.
This 'issue brief' describes the proliferation of electronically communicated information, which has accelerated economic and social change across all areas of human activity worldwide. It observes that the rapid growth of ICTs in developing countries is partly a result of very low initial access, and therefore in absolute terms developing countries are still well behind the developed world in access to ICTs. It concludes that ICTs offer an opportunity for development, but not a panacea. For the potential benefits of ICTs to be realized in developing countries, many prerequisites need to be put in place: prompt deregulation, effective competition among service providers, free movement and adoption of technologies, targeted and competitive subsidies to reduce the access gap, and institutional arrangements to increase the use of ICTs in the provision of public goods. The paper advocates for the importance of all three "Cs": connectivity, capability to use the new tools, and relevant content provided in accessible and useful forms
This book serves as a reference manual for the consultative process undertaken by UNDP in Lesotho on scaling up the national response to HIV and AIDS. It includes key recommendations and strategies on how to create an HIV and AIDS competent society for all levels of leadership including the individual; what national mechanisms and strategies should be used to support longer and healthier lives for the people, from government, to traditional leaders, the Church, businesses, and people living with HIV and AIDS; the establishment of a National AIDS Commission to lead the scaled up national efforts; and strategies for the core-streaming of HIV and AIDS into all government programmes and budgets. The book has been adopted as an official policy document for the Government of Lesotho, guiding its efforts to transform its response to capacity utilisation, institutional and personal accountability, and the creation of an HIV and AIDS competent society
This research report argues that analysis of the Internet focuses too much on technology and on overcoming a "digital divide" in access to the Internet. The report looks at examples of how people in international civil society organisations have used e-mail, websites and databases to help them collaborate, publish information, mobilise people in their networks, and access information for research. The report does not cover local or national civil society organisations
This brief policy paper summarises the findings of a research project that focused on the information needs of the urban poor, and the information sources they access. The study found that the main sources of information were social networks, key informants, and infomediaries. It ends with six suggestions for development agencies seeking to share their knowledge and information with the urban poor
Presents the findings of a research project that focused on the information needs of the urban poor, and the information sources they access. The study found that the main sources of information were social networks, key informants, and infomediaries. It considers the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs), and impact assessment methods. It ends with suggestions for development agencies seeking to share their knowledge and information with the urban poor
This book focuses on ethical questions related to the use of the Internet in west Africa. It examines the manner in which the spread of the Internet in Africa raises serious ethical issues; issues that should be identified to ensure that, in the future, the adaptation and integration of Internet technology will be compatible with the development of Africa's nations. The book is based on field suveys in five west African countries, two anglophone and three francophone. For each country, a portrait of Internet users' ethical behaviours was created. The book demonstrates how the Internet, by virtue of its content and how the technology is uses, is creating upheaval in the practices and modes of communication within African communities. The book culminates with a proposed ethical model for the assimilation of the Internet that could serve as a reference for development policies in each of the respective countries and, more broadly, throughout Africa
"This paper assesses the role that information and communication technologies (ICTs) can play in Africa’s development with special emphasis on governance. The 21st century challenges for governance in Africa are reviewed. The paper summarises the uses of ICTs in governance and discusses possible risks. It also attempts to offer ideas that should be considered in employing ICTs for governance, and identifies key areas for intervention by African countries and the African Development Bank. The paper stresses the importance of the human factor in realising good governance, given that ICTs are only tools"
The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) and the World Bank organised a workshop entitled, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for Rural Development to bring together case studies of various applications of ICT that have been demonstrated to make a difference in the delivery of services or products in rural areas. The cases presented illustrate the opportunities and challenges in the diffusion of ICT within India and for other developing countries. The paper presents successful examples of each type of application and discusses one application in detail to draws lessons on what needs to be done to promote ICT for rural development
This article presents a theoretical rationale for using the Internet to conduct persuasive public health interventions. Through an examination of the conceptual bases of persuasion, it is posited that the World Wide Web and other Internet-based resources have many of the characteristics necessary for persuasive communication and may, in fact, constitute a hybrid channel that combines the positive attributes of interpersonal and mass communication. The notion that the Internet features many of the persuasive qualities of interpersonal communication makes it a prime candidate for the application of key behavioural science theories and principles to promote healthier behaviours. The broad reach that the Internet shares with many mass communication channels indicates an economy to Internet-based efforts to communicate with large audiences. It is concluded that if the Internet can be used for persuasive health communication and its reach continues to expand, it is time for public health professionals to explore the design and evaluation of Internet-based interventions directed at health behaviour change
This report documents an initiative that, through its methods and focus, aimed to provide a realistic starting point to understanding the impact of information on development. It consisted of a electronic conference, followed by a workshop through which ideas about information and evaluation were shared and built upon. The report weaves together the input of dozens of information users and providers, policymakers, information scientists, and others from the South and the North, and presents a preliminary assessment framework as a starting point to future work in this area
