Equitable Digitalisation
SDG 10, with Target 10.2 aiming to empower and promote social, economic, and political inclusion for all, including people with disabilities, can be accelerated significantly through digitalisation.
Digitalisation plays a critical role in enhancing inclusivity and reducing inequalities, aligning closely with Target 10.2. By leveraging digital technologies, we can create more accessible environments for people with disabilities. For instance, websites and applications can be designed with features like screen readers, voice commands, and adaptable interfaces, ensuring equal access to information and services.
Moreover, remote working opportunities facilitated by digital platforms provide employment options for individuals with disabilities, overcoming geographical barriers and fostering economic empowerment. Online education and e-learning resources can be tailored to accommodate diverse learning styles and accessibility needs, promoting educational inclusivity.
Digital health solutions also contribute to achieving Target 10.2 by providing remote healthcare services, enabling individuals with disabilities to access medical assistance more conveniently. Telemedicine, wearable health devices, and health monitoring apps empower individuals to manage their health independently.
Furthermore, digital advocacy platforms amplify the voices of people with disabilities, promoting their participation in shaping policies and decision-making processes that directly impact their lives. Social media and online forums foster community engagement, enabling individuals to share experiences, resources, and support networks.
In essence, digitalisation acts as a catalyst in accelerating progress towards achieving SDG 10, Target 10.2, by creating inclusive digital ecosystems, fostering economic opportunities, providing accessible education and healthcare, and amplifying the voices of individuals with disabilities in society
Why SPIDER insists that equity matters
Inclusion, representation and intersectionality should never be an afterthought. By acknowledging bias in our real as well as digital worlds we can start addressing the structures that enable inequity to persist.
SPIDER as an organisation exists to ensure that digitalisation enables the achievements of global goals for equity, justice, human rights, innovation and healthy planet.
Digitalisation is not just an easy path to equity, impediments to equity are sometimes exasperated by the online community and the inaccessibility of technology by many in the world. Millions of people are not accessing the opportunities of digital transformation and that is something we aim to put a stop to. Only by working together, understanding the intersectional challenges that determine our place in the communities we live in, can we start breaking down barriers to developpment-
SPIDER’s model for impact creation
Explore SPIDER’s work for Equity
SPIDER and partners connect with diaspora
The Connect Somalia initiative seeks to enable diaspora members to practically support development in their ancestral or birth country by facilitating diaspora engagement via digital technologies.
How Zambia fights cyber discrimination
The Zambian Regulatory Authority, ZICTA was part of the international Training Programme on Policy and Regulation and later showcased a campaign to raise awareness of the gendered bullying online. Watch the campaign video which was part of the impact SPIDER showed at DINE 2021.
Cambodian app guiding equity in careers
Trey Visay is a career counseling tool for Cambodian students. It gives information about careers and what is required to be eligible in Khmer to secondary school students through smartphones.
F.A.Q.
How can digital transformation contribute to equal societies?
There are several ways that digital transformation can improve equality:
- it can improve access to healthcare and education in remote or underserved areas;
- mobile payments and digital banking give unbanked persons access to financial services;
- open data and e-government services can increase government transparency and empower citizens to participate in decision-making processes, hold authorities accountable, and contribute to shaping public policies.
- Digital innovations in assistive technologies enhance accessibility for individuals with disabilities.
What role do ICT policies play in ensuring that technological advancements do not widen existing inequalities?
Well-crafted ICT policies promote fair competition, data privacy, and digital literacy. They address issues of algorithmic bias, ensuring that technological advancements contribute to reducing, rather than exacerbating, societal inequalities.
What challenges and risks does the integration of digital technology pose to achieving equality in society?
Some of the key challenges and risks include:
- Digital Divide: Disparities in access to technology create unequal opportunities. Those with low or no internet connectivitymay lack access to essential digital tools and services, widening existing socioeconomic gaps.
- Algorithmic Bias: Artificial intelligence and machine learning, can perpetuate and even amplify existing biases. If algorithms are trained on biased data, they may produce discriminatory outcomes, particularly in areas such as hiring, lending, and law enforcement, disproportionately affecting marginalized groups.
- Privacy Concerns: The increasing reliance on digital technologies often involves the collection and analysis of vast amounts of personal data. Privacy breaches, data misuse, and surveillance pose risks. Marginalized populations may be more vulnerable to exploitation or discrimination through the mishandling of their sensitive information.
- Tech Monopolies and Concentration of Power: A few large technology companies have significant influence and control over digital platforms and services.
- Lack of Digital Literacy: Those without the necessary skills may struggle to navigate online platforms, access information, or use digital tools effectively, further deepening social inequalities.