My Book - Digital Disability

I'm planning to read Goggin & Newell's Digital Disability: the Social Construction of Disability in New Media.

These two are working in the Australian context, but their work has been the best I've seen in analyzing how new media culture and policies reinforce differences in ability, excluding those commonly regarded as having mental or physical disabilities as well as those who are "disabled" in the context of digital technology due to their inability to use the very specific tools that are required. I've only read their article on mobile phones, so I'm very excited to read the book!

Since Americans with disabilities go online at roughly half the rate of Americans who do not identify as having a disability, understanding the cultural and societal context for these differences would seem to be important in bridging that particular digital divide.

Finally, I look forward to the alliterative possibilities - Double the Digital Disability Divide!