Is technology making life harder for people with disability?

Access and affordability: a hidden divide

The narrative that technology is universally empowering often overlooks a simple fact: not everyone has access to it. In Australia, people with disability remain disproportionately digitally excluded. According to the Australian Digital Inclusion Index, people with disability were more likely to be classified as ‘highly excluded’ than those without a condition.

This digital divide isn’t just about devices or internet plans — though both are significant barriers, especially for people on fixed incomes like the Disability Support Pension. It’s about whether someone can fully participate in society — accessing services, education, job opportunities and social connection — when so much of that now happens online.

The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics found 28.5 percent of people with disability did not use the internet, with lack of confidence, affordability and skills among the key reasons.

The impact of digital exclusion became even more visible during COVID-19. Telehealth, remote learning and digital grocery shopping offered convenience, but only to those who could access them. For some people with disability, particularly in rural areas or among older demographics, essential supports vanished behind online portals they couldn’t navigate.

Poor design, unintended exclusion

Technology is often designed with the ‘average’ user in mind, but when the design doesn’t account for users’ disability, the result isn’t just inconvenience — it can be exclusion.

In 2023 – ‘24, 43 percent of complaints to the Australian Human Rights Commission were lodged under the Disability Discrimination Act. A stark indicator that many platforms are failing to meet basic accessibility standards.

Touchscreens, for example, are now ubiquitous, found on ATMs, checkouts, public transport and home appliances. However, for people who are blind or have low vision, these flat, non-tactile surfaces are often impossible to use independently. Bruce Maguire of Vision Australia has described this as one of the biggest emerging barriers to accessibility, warning that without urgent action, blind users could be ‘locked out’ of everyday interactions.

Even for users with physical disabilities, tremors or limited dexterity can make interacting with apps or digital services difficult. Additionally, for those with cognitive disability, overly complex layouts or jargon-heavy interfaces may overwhelm the user.

While assistive technologies like screen readers or voice controls exist, they only help when products are designed to be compatible. Many websites and apps aren’t coded for screen readers. Captions are still missing on videos. Fonts are often too small or too difficult to zoom. Eventually, mainstream tech becomes another barrier, rather than a bridge.

When digital-only means no option at all

The shift toward digital-first and often digital-only service models poses yet another challenge. When a government department closes in-person counters or a bank shuts down branches, what happens to those who can’t or don’t use apps and websites?

During the pandemic, mandatory QR code check-ins posed unexpected hurdles for many people with disability. Scanning a code without assistance could be difficult or impossible for those with vision impairments, effectively removing their independence in public spaces.

Similarly, cognitive or psychosocial disabilities can make navigating government forms, chatbot interactions or even app-based bookings a daunting task. Without alternatives like in-person support or clear, accessible options, technology can become a source of anxiety and exclusion.

Digital-only banking, transport ticketing, and public service delivery all risk compounding disadvantage when accessibility isn’t baked in from the start. What might be a ‘convenient upgrade’ for most can become a barrier to independence for others.

Where to from here?

It would be wrong to suggest that technology isn’t helping people with disability. It absolutely is. From mobility aids and communication devices to smart home integrations and AI-based support tools, the potential of inclusive tech is vast. However, the assumption that all tech is good tech is worth interrogating.

The question isn’t whether technology is helpful; it’s helpful for whom? Who gets to benefit and who might be unintentionally excluded? More importantly, what can be done to ensure that inclusion isn’t just a checkbox but a core principle?

Advocates call for better regulation, co-design with people with disability and mandatory accessibility standards for all digital products and services, not just those labelled ‘assistive.’ Offline options should remain available for essential services and accessibility shouldn’t be a bolt-on; it should be built-in.

Technology should be an enabler, not a gatekeeper. However, unless we change how we design, deliver and think about it, we risk creating a high-tech society that leaves some of our most vulnerable citizens behind.

It’s time to stop asking how fast we can innovate and start asking how fairly.