Science fiction author Fredrick Brown wrote one of the ultimate stories
about computer access. In his story, "Answer", 96 billion worlds
link all of their computer systems together. The theory is that the
resulting network could model the correct answers to the most difficult
questions. The ultimate question posed is, “Does God exist?”
The computer replied, “It does now.”
Today, as the Internet grows and access is increased, some of us do view
human technology as moving towards divinity. The profound implications
of access to our technological advances come in many areas; economic, disability,
legal, and maturity issues prove very interesting.
Although some may argue that Internet usage is selective, there is considerable
room for disagreement. I believe that access to the Internet actually
has very few limitations. Yes, my experience indicates that anyone
who wants access will find a means to do so.
One issue of restriction to accessibility is that some people cannot obtain
computers for socio-economic reasons. Computers can be expensive
and not universally available. One of the articles of interest was
in this week’s assignment, http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/jaal/Feb_Column.html.
A graduate student could not find her grandmother in a “disadvantaged”
country. However, there were hundreds of other references to this
particular country and grandmothers. True, there are, at this time,
many countries, including ours, that have persons with limited or no access
to the web. However, the only true limitations are those caused by
the lack of desire or sincere interest to have access to the Internet.
Schools and libraries provide access to computers for those people who
do not have the capabilities in their homes. Charities fix and provide
computers for those that cannot afford them. It may take some time
to realize it, but this issue of Internet accessibility is obsolete in
this country. By 2003, there will be more than 350 million users
on line world wide, in opposition to the 172 million users, today and only
about 131 million starting the year.
Related sites: http://www.e-land.com/estats/sell_eglob.html
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/tech/DailyNews/solarschools991105
Software and hardware developers keep accessibility for the physically
disabled in mind. Computers enhance the lives of disabled persons
in several ways. Computers perform tasks that empower the physically
disabled through designed hardware and plug-ins. Major programmers
are aware of the physical limitations and design their programs and web
pages with this in mind.
Bobby
is just one group that tries to make others aware of this issue.
It is entirely possible for a person to get all kinds of services through
the Internet without leaving their home. Shopping, correspondence,
and emotional support are just a few examples, not even considering the
vast number of those who work out of their homes through the Internet.
Related sites: http://ivillage.com
http://handson.org
(for deaf)
http://www.w3.org/WAI
(for sightless)
http://shrike.depaul.edu/~klovejoy/blindor.htm
(an organization with information on adaptive technologies. They
have a refreshable Braille screen)
http://www.sun.com/tech/access/software.guides.html
http://www.sun.com/tech/access/updt.HCI.advance.html
To my utter surprise, I found that the elderly are becoming very Internet
savvy. A computer business owner that I know says that a large percentage
of his sales are to people over 55. Apparently, they have the money,
the time, and the desire to learn. Their utmost interest is maintaining
touch with family members. One set of grandparents bought their separated
family a CU-See-Me system so they could have regular updates on their grandchildren.
They do not want to be behind the times. Additionally, we are providing
my 85-year-old mother-in-law a computer this December for the similar reasons.
She also wants to stay abreast of the latest in medicine (she is a retire
registered nurse,) keep up with the newest trends in farming, and the markets.
Related sites: http://cmc.dsv.su.se/sol/senior-online.html
Just this week, another issue of accessibility made major news. That
is the court decision concerning Microsoft as a monopoly. Since Microsoft
was stifling competition, what access capabilities went undeveloped?
Much will come of this, much to Microsoft’s profit.
There are many aspects of accessibility. One of the issues I was
not considering was access to our web server. I struggled all Saturday
with the university’s server. I am clearly at a disadvantage when
I am not able to access the webboard or other html pages concerning our
assignments. I am not sure that this was not a deliberate attempt
to get us to think about accessibility. I am definitely handicapped
when the normal capabilities are down.
It is great that the computer, the Internet, and programs are becoming
accessible for everyone. The easier it is, the more we rely on it,
and the more dependent we become.
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