Panel organised by Alan Chuter (Technosite/ONCE Foundation)
Chair: Jose Angel Martinez Usero. Scientific Director of INREDIS Project, led by Technosite.
Most elderly people in Spain today grew up and worked without using computers either at home or at work. Compared to their counterparts in many industrialized countries, and younger people in Spain, they are less likely to perceive the value and usefulness of ICT (information and communication technologies) in their daily activities. The panel will discuss the experience of elderly computer users in Spain today.
The social perception of elderly people in Spain has traditionally been different from that in comparable countries. What is the perception of the usefulness of ICT among the elderly? Is advocacy among the elderly community as strong as in other countries? How does this affect provision by content and service providers? Do service providers take their needs into account? What educational provisions are there? How important is peer support? How can those able to provide support and education understand the needs of the older generation? How can the Spanish experience inform provision and practice in other countries?
Participants
- Guillermo Spottorno, assistant manager, Portal Mayores (www.imsersomayores.csic.es);
- Iker Laskibar, researcher INGEMA (Matia Foundation Gerontological Institute, www.ingema.es);
- Beatriz Aguer, manager, DIXIT.cat, Social Services Documentation Centre, Generalitat de Catalunya (dixit.gencat.cat);
- Paca Tricio, UDP (Democratic Union of Pensioners, www.mayoresudp.org);
- Antonio Jimenez Lara, Sociologist, Technosite; and
- Andrew Arch, W3C. Web Accessibility and Ageing Specialist (www.w3.org/People/Andrew/)
