“Mum Helps Me When the Internet Messes Up…”: Accessibility of eHealth Services for People with Intellectual DisabilityShow others and affiliations
2024 (English)In: Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction - 18th International Conference, UAHCI 2024, Held as Part of the 26th HCI International Conference, HCII 2024, Proceedings, Springer Nature , 2024, p. 213-230Conference paper, Published paper (Refereed)
Abstract [en]
Many services have become digitized in society, including health services. Although there are many advantages to eHealth services, some segments of the population cannot reap those benefits. Objectives: This study aimed to: 1- describe how people with intellectual disability use the internet in Sweden; and 2- understand the nature of the contextual and personal barriers these users face when trying to access eHealth services in particular. Methods: Data from the nationwide survey “Swedes with Impairment and the Internet 2021” (SMFOI-21) were extracted for a subsample of 154 people with self-declared intellectual disability. Results: Findings reveal that people with intellectual disability used the internet predominantly for entertainment purposes. Challenges arose in more complex online activities, like internet searches, logging into eHealth services, booking medical appointments, and financial transactions. Participants relied on support from family, guardians or staff to read, write, create and memorise passwords, understand content, or solve technical problems encountered. They expressed a desire to engage more independently in the digital society but faced barriers due to the cognitive requirements of using apps and the internet as designed by computer scientists, difficulties in navigating complex online processes, such as eHealth services, and a lack of accessible infrastructure. Conclusion: This research underscores the importance of improved accessibility, simplified interfaces, clearer instructions, and a supportive ecosystem to enhance their digital inclusion. It is a matter of people with intellectual disability being afforded equal rights to access health services.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Springer Nature , 2024. p. 213-230
Keywords [en]
Digital Inclusion, eHealth, Health Literacy, Impairments, Intellectual Disabilities
National Category
Human Computer Interaction Information Systems
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-348775DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-60881-0_14ISI: 001285842600014Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85196113889OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-348775DiVA, id: diva2:1878685
Conference
18th International Conference on Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction, UAHCI 2024, Held as Part of the 26th HCI International Conference, HCII 2024, Washington, United States of America, Jun 29 2024 - Jul 4 2024
Note
Part of ISBN: 9783031608803
QC 20241004
2024-06-272024-06-272024-10-04Bibliographically approved