Are People with Disabilities Losing the ICT Revolution? Some Evidence on European Countries

Abstract

This paper contributes to the line of research devoted to the diffusion of Information and Communication Technologies. We analyse patterns of Internet diffusion across people with disabilities in ten European countries, a geographical area for which empirical evidence is scarce. Results show that disability status has a significant negative effect on the probability of being an Internet user, even for those with higher income and educational attainment. However, we find no significant relationship between disability and frequency of Internet use. Therefore, it seems that once online the digital divide between people with disabilities and the rest of the population attenuate, at least to some extent.