Every first week of December is celebrated as International Disability Week. The theme this year is “Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world“. This observance aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights, and well-being of persons with disabilities.
Safer-I has always been vocal about how people with disabilities and people with other disadvantages are having a hard time accessing technology. Thus, in this blog, we are going to address the questions and concerns that we collected via our social media related to disability, technology, and privacy.
Q. What is social media privacy like for people with disabilities?
A. We first need to understand how there are persons with disabilities who require assistive living and those who do not. For disabled folks who require assistive living, privacy is tricky because they might require assistance to maintain their social media accounts. For folks who can maintain their own social media accounts, they take charge of their social media privacy themselves.
To learn more about how people with disabilities participate in and remain secure on social media, follow some of our favorite accounts: @blindrocks @queer.disabled @disability_visibility @crutches_and_spice @viralimodi_ @jessicaoutofthecloset.
Q. Isn’t disability already visible? Why is that information being leaked a privacy issue?
A. Well, not all disabilities are visible. This is a common misconception among us. There are many disabilities like chronic pain, fibromyalgia, etc. that cannot be perceived by meeting someone or talking to them.
Many a time disabled folks might choose to remain private about their disabilities for their comfort, and safety, and to be safe from preexisting misconceptions and biases regarding disability. And this decision to remain private should be respected.
Info on disability can be used against people as a form of hate speech.
Disability information can lead to online hate speech and social exclusion so many might choose to keep their ability status private. One shouldn’t share information about others’ disabilities online either. People with leprosy for example are systematically and socially excluded in Nepal which is why many people with leprosy might choose to keep their status private. Doing so is completely valid and we should respect it.
Q. Info on disability can be used against people as a form of hate speech.
A. Disability information can lead to online hate speech and social exclusion so many might choose to keep their ability status private. One shouldn’t share information about others’ disabilities online either. People with leprosy for example are systematically and socially excluded in Nepal which is why many people with leprosy might choose to keep their status private. Doing so is completely valid and we should respect it.
Q. Do assistive technologies collect information about disabled people who use those technologies?
A. Assistive technologies are all systems and services used to increase the independence, comfort, and well-being of people with disabilities. These include white sticks, wheelchairs, crutches, etc.
Every assistive technology is different in terms of its use, technicality, and modernity. The ones that use modern technologies like the ones that connect with cloud technology might collect more information about their user. Many a time collection of data is vital to the optimum use of the technology. But there have been cases where these technologies have been programmed to collect unnecessary and more intimate data. This has thus become a major privacy issue for all disabled folks.
Q. Is online monitoring of people with disabilities a thing?
A. We, at Safer-I, are focused on learning more about surveillance and ethical tech. Something that we came across was in many foreign countries, insurance companies can claim long-term disability (LTD). When an individual makes an LTD claim, insurance companies can carry out digital and physical spying on the claimant. Physical spying includes following one’s actions physically while digital spying includes checking up on social media activity. They also conduct data surveillance like driving licenses and other government documents.
So yes, online monitoring of people with disabilities is a thing and a big breach of the agency and privacy of people with disabilities!
Q. Passwords are vulnerable for people who have no eyesight as they use the narrator while typing. What can we do about that?
A. One of the issues with tying passwords is that the narrator will read back what is being typed making it a privacy concern. From our information, it is possible to disable hearing back of words and letters.
For further privacy measures, there are ways like multi-factor authentication, retina recognition, fingerprint recognition, and so on. But they tend to be cumbersome, inaccessible, and expensive. Thus, better accessibility measures are definitely required.
Q. Their data on disability are more vulnerable and if leaked can introduce potential biases in job selection. How do you view this issue?
A. Many studies show that people with disabilities are far less likely to be hired than their able-bodied counterparts even with the same qualifications. Even if they are hired, they are mostly hired on a part-time or contract basis. The justifications provided include the high cost of accessibility, uneasy litigations, and perceived incompetency.
People with disabilities thrive in an environment that lets them set their own work module which challenges the traditional capitalist view of productivity. This puts them at a disadvantage.
Information leaks about disability can influence the professional life of people with disabilities which is one of the many reasons why their choice to privacy must be respected!
Understanding the successes, frustration, and struggles of people with disabilities and their tech participation is essential to creating a universal design, one that promotes accessibility regardless of ability and other factors. This concern becomes more apparent when we factor in the right to privacy that disabled people have which is often sidelined in this conversation. We hope these responses give you something to think about!