In today’s technological age, it is important to find resources that consider the role of computers and technology in women’s lives, especially women with disabilities. Included are resources ranging from gender differences in computer use, resources on technology for women, and articles examining how technology can be used as a teaching tool, as an intervention, and mutual support. Also included are selected works that discuss the relationship of the body and cyberspace from a feminist perspective.

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Burgstahler, S., & Doyle, A. (2005, Spring). Gender differences in computer-mediated communication among adolescents with disabilities: Empowerment and connection in cyberspace. In G. Goggin & C. Newell (Eds.), Theme: Disability Studies and Technology, Part 1. Disability Studies Quarterly, 25(2).

Study examined gender differences in computer-mediated communication between teenagers with disabilities and their peers and adult mentors. Data were collected from the e-mail messages of teens who were part of a program designed to promote participation of people with disabilities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Results indicated that males were more likely to both provide and seek information about the Internet and technology than females. Females communicated more frequently overall, shared more personal information, and sent more messages with a personal tone. Findings from this study can be used to guide programs in mediating electronic communities by attending to gender differences.

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Clarke, J., & van Amerom, G. (2008, March). A comparison of blogs by depressed men and women. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 29(3), 243-264.

This paper reports on a study comparing Internet blogs written by 45 men and 45 women who self-identified as depressed. Using qualitative and inductive methods, distinct differences among the male and female experiences of depression were documented. Among the most important differences were the distinctions male and female bloggers made in regards to (1) the bio-medicalization of depression; (2) the relative significance of world events as compared to relationships in depression experiences; and (3) violence, including suicide and cutting. Theoretical reasons and explanations for these findings are discussed.

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Expanding our horizons Tech3 project [Website]. (2002). North Bay, ON: DisAbled Women’s Network Canada. Retrived March 1, 2005 from http://www.dawncanada.net/tech3e/.

This is a web-based version of a CD-ROM created by DAWN Canada on technology, including definitions, tips, and links to free software created for women with disabilities.

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Fichten, C. S., Barile, M., & Reid, E. (1999). Computer technologies and women with disabilities: Is there a common ground? CAUT/ACPPU Bulletin Insert: Status of Women Supplement, 46(4), 5,10. Retrieved March 8, 2005 from http://omega.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/cfichten/abComputer%20Technologies
%20And%20Women.htm

Computer and information technologies have the potential both to enhance the lives of students with disabilities as well as to deny equality of access to higher education. We have seen both in our capacities as professor, disability activist, and student, respectively. But what is the predominant trend? What influences whether new computer and information technologies are enabling or disabling postsecondary students with disabilities?

Another question that interests us is, “What is the impact of computer technologies on female students with disabilities?” A great deal of attention has been paid to the topic of “computer technologies and women” (nondisabled, of course). The general consensus is that women are less interested in using computers than men. However, some women’s organisations are disputing the old myth and preparing instruments to assist women in developing such skills (c.f., Ellen Balka’s work on behalf of the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, 1997).

In her article “Why are there so few female computer scientists?” Ellen Spertus (1991) described how cultural stereotypes consistently discourage women from entering the computer technology field, thereby causing gender inequity. Subsequently, the stereotypes maintain the view that women are less technologically able than men.

What does this mean for women with disabilities in higher education? Do they conform to the stereotypes imposed on other women? Or are they, as a group, different with respect to the use of technologies?

After scouring the literature, we realised that there were no ready answers to any of these questions. Anecdotes, case studies, “our institution’s experience ” and other non-systematic bits of information were all that we could locate. Policies in this important, rapidly evolving area should not be based on such flimsy “evidence.” So we set out to conduct research to find answers to questions such as those posed above. Although the research was not designed from a woman centered perspective, as scientists who are women we were definitely interested in sex differences.

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Hans, A. (2006). Gender, technology and disability in the South. Thematic Section: Nanotechnology, Ethics and Development. Development, 49(4), 123–127.

Asha Hans explores the impact of new technologies on women with disabilities, with a focus on women from developing countries. For women with disabilities, especially in developing countries, these new advances are critical not only to their future quality of life, but also their identity and very survival.

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Hill, W., Schillo, L., & Weinert, C. (2004). Effect of a computer-based intervention on social support for chronically ill rural women. Rehabilitation Nursing, 29(5), 169-173.

Study examined the impact of the Women to Women Project, a computer-based support group intervention for women with chronic illness in rural areas, on social support. Data was analyzed from 3 groups of women: (1) the intervention group engaged in the computer intervention for 5 months; (2) the information group received written health information, but were not involved in the computer intervention; and (3) a comparison group. Both the intervention and the information groups showed improved social support scores while the comparison group’s scores declined slightly. Findings indicate that virtual support groups can increase perceived social support.

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Hoffman-Goetz, L., & Donelle, L. (2007, April). Chat room computer-mediated support on health issues for Aboriginal women. Health Care for Women International, 28(4), 397-418.

Within contemporary health care, increases in chronic disease have necessitated a disease management focus. Given that chronic disease is managed, more so than cured, there are increased demands for greater participation by health care consumers and they are expected to take on increased responsibility for self-care. The emphasis on consumer responsibility has increased the significance of health-promoting behavior change in contending with contemporary health care concerns. In Canada, the reported inequity in health status between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians further emphasizes the need for innovative health strategies. For Aboriginal women isolated by geography, changing societal norms (e.g., women working outside of the home, single parent families), and cultural distinction, online chat participation serves as a novel medium for the provision of health knowledge, support, and motivation within a virtual “neighborhood.” Recognizing the significance of social support in the promotion of positive health behavior change, we investigated the theme of social support within health conversations among Aboriginal women participating in an online chat room. Content analysis was the primary methodological focus within a mixed methods approach. Of 101 health-based online conversations, the majority reflected one of three forms of social support: (1) emotional support, (2) informational support, or (3) instrumental support. The value of social support and social cohesion within health has been well documented. The current investigation suggests that “community” need not be physically constructed; virtual communities offer great potential for social cohesion around the issues of health and health care.

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Howland, C. (2003). Evaluation of a web site to educate women with physical disabilities about reproductive health maintenance. In RRTC Health and Wellness Consortium (Eds.), Changing concepts of health & disability: State of the science conference & policy forum 2003 (pp. 56-61). Portland, OR: Oregon Health and Sciences University. Also on-line at: http://www.healthwellness.org/training/sciconf/sciconf_briefs/womens.htm.

Previous studies suggest that women with physical disabilities desire reproductive health maintenance information, but have difficulty finding accurate information that is relevant to their disabilities. They also encounter numerous barriers to accessing reproductive health care that accommodates their disabilities and secondary conditions…. Such barriers tend to decrease compliance with recommended standards and schedules for getting well woman exams, pap smears, and mammograms, and lead to uninformed or inadequate contraception, pregnancy care, and detection and treatment of cancer and sexually transmitted disease. Women with disabilities entering menopause may be ill-equipped to participate in informed decision-making about options for relieving menopausal symptoms and associated midlife changes in health. Improving women’s reproductive health maintenance knowledge also has the potential to empower women to inform their health care providers about ways that their disabilities and secondary conditions affect their reproductive health. They are also empowered to suggest techniques to their providers to decrease disability-related symptoms that could interfere with the physical examination and evaluation process.

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Jaloba, A. (2009, July 6). The club no one wants to join: Online behavior on a breast cancer discussion forum. First Monday, 14(7). Available: http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2563.

An analysis of the posts on a U.K.–based breast cancer discussion forum suggests that the type of online discourse found in this area is topic–led, not people–led. Most participants posted for a short time and then left the forums. Pre–existing social networks played no significant role — most people who came to this breast cancer forum did so because they did not have an offline network of people in a similar situation. The nature of interactions on such forums may suggest that the best model may be one where interaction is structured by topics and information and interaction is mediated through topical hierarchies.

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Marshall, K. (2003). Fact Sheets: “Women with disabilities and ICTs.” Canada: Womenspace. Retrieved January 2, 2005 from http://www.womenspace.ca/policy/facts_disabilities.html.

“Over the course of the past number of years women with disabilities have been struggling to bridge their own personal barriers and increase their capacities by using technology, recognizing that women with disabilities face increased barriers of isolation and exclusion in today’s increasingly technologically connected society.”

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Marston, C. (1999). Learning to be a journalist: A feminist disability critique of cyborg, college newsworkers, and RSI work culture. Journal of Communication Inquiry, 23(3), 266-287.

The goal of this article is to provide a theoretical and historical context and argument for the necessity of studying college newsworkers. The author examines feminist disability and cyber theories to articulate the need to understand the cultural context of technology within a society that constructs unrealistic and damaging limits for what constitutes “able” bodies and workers. The author situates this project within American journalistic work culture, which she refers to as RSI work culture because cultural factors are implicated as causes of occupational injuries such as repetitive strain injuries.

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Murdoch, M., Gustafson, G. L., & The Independent Living Resource Centre-St. John’s. (2005). Women with disabilities and adaptive technology in the workplace: Participatory action research and applied principles of independent living – Full report. St. John’s, Newfoundland: The Independent Living Resource Centre. Retrieved August 30, 2005 from http://www.ilrc.nf.ca/Waat/select_report.htm.

“This report provides an overview of a research project that examined the experiences and perspectives of unemployed, underemployed, and employed women with disabilities, and their knowledge of and need for adaptive technology… We found that despite education, work experience, and involvement in various training programs the majority of women with disabilities were unable to find sustained employment with a living wage. Although most women with disabilities have improved access to education, policies to advance use of adaptive technology in the labour market have not kept pace. Consequently, women with disabilities are demonstrably and significantly excluded from employment.”

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Negotiating disability through technology. (2002, June 13). Retrieved March 2, 2005 from http://www.wgit.org/WGIT_archive.asp#june.

This is the archive of a virtual conference on “how technology can enable women with disabilities to become active participants in the workforce and broaden labor pools in the technology industry.” It also included “a focus on how employers are responding and the need for the technology industry to make technology more accessible.” It consists primarily of PowerPoint presentations.

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Orgad, S. (2006). The cultural dimensions of online communication: A study of breast cancer patients’ internet spaces. New Media & Society, 8(6), 877-899.

Many have studied the interrelations between online spaces and offline contexts, highlighting that internet spaces are fundamentally embedded within specific social, cultural and material contexts. Drawing upon a study of breast cancer patients computer-mediated communication (CMC), this article aims to contribute to our understanding of the role of cultural elements in shaping the participation in and design of, CMC environments. It uses an analysis of patients interviews and breast cancer websites as an exploratory site for identifying cultural dimensions that should be considered in studying online spaces. It shows how both the breast cancer sites and their participants emphasize a sense of global similarity and commonality, while at the same time this CMC context is shaped by specific linguistic, national, temporal, spatial, religious, ideological and discursive North-American dimensions. It concludes with a broader discussion of the importance of examining the cultural aspects of online contexts and by extension, how cultural elements shape the methodologies that researchers employ.

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Pendergrass, S., Nosek, M.A., & Holcomb, J. D. (2001, Spring). Design and evaluation of an Internet site to educate women with disabilities on reproductive health care. In M. Nosek (Ed.), Feature issue on The Center for Research on Women with Disabilities (CROWD), Part I. Sexuality and Disability, 19(1), 71-83.

Women with disabilities often do not receive adequate reproductive health care. In order to improve their health, they need to be better informed. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if the Internet can effectively be used to educate women with disabilities about reproductive health. A time-series design was utilized in which the knowledge of each participant was tested before and after she toured an Internet site on reproductive health. The women were also surveyed for demographic data and for their comments on the site. To be included in the study, a woman had to be over the age of eighteen and have a mobility impairment. Twenty-six women from the United States and Canada participated in the study. Like other Internet users, they were predominately white, highly educated, and relatively affluent. They used the Internet primarily for communication (e-mail). One of the most significant findings in this study was that, although the women surveyed were highly educated, they had fundamental deficits in their knowledge of reproductive health. Thus, although these women did not match other women with disabilities demographically, they shared a need for education on reproductive health. A second significant finding was that the web site was effective in increasing the participants’ knowledge of reproductive health. This was indicated by the statistically significant 10.00% increase in post-test scores over pre-test scores and by the women’s positive feedback. Thus, the Internet site developed for this pilot study did prove to be a valuable education tool. As the Internet continues to expand and users continue to diversify, health education sites of this type should become even more effective in helping women with disabilities to break down traditional barriers and lead healthier lives.

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Rotondi, A. J., Sinkule, J., & Spring, M. (2005). An interactive web-based intervention for persons with TBI and their families: Use and evaluation by female significant others. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 20(2), 173-185.

Study examined the feasibility of using a website to provide in-home information and support services to the female significant others of adult males with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The website consisted of the following modules: (1) on-line support group, (2) ask an expert questions, (3) questions and answer library, (4) reference library, (5) calendar of community events, (6) community resources library, and (7) technical support. Each participant’s usage of the website, including each page visited, time of day, and time spent on the page was automatically tracked for 6 months. Participants also evaluated the website in terms of its value and ease of use. Overall, they found the site to be valuable and easy to use, and used it throughout the 6-month period. The on-line support group was the most used and valued module. The calendar of community events was rated as the least valuable module.

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Schaffer, R., Kuczynski, K., & Skinner, D. (2008, January). Producing genetic knowledge and citizenship through the Internet: Mothers, pediatric genetics, and cybermedicine. Sociology of Health & Illness, 30(1), 145-159.

This article analyses data from a longitudinal, ethnographic study conducted in the United States to examine how 100 mothers of children with genetic disorders used the Internet to interpret, produce, and circulate genetic knowledge pertaining to their child’s condition. We describe how they came to value their own experiential knowledge, helped shift the boundaries of what counts as authoritative knowledge, and assumed the role of genetic citizen, fighting for specific rights while shouldering and contesting concomitant duties and obligations. This exploration of e-health use contributes to our understanding of the social practices and power relations that cut across online and off-line worlds to co-produce genetic knowledge and genetic citizenship in multiple contexts.

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Scherer, M. J. (1993). What we know about women’s technology use, avoidance, and abandonment. Women and Therapy, 14(3/4): 117-132.

With the increasing availability of assistive technologies, persons with disabilities have unprecedented opportunities for full societal participation. But women, especially women with disabilities, have typically not had much exposure to and experience with technologies and can find them intimidating and frustrating. While many women use technologies regularly and with satisfaction, others use them infrequently and with reluctance, avoid them entirely, or try them only to abandon their use. This study discusses factors associated with technology use, avoidance, or abandonment as being outcomes of the interaction of: (1) the particular technology (design, service delivery), (2) the person’s abilities and personality (judgment, expectations), (3) characteristics of the disability (type, severity), and (4) the person’s psychosocial environment (social support, training and education). Assessment instruments exist to comprehensively profile individuals in the four areas so the most appropriate technologies can be recommended and needed modifications to technologies made.

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Sullivan, C. F. (2003). Gendered cybersupport: A thematic analysis of two online cancer support groups. Journal of Health Psychology, 8(1), 83-103.

Within the last few years numerous support groups have emerged on the Internet, presenting new opportunities for patients to communicate with health care professionals and other patients. The present study examines discourse within online cancer support groups, increasing our understanding of sex differences in cybersupport. Two reproductive cancer groups were chosen for this investigation, the Ovarian Problems Mailing List (OPML) and the Prostate Problems Mailing List (PPML), making sex of the patient recognizable. Phenomenological thematic analysis was employed to describe and interpret messages sent and received. Analyses for the two groups were compared. Generally, it was found that the two online listservs provided opportunities for cancer patients to receive support, within western society’s accepted forms of gendered communication.

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Travers, A. (2002, December). Postmodern research, postmodern practice: Studying the barriers to cyberliteracy among mentally disabled women. Sociological Practice: A Journal of Clinical and Applied Sociology, 4(4), 279–291.

The conversation about the postmodern challenge to sociological practice is just beginning. Harding advocates a positive tension between the postmodern vision of an antiessentialist, antiepistemological future and the postmodern vision of successor science projects grounded in the epistemologies of marginalized communities. In this paper, I describe my study of barriers to cyberliteracy among mentally disabled women and how it has been informed by these two contrasting postmodern visions represented, respectively, by the work of Newman and Holzman (The End of Knowing: A New Developmental Way of Learning, Routledge, London, 1997) and Smith (Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples, Zed Books, London, 1999).

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Weinert, C. (2000). Social support in cyberspace for women with chronic illness. Rehabilitation Nursing, 25(4), 129-135.

Article concerning the Woman to Woman Project, a health promotion program in which women with chronic health conditions living in isolated rural communities provide information and support to each other via the Internet. Results are presented from a study comparing psychosocial outcomes and responses to participation by women who used computers and the Internet and women who used their usual sources of support without computers or the Internet. Implications for nursing are discussed.

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Women with Disabilities Australia (WWDA). (1998). A report of the ‘Introduction to the Internet Workshop’ for women with disabilities. Rosny Park, Tasmania, Australia: Author. Retrieved March 2, 2004 from http://www.wwda.org.au/wkshp.htm.

An Internet Training Workshop for women with disabilities was held in Melbourne, September 1998. This is an evaluation report of that workshop.

Women with disabilities in Australia have identified the need to be included in the information technology revolution, particularly the Internet. The Internet is seen by many women with disabilities as an important accessibility aid to access mainstream information and services, as well as information to meet their specific needs as women with disabilities.

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