Factors Influencing Adoption of Wireless Technologies: Key Policy Issues, Barriers and Opportunities for People with Disabilities‪.‬

INTRODUCTION Mobile wireless information and communication technologies are rapidly emerging as an important medium to send and receive data, text, voice and video. Many routine daily activities--such as making doctor's appointments, calling home, obtaining directions and purchasing goods and services--already rely on existing telecommunication tools. New wireless technologies will permit cell phones, and portable or wearable computers to function as universal remote consoles for accessing information and services and controlling appliances and devices. For example, a personal digital assistant may be used to conduct financial transactions, program a VCR, set a home thermostat, check the coffee pot, or locate and schedule public transportation. In short, wireless devices are becoming an integral part of daily life, and without access to these technologies, people with disabilities may find themselves increasingly excluded from many activities. Public policy plays an important if frequently overlooked role for people with disabilities, in part because "people with disabilities ... interface with so many different components of public policy systems, many of which are conflicting or inconsistent, such as employment goals and requirements for income assistance programs. The larger public policy context for disability and rehabilitation research reflects interlinking service delivery systems in which changes in one system often have a substantial impact on others. The dilemma for disability and rehabilitation policy is that the various systems are not mutually reinforcing." (NIDRR, 1999)