Internet Usage by Native Americans with Disabilities Living on American Indian Reservations in the Great Plains

Abstract

It has been assumed that, due to limited Internet access, electronic media is an ineffective means for information dissemination to Native Americans with disabilities. In this investigation, we surveyed a sample of 467 households of Native Americans with disabilities living on Great Plains reservations regarding access to electronic resources. Of these, we asked 194 respondents questions on frequency of use of electronic and traditional media. Another 97 respondents reported on usage of the same media specifically for information related to Individualized Education Program/Individualized Family Service Plan (IEP/IFSP) meetings. A majority of the 467 households had a computer, and nearly half had Internet access. However, very few respondents used the Internet for information related to their child's IEP/IFSP. Use of traditional mass media was also very low. The most common resource consulted to obtain information on mass media was neither the Internet nor mass media but rather the advice of family and friends. Given this primacy of social networks, an increase in electronic information targeted toward Native Americans with disabilities is recommended, with an emphasis on Web 2.0 technologies.