JAGRAN LAKECITY UNIVERSITY, BHOPAL

School of Media and Communication

Digital Inclusion and Differently Abled: A Study on the Role of Digital Media
in the Lives of Differently Abled (special reference to Madhya Pradesh)

Submitted by: Under the Supervision of:

Bhavna Upadhyaya Dr. Jayanta Kumar Panda

Ph.D Scholar, Associate Professor, School of Media &

Communication, Jagran Lakecity University

Place: Bhopal

Date:
 CERTIFICATE OF SUPERVISION

This is to certify that (Name) research scholar in Institute Of Law, (Name of University),
Madhya Pradesh. (INDIA) has selected his topic of Ph.D. Thesis entitled, “Digital Inclusion
and Differently Abled: A Study on the Role of Digital Media in the Lives of Differently
Abled (special reference to Madhya Pradesh)” on my advice.

The Above entitled work done by Miss. (NAME) under my guidance and supervision for the
degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Law of (Name of University). I certify that the candidate has
put in an attendance of more than 200 days with me.

To the best of my knowledge and belief the thesis:

• Embodies the work of the candidate himself.

• Has duly been completed.

• Fulfill the requirement of the ordinance relating to the Ph.D. Degree of the University.

• Is up to the standard both in respect of contents and language for being referred to the
examiner.

I have made various suggestions while supervising his work and he has incorporated many of
them. In view of this I deem this work fit for evaluation.

I wish her luck.

Signature of Supervisor: Submitted by:

…….. (Madhya Pradesh)

 DECLARATION BY THE CANDIDATE

I declare that the thesis entitled “Digital Inclusion and Differently Abled: A Study on the Role of
Digital Media in the Lives of Differently Abled (special reference to Madhya Pradesh)” is my
own work, conducted under the supervision of Dr. (Prof.) …………….., Professor, Institute of
Law, (Name of University). I have put in more than 200 days of attendance with the supervisor
at the center.

I further declare that to the best of my knowledge the thesis does not contain any part of my
work which has been submitted for the award of any degree either in this university or any other
one.

Signature of the Candidate Signature of the Supervisor

Signature of Head UTD/ Principal

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter
words, but to live by them.”

- John F. Kennedy

I bow to almighty GOD, the powerful and merciful, who fulfilled my wishes and gave me
strength to finish this work.

It is my privilege to acknowledge with sincere gratitude and utmost regards to my erudite

supervisor Prof. (Dr.) …... Institute Of Law, …………., MP (INDIA) who persuaded me to work
on “Digital Inclusion and Differently Abled: A Study on the Role of Digital Media in the Lives
of Differently Abled (special reference to Madhya Pradesh)’’. It was his savvy pilotage and
constant inspiration coupled with amiability which enabled me to present this exiguous endeavor
in its present visage. In fact he has been a source of strength, inspiration and confidence to me.

I owe my profound gratitude to all Professors of Institute of Law, ………., ……… especially Dr.
……… (HOD), Dr. G.K. Sharma, Dr. J.K. Tiwari, Dr. Ram Shankar for his sympathetic attitude,
constant encouragement and for providing necessary facilities to complete this study.

I feel immense pleasure in recording my thanks and obeisance to Dr. Vikram Singh Choudhary,
Dr. D.C. Upadhaya and Dr. Roma Mukharjee who always stood by me and groomed me to
summarize the vistas of cognition.

I salute, venerate and shall ever remain indebted to my parents Dr. B.K. Chaurasia and Pushpa
Chaurasia for their unconditional love and blessings. My younger sisters were always there as a
source of strength

I feel blessed to have my beloved friends Aishwarya Nigam, Anchit Verma, Vandana Srivastava
who always supported me in making relevant literature available to me or solving paperwork
related issues or anything else, they were always with me.
I shall also express my thanks to the office members of librarians of various Universities as
Government State Law Collage, Bhopal, Jiwaji University, NLIU, Bhopal, NLU, Delhi, IIL,
Delhi, Kumaau University, Nainital who have rendered great assistance to me in the process of
my thesis. I feel heavily indebted to express my most sincere thanks to all those who have helped
me in one way or the other in the completion of academic endeavor.

Thanks to all.

(NAME)

RESEARCH SCHOLAR
ABSTRACT

The media has long portrayed that persons who have physical disabilities and challenges are
unable to completely perceive their surroundings, but in reality, their perceptions of the world are
just different. The media's attitude and disregard for individuals with disabilities has been formed
by the long-held assumption that people with disabilities, such as the visually impaired and the
hearing impaired, are unable and less sensitive. In developing nations, over 80% of people with
disabilities reside in remote rural areas. A total of 186 million children with disabilities have not
finished primary school, and 62 million children of primary school age have a disability. Less
than 2% of children with disabilities are enrolled in school in developing nations.

The "disabled population" in India was 2,68,14,994 in 2011, with 50,72,914 of those people
having hearing impairments and being utterly ignored by the media and society. This study aims
to identify the physical disabled's media inclusion and exclusion, research the media channels
they most commonly access, and identify the challenges they encounter when using the media,
with particular emphasis on Madhya Pradesh.

Keywords: Hard of hearing (HOH), Digital Media, Digital Inclusion, Children with disability.
ABBREVIATIONS

1. AIR All India Report

2. CBR Community-based rehabilitation
3. CFM Washington Group/UNICEF Module on Child
Functioning
4. CRPD Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
5. CSO Civil society organization
6. ECE Early childhood education
7. ECCE Early childhood care and education
8. GDP Gross domestic product
9. ICDS Integrated Child Development Services
10. MoE Ministry of Education
11. NCF National Curriculum Framework
12. NEP National Education Policy
13. NIOS National Institute for Open Schooling
14. OPD Organization of Persons with Disabilities
15. p. page
16. PINDICS Performance Indicators for Elementary School
Teachers
17. RCI Rehabilitation Council of India
18. RPWD Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016
19. Rs. Indian rupee
20. RTE Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education
Act 2009
21. UDISE+ Unified District Information System for Education
Plus
22. UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization
23. UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund
24. UNICEF ROSA UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia
25. WG Washington Group on Disability Statistics
CONTENTS

Chapte Topics Page no.

r

1. Introduction 03

1.1 Objectives 08

1.2 Hypothesis 08

2. Review of Literature 09

3. Statement of Problem 12

4. Relevance of the study 14

5. Research Methodology 16

6. Expected Outcome of the Research 18

7. Tentative Chapterisation 20

8. List of published papers 22

9. References 24
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 INTRODUCTION
The idea of variety extends beyond culture, colour, and gender to include ability as well. Those
who are physically or mentally handicapped are also included in the diversity horizon. This study
intends to measure how deaf and hard-of-hearing (HoH) people and physically disabled people
are included and excluded in digital media. The use of technology and digital media has made it
possible for deaf and HoH persons to participate in online communities.

Millions of deaf or hearing-impaired persons reside in a world without sound. A person's

personality, demeanor, area of specialization, behavior, and even social functioning can be
impacted by hearing loss. With the advent of new technologies, media is changing its form day
by day. Media consumption in digital format is increasing across the globe. The increase in the
accessibility of the devices capable of supporting digital media with increase in the internet
access has provided the opportunity to the consumers to access in the media content for their
varied uses like gaining information, sharing views, entertainment etc. Digital media has
increased its reach among all the age groups of the society. Digital technologies break traditional
barriers to communication, interaction, and access to information for persons with disabilities.

A study conducted by Ernst & Young1 in January 2016 on ‘Future of Digital Content
Consumption’ in India predicted that the Indian digital media segment is set for disruption with
growth expected to reach INR 200 billion (INR 20000 crores) by 2020. The demographics are all
stacked in India’s favour for digital consumption. The report further concluded that by 2017,
India will have more than 350 million smart phones. Inexpensive smart phones and the rollout of
3G and 4G broadband infrastructure are rapidly coming together to leap from traditional
distribution and democratize online access.

A study conducted on the increasing social media usage2 throughout the world after examining
the data from 238 countries finds that 50 % of the world is now connected to the internet. It
found that internet penetration has increased to 10% in 2016 .Global social media use has
increased by 21% in 2016, reaching 2.8 billion users globally. The study also found out that that
the social media users have increased tremendously in 2016 and surpassed 2.5 billion users
globally. The figure clearly shows how the modern world is extensively accessing digital media
and social media.
As per the study, conducted by PWC3 on Indian Digital Media Segments the CAGR media
market of India will increase at a rate of 11.6% (2013-2018) as compared to 5% growth rate in
the world. The study also concluded that India is projected to outpace the global growth rate in
every segment of entertainment and media over the five years to 2018. The statistics clearly
indicates the extensive use of digital media by the consumers across the country.

With such extensive use of internet the world has shifted to a digital society. A Digital Society is
a modern, progressive society that is formed as a result of the adoption and integration of
Information and Communication Technologies at home, work, education and recreation.4

A quite new term called digital inclusion has been coined by the policy makers to address the
issues of opportunity, access, knowledge, and skill at the level of policy. Digital inclusion has
three broad facets: access, adoption, and application. These facets show the ultimate goal of
creating digitally inclusive communities.5 Digital inclusion aims at connecting all the sections of
the society together with easy access and simpler networks.

The Census 2011 defined Disability in Hearing as:

1. Unable to hear at all, or

2. Faces difficulty when it comes to hearing day to day conversational speech (which would
be considered as HoH);
3. If the individual employs a hearing aid.
4. If the individual faces a hearing problem in only one ear, then he or she must not be
deemed as having a hearing disability.
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 in India lays down the following:
a) "Deaf" means persons having 70 DB hearing loss in speech frequencies in both ears;
b) "Hard of hearing" means a person having 60 DB to 70 DB hearing loss in speech
frequencies in both ears.

1.2 Digital Media and the Differently Abled

While looking at the unstoppable growth of digital media in all the forms across the globe, it is
correct to say that digital media is strengthening its roots in all the sections of the society
irrespective of their caste culture, religion, age, education etc. Digital media sources available
these days have the potential to empower the differently abled or the persons with disabilities.
Disabled children and young people have the same rights as non-disabled children and young
people to participate in decisions and issues that affect them. This is outlined in both the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and in the UN Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) 6. These rights focus on digital inclusion of the differently
abled. World Health Organization defines disability as an umbrella term, covering impairments,
activity limitations, and participation restrictions. Impairment is a problem in body function or
structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or
action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement
in life situations7. The wide range of contemporary media contributes to the formation of how
disability is understood in society when it depicts disability.

One person on the earth is estimated to have a disability out of every five, and they are cruelly
misrepresented in the glossy, pop-culture centred mainstream media system. These people are
restricted to a specific spectrum as a result of mediators' influence over what is published or
generated. In the wake of medical and political advancement, the physically challenged
population has seen a shift in their personal circumstances, but they have not been able to see the
same transition in their public image. Numerous scholars have claimed that the media displays an
uncaring attitude toward communities of people with disabilities. The disabled population has
been portrayed in some ways as the "last minority" that is decades behind other groups. Charles
A. Riley II claims that minority groups including gays, blacks, Jews, women, and elderly citizens
have utilised their economic and political influence to demand changes, which has helped to
change the harmful depictions of them in print and on television. In the end, these adjustments
helped to empower these communities.

Like any other individuals differently abled are becoming the active media participants these
days .The ICT opportunity for persons with disabilities ICT enables the use of multiple means of
communication - voice, text, and gestures - to access information and engage with others, and
hence can help to address longstanding barriers of communication and interaction 8. They are
accessing various digital media sources available these days for fulfilling their varied needs.
With the evolution of technology, the society has been able to come a long way. This has also
allowed the society to be more inclusive for people with disabilities. We are able to identify the
possibility of staying connected and technologically apprised by the means of installing apps and
creating a platform for the differently abled. They are using the various media sources for
fulfilling their needs of sharing information, sharing their views, participating in the discussions,
entertainment etc. They are even raising their voice regarding their various needs and rights
through digital media sources. With the help of media they even connect with various
organizations working online for securing the rights of the disabled. Media also provides a
platform for people with disabilities to voice the changes they want to see in expanding
inclusion, education, employment, and advocacy opportunities.

1.3 Status of Differently Abled in India and Madhya Pradesh

Persons with Disabilities Act of India, 1995 recognizes seven disabilities of an individual namely
Blindness, Low vision, Leprosy-cured, Hearing impairment, Loco motor disability, Mental
retardation and Mental illness. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill – 2016 has been
passed in December 2016 in India in which the types of disabilities has increased to 21 but this
act is not yet applicable in Madhya Pradesh.

Census 2011 reveals that in India out of the 121 Cr populations, 2.68 Cr persons are ‘differently
abled’ which is 2.21% of the total population. Among the disabled population 56% (1.5 Cr) are
males and 44% (1.18 Cr) are females. Out of the total disabled population of India Madhya
Pradesh have 15.5 lakhs of disabled which is constituted of 8.88 lakhs males and 6.63 lakhs of
females. The census further shows that Bhopal has the highest number of disabled people in
Madhya Pradesh. Of the total 15.5 lakh disabled population in Madhya Pradesh, 84,502 live in
Bhopal. The detailed bifurcation of the disabled population of Madhya Pradesh according to their
type of disability is as follows:

Census of India 2011 Data on Disability provides the following statistics:

Total 26,810,557 14,986,202 11,824,355

(MALES) (FEMALES)
In Hearing 5,071,007 2,677,544 2,393,463
Source: Census of India 2011
 300000

250000

200000

150000

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50000

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Source: Census of India 2011

The major number of disabled in Madhya Pradesh has locomotor disability followed by other
types of disabilities. The Government of India is taking various initiatives these days for
including the differently abled in the main stream of the society. It aims to facilitate a common
integrated platform, enabling and positive environment and ICT tool for the differently abled.
Narendra Modi, Honorable Prime Minister of India has coined a new term for disabled i.e.
‘Divyangs’. The Indian Government, under the leadership of Narendra Modi, has shown
tremendous commitment to address some of the core issues of Accessibility, Education,
Employment for People with Disability through 7 stated goals of his Government, such as e-
learning, accessibility provisions, comprehensive rights bill, special funding for skill
development of Specially Abled People etc.

The social Justice Department of Madhya Pradesh is running a project named ‘SPARSH’
(Special Project for Assistance, Rehabilitation & Strengthening of Handicapped) especially for
the differently abled. As the name suggests the project aims at assistance, rehabilitation and
strengthening of the differently abled. The Madhya Pradesh government is also running various
projects for improving the assistive technology and inclusive society in the state. Such initiatives
of the government are proving beneficial in achieving the goal of ‘Accessible India Campaign.’
1.4 The Digital Media inclusion for persons with disabilities
Digital media makes it possible to interact with others and access information via speech, text,
and gestures, which can help to overcome long-standing barriers to communication and
interaction. The Convention on the Rights of Individuals with Disabilities (2006) (hereafter the
CRPD), the first human rights instrument expressly addressing the rights and needs of persons
with disabilities, states unequivocally that digital media is an enabler. 152 nations have ratified
the 2007-enacted Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as of March 12, 2015.
(UN Enable 2015). The 2006 Convention emphasizes the importance of digital media for
fostering the independence and full participation of people with disabilities across all spheres of
life and calls on States Parties to coordinate their efforts and make significant financial
investments to expand access to digital media. Digital media is a crucial enabler of meaningful
habilitation and rehabilitation, access to information, and upholding freedom of expression and
opinion (Article 21), as well as accessibility to systems and services (Article 9). The necessity
for accessible and inexpensive technology to realize the rights of people with disabilities is
brought up in articles on access to justice, political participation rights, education, health, and
employment.
Review of Literature
A report on rise in digital media use globally concluded that digital world experienced
spectacular growth in 2016, with the pace of change accelerating across almost all key indicators
versus 2015.The global internet users have increased to 3.77 billion equaling 50% penetration.
Internet users grew by slightly more than they did in 2015, while social media and mobile social
media users were up by more than double the number of new users. (We are social, 2017)

The social model of disability argues that physical impairments are not the cause of disability,
but a society and a media representation that cannot accommodate physical difference produces
disability as an experience of oppression. (Ellcessor 2016)

The media business runs on demographics. Quantitative measures of who’s watching, listening,
reading, clicking, and, most importantly, buying are sliced and diced by marketing experts
according to every conceivable category. This systematic analysis of data has advanced way
beyond the old herding by race, gender, age, education and income. That makes the current state
of affairs regarding readers and viewers with disabilities all the more dismal. (Riley 2005)

Over the years, the popular media have increased their accuracy in portrayals of deafness.
However, this sensitivity is quite recent, and its long-term impact on stereotypes held by deaf
people is as yet unknown. Gains made by other minorities (e.g., African-Americans are now
depicted on television in a variety of roles) have promoted sensitivity to human diversity, but as
yet, deafness enjoys neither the attention nor the role models granted to other minorities in
popular media. (Braden 1994)

A study conducted by Deloitte (2015) on the rise of digital media in India concluded that India
has the largest young population in the world which is driving the digital media consumption in
India. Internet traffic in India is being driven by mobile internet users. The people are sending
their more time on digital media as compared to other digital media sources. This increase can be
credited to the improvement in mobile devices technology and internet connectivity, which has
provided the viewers with the option of accessing digital media content on the go.

Dandamudi (2015) opines that Differently abled people are no different from normal people in
using technology, if they are also considered as the end users. Providing a Barrier free built
environment is taken as a major consideration these days. However, technology should act as an
advantage for differently abled people by helping them mobilize things on their own. Using the
present day technology, one should always see to provide maximum benefits to the differently
abled people that may not be possible without these inventions. The technological advancements
benefit the differently abled people not only in assisting themselves, but also in accessing
everything possible.

Adults and children with significant speech and expressive language impairments—across race,
ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, and nationality—are adapting a variety of social media and
new media platforms as ways to communicate in innovative ways, from creating an iTunes
playlist to curating an array of photos on Pinterest. Their transformational use of new
communication technologies and social media educates society about broader definitions of what
human communication might truly be. Assistive technology policies denying access or making
access to social media very difficult for people with significant speech impairments restricts their
personal relationships and societal participation, and in turn, also denies society the opportunity
to learn from those who engage in communication in unique ways. Validating the countless ways
adults and children with communication disabilities use media and technology socially everyday
requires an integrated theorization of augmentative and alternative communication that takes into
account understandings of communication as transmission, ritual, and object. (Alper and
Haller,2017)

The internet and ICT can facilitate the social, economic, and civic participation of persons with
disabilities. The use of multiple ICT channels to deliver services and multiple formats for the
content delivered can allow persons with different disabilities to access information and
communication in the manner in which they can comprehend and prefer. The internet and ICT
are becoming a key driver of inclusive development because of their growing pervasiveness in
the delivery of public and private services coupled and the increasing ability to use everyday
consumer ICT devices as assistive devices.(Raja, 2016)

The study conducted on the social media used by the students with disabilities concluded that
students with disabilities, not unlike their non-disabled peers, are using social media for school
and non-school related activities. The results of this study indicate accessibility issues do exist.
Students find difficulty in watching the videos without the subtitles and the in accessing the sites
where there the access is restricted to CAPTCHA entry. (Asuncion et al.,2012).

Sharma (2017) a disability rights advocate opines that digital inclusion of persons with
disabilities not only stands to benefit the millions living with disabilities but also older persons
and persons with limited language skills. It is not common knowledge but several popular
mainstream technologies were actually developed for persons with disabilities. She argues that
campaign like Digital India campaign, the Start-up India campaign or even the recent move
towards a cashless and digital economy need to ensure that persons with disabilities are benefited
as well. It is thus important for policymakers, technology giants and citizens to talk about digital
inclusion for persons with disabilities.

A study conducted by Pew Research Center (2017) in America concluded that there is large
digital divide between those who have a disability and those who don’t. Disabled Americans are
about three times as likely as those without a disability to say they never go online. The amount
of time people spend online and their comfort level with technology also varies by disability
status.

1.1 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

1.1.1. To analyze the digital media reach among the differently abled.

1.1.2. To study the tools used by the differently abled for accessing digital media.

1.1.3. To find out the sectors where the differently abled are using digital media.

1.1.4. To understand the experiences of the differently abled accessing digital media.

1.1.5. To study the role of digital media in empowering differently abled.

1.1.6. To study the barriers faced by the differently abled while accessing digital media.

1.2 HYPOTHESIS
H1 -The reach and awareness of digital media is low among the differently abled in Madhya
Pradesh.

H2- Digital Media usage in Education, employment, e-governance and financial inclusion sectors
are significantly higher among differently abled in Madhya Pradesh.

H3 – Digital media is playing an important role in empowering differently abled through ICT.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
2.21 % of the total population of India is differently abled which constitute of 2.68 crore persons.
6% of the total differently abled population of the country resides in Madhya Pradesh which is
considerably high. The government is taking various initiatives focusing on improving the
quality of life of the differently abled and building an inclusive society for them. In this regard,
various campaigns like ‘Accessible India Campaign’ and others are going on. The government is
also taking various steps for promoting media awareness, literacy and participation amongst
them. The researcher feels that there is a need to study the digital inclusion of the differently
abled. Various researches have been done in the field of social media usage by the differently
abled but limited studies on the overall digital media use by the differently abled and their
expectations out of. With the growing use of digital media in various sectors it will be interesting
to know how the differently abled perceive it. The researcher feels that there is a great need of
the studies focusing on the digital media reach, awareness, needs and barriers that the differently
abled face. This research can facilitate the government and the various organizations working for
the welfare of the differently abled on the needs, gaps, tools used and barriers faced by them
while accessing digital media. This will help the concerned authorities in taking the corrective
actions and achieving the goal of ‘Accessible India’.

Relevance of the Study

 1. With the government focusing on the better lives of Divyangs, the research will help to
analyze and understand the digital media initiatives of the government.

2. With the huge geographic and demographic spread in Madhya Pradesh, the research will help
to evaluate the awareness about the needs of differently abled in the state and the state run
programs for their digital needs.

3. The research will help in identifying the sectors where the differently abled are accessing
digital media and the pointing out the necessary changes for making these sectors user friendly
for them.

4. The research will help in understanding the experiences of the differently abled accessing
digital media.

Research Methodology
The researcher will adopt empirical mode of research. The methods of data collection will
include –

1. Schedule method

2. Questionnaire method

3. Interview method

4. Survey Method

5.Focus group discussion

The researcher will analyze both qualitative and quantitative data. The researcher also aims to
use various secondary sources for data collection viz. textbooks, journals, articles, magazines,
websites etc.
Following outcomes are expected from this research work:
1. The research will explain how the differently abled perceive digital media.

2. The research will help us to know the awareness level of digital media and its reach among the
differently abled.

3. The research will explain the sectors where the differently abled are using digital media and
the purpose of using it.

4. Polices which can the formed for easy accessibility of digital media by the differently abled.

5. Steps which should be taken for making the digital barrier free environment for the differently
abled.

MODE OF CITATION
For the purpose of this study, the Harvard style of referencing will be used by the researcher.

Proposed Chapterization
The researcher has planned to conduct the research under the following chapters:

7.1. Introduction

7.2. Review of literature

7.3. An Overview of digital media and the differently abled status in India (with special
reference to Madhya Pradesh)

7.4. Digital inclusion and differently abled and bridging disability divide through digital media

7.5. Research Methodology

7.6. Data presentation and analysis

7.7 Findings, Limitations, Suggestions, Scope for further research and conclusion of the
research.