The significance of ICT in disabled youth's identity negotiations

Abstract

This paper investigates the significance of information and communication technology (ICT) in Norwegian disabled youth's identity negotiations in the intersections of age, gender and disability. The object of the paper is to provide enhanced insights in the opportunities and barriers ICT holds within these negotiations. The paper draws on a qualitative interview study which explores the significance of ICT in the everyday lives of 23 disabled Norwegian youth, aged 15–20 years. The analysis of the data material is inspired by the principles in constructivist grounded theory. This paper illuminates how the widespread dissemination of ICT involves complex dependencies and mechanisms of exclusion and marginalization of disabled youth, as well as inclusion. The access to ICT, and provision of ICT assistive devices, do not necessarily provide usable and suitable ICT, and this leaves some disabled youth at a neglected dead end which excludes them from their peer group. © 2009 Nordic Network on Disability Research.