Thomas, Vanessa (2017) Online vs offline inequality : Examining disableist infrastructure via open data. In: European Symposium Series on Societal Challenges in Computational Social Science, 2017-11-15 - 2017-11-17.
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Abstract
In this talk, I explain why I believe that computational social science and (online) open data can expose, reproduce, and transpose (offline) infrastructural inequalities related to disability. To make this point, I draw on the first phase of a multi-stage, mixed methods research project that centres around a “public washrooms” dataset released by the City of Vancouver. I discuss how, in this case, open data can: be used to expose gaps in infrastructural services for wheelchair users; reproduce disableism by providing misleading or inaccurate data, and; transpose disableism from (offline) infrastructural and resource deficits into (online) informational deficits, which then also influence (offline) engagement with urban environments.