Course abstract

There is increasing evidence to suggest that meaningful access to ICTs and capabilities required for their effective use are ensconced in myriad interactions between individuals’ skills, social positions and their larger network of social relations. Hence, when we think of an inclusive [digital] society, we need to focus on these issues as important factors shaping people’s engagement with ICTs. This course presents a brief conceptual and practical toolkit for combining the technical and social support required for achieving greater inclusion in the design of ICTs. Towards this end, we will look at three axes through which exclusion usually takes place, namely, class, disability and gender. The aim of the course is to highlight the ways in which technologies can become exclusive, how it could impact different segments of the society and how we can think of alternative design principles that will make our ICTs more inclusive.