(Dis)connected by design: the possibilities and limitations of connected learning

Digital technologies are often praised for having special relevance for children with disabilities, affording new opportunities and enabling their participation. These benefits, however, are not without limitations, as Alicia Blum-Ross and Sonia Livingstone discovered when interviewing children and parents for their new book, Parenting for a Digital Future: How hopes and fears about technology shape our children’s lives. In this blog we learn the story of 13-year-old Kyle who uses digital technologies to communicate, create and participate in his community of peers. Yet, far from being an equaliser for young people with disabilities like Kyle, digital technologies are accessed and experienced unequally, suggesting the need for more efforts to close the digital divide.