Research Agenda for Disability and Technology

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary.

This innovative Research Agenda offers a comprehensive analysis of the role of assistive technology (AT) in the lives of people with disabilities. Contributors representing a diverse range of stakeholders including researchers, practitioners and people with disabilities suggest avenues for research over the next 10 years.

A Research Agenda for Disability and Technology addresses inequalities and tensions surrounding the ways that disability and technology interact, exploring how technologies have an important role but that they cannot, on their own, transform the lives of people with disabilities. Focusing on digital AT, chapters discuss alternative approaches to ‘wicked’ design and accessibility problems and offer ways of thinking differently about the relationship between research, practice and policy. Contributors also debate how our assumptions about disability and technology influences the ways in which people with disabilities are meaningfully involved in research and development.

Considering a wide range of interconnected issues, this Research Agenda is a seminal resource for academics in health policy, critical disability studies, science and technology studies, computer science, and social policy. It also provides valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners, guiding them toward a more inclusive and accessible future where technology serves as a catalyst for positive social change.