Cyborgs and Stigma: Technology, Disability, Subjectivity

This chapter explores some of the potentials, problems and dilemmas which cyberspace, virtual environments and associated new technologies create for people with disabilities. We begin by discussing the cyberpsychology initiative in this book and outlining some meanings associated with the term ‘cyborg’, to inform our discussion of the effects of technology upon bodies and subjectivities. Then we introduce German Critical Psychology and the notion of subjective possibility spaces, which we use to conceptualize how new technologies might affect the subjectivities of people with disabilities. We then review the new technologies being used by or adapted for people with disabilities, looking both at generic computer use and specialized devices or aids. We go on to describe the potential impact of some of these applications in more detail, highlighting four issues which are likely to be relevant when assessing the value of any new technology for people with disabilities: access surveillance control dependency.

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