Technology and the Disabled

In preparation for tomorrow's class, I've been doing a bit of reading on the topic of disabled Americans and the technology available to them to enjoy the same access as non-disabled Americans. The statistics aren't in their favor.

According to the American Disability Association, the Internet is viewed as a "unifying technology" yet many disabled Americans don't have access to technology in a manner that's user-friendly. In fact, the National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research has listed access as the number one issue among disabled Americans.

I admit, I've not given much thought to disabled Americans and the Internet. As we plan our online strategies, I thought I was ahead of the game by including dual language on my campaign site, let alone making it user-friendly for disabled Americans. I agree with Jakob Nielsen who states that much of the usability issues can be minimized by designing a website that takes disabilities into consideration. He states that "Usability isn't just a matter of whether or not it's possible for a user to perform a task. It's also a matter of how easy and fast it is for them to do so."

If you've not included disabled Americans in your web design, the good news is that it appears to be an easy fix that won't break your campaign budget.

Influencing the Influentials

In July, 2004, the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet published a paper about campaign influentials - who they are, what they do, who they persuade and how to reach them. In this detailed report, they acknowledged that among online political citizens (OPC's) they were:

- Seven times more likely than the general public to have attended a political rally, speech or protest in the last 2-3 months
- Nearly five times more likely to have contacted a politician
- Over four times more likely to have donated $$ to a political candidate
- Three times more likely to have written a letter to the editor
- Three times more likely to belong to groups trying to influence public policy

This is an enormously powerful group who should not be overlooked when planning a campaign strategy. In fact, campaign managers should be looking to them to help fulfill their objectives.

In the report, it gives great tips on how to reach them and use them to your advantage including the following advice:

- They are activists, so help them lead
- They are joiners and networkers, so build a campaign community
- They are news junkies, so feed their habit
- They are opinionated, so given them a microphone
- They are busy, so make it easy

Powerful indeed. I am not a believer that the internet can make/break a campaign but I am becoming a believer that those who are using the internet are key influentials and should be targeted for success.