‘We aren’t fully digitally included’

TANZANIA: PEOPLE with Disabilities have poked holes on their use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

While it was meant to give them an improved quality of life through individuals and offer the ability to compensate by accessing knowledge and adapting digital media to the nature of their disabilities, the group claims that they were somewhat getting locked out of the digital world.

“We are still lagging behind in digital literacy, documents come in writings and has not considered the blind and the deaf,” observed Mr Generius Ernest Head of the Youth and Women Disabilities Organization (YoWDO).

Mr Ernest who was making contributions at a plenary session that aimed at exploring the transformative potential of technology in enhancing the independence of individuals with disabilities at the just ended CSOs Week, argued that some people living with Disabilities do not have even the most basic digital skills.

“The private sector must open the doors to People with Disabilities as well,” he added.

His sentiments were echoed by Anneth Gerana from Tanzania Joy Women Entrepreneurship for the Deaf (FUWAVITA), noting that poverty was proving to be hard nut to crack, as People with Disabilities strive to embrace the Digital World.

“Technology comes with hefty costs, it is still a challenge to buy bandwidth for us to enjoy the Internet and other services,” she said.

According to Ms Gerana, People with Disabilities are somewhat been locked out of the Digital world as most of them do not own and have access to smart phones.

She noted that People with multiple impairments are at the greatest risk of digital exclusion.

Ms Gerena further claimed that they sometimes get swindled at Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) by individuals purporting to help the visual impaired to access their accounts and withdraw money.