Ageing and Keeping Pace with Technology: A Grounded Theory Study on Blind Adults’ Experiences of Adapting to New Technologies

Alina Betlej (), Jan Gondek and Natalia Gondek
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Alina Betlej: Centre of Sociological Research on the Economy and the Internet, The Department of Economic and Digital Sociology, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Al. Racławickie 14, 20-950 Lublin, Poland
Jan Gondek: The Department of Economic and Digital Sociology, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Al. Racławickie 14, 20-950 Lublin, Poland
Natalia Gondek: The Institute of Philosophy, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Al. Racławickie 14, 20-950 Lublin, Poland

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-19

Abstract: This study investigated blind adults’ experiences of adapting to digital technologies. The authors’ focus was on how they have been experiencing changes implied by digital transformation, which provided the starting point for assessing their prospects and/or limitations for self-development through new technologies in the future. The second point concerned designing technologies for blind adults by adding questions about their specific needs and expectations for digital device designers. To develop these main issues, we planned a qualitative grounded theory study in which 16 blind adults were individually interviewed. It aimed to provide rich descriptions of a selected phenomenon. The research analysis was conducted by using the sociological and philosophical methods, which provided insights into the social assessment of digital development for ageing by blind adults. The data analysis revealed five distinct categories that captured these experiences and expectations: (1) wishing to learn—“Digital technology gives me privacy and independence”; (2) having to learn—“If you do not have new digital devices or do not know how to use them, you end up on the margins of society”; (3) being socially excluded—“Designers of new technologies do not think about blind adults”; (4) fearing to stop understanding—“Technological development is too rapid, it is difficult to be on time while ageing”; and (5) waiting for the changes—“I hope my situation will change in the future”. Together, these five categories form the basis of the core category “Ageing and keeping pace with technology”, which encapsulates the initial adaptation experiences of the interviewees to the technological development. The findings indicate that the blind adults experienced digital devices as tools for improving their well-being, but they also saw them as posing the threat of being socially excluded because of new technology designs and accessibility barriers.

Keywords: ageing; keeping pace with technology; technologies for blind adults; digital development; digital exclusion; age-friendly technologies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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