The Case for Engagement - Informing Digital Futures: Strategies for Citizen Engagement - page 34

have been produced by the industry itself - the World Wide Web consor-
tium's Web Accessibility Initiative (W3C 2004).
In addition to the social and legislative drivers, there are also strong
business drivers for more inclusive products and services. As Sir Christo-
pher Frayling, Chairman of the Design Council and Rector of the Royal
Society of Arts, clearly states “ the challenge of designing inclusively for
the whole population is not just a matter of social urgency - it has become
one of the defining business priorities of the age. The need has never been
greater for products, services and environments to be developed in such a
way that they reflect accurately the diverse demands of today's consum-
ers ” (Frayling 2003).
Promoting social inclusion is, of course, more than just a matter of en-
suring that designs do not exclude individuals or groups from access to
technology. To achieve greater social inclusion requires that those who are
currently marginalized in society are enabled to actively participate in the
determination of both individual and life chances (Stewart 2000). In order
to be able to influence the shape of future technologies, stakeholders (citi-
zens) need to be actively engaged in the identification and articulation of
their goals, needs and aspiration, and in the evaluation and validation of
alternative options.
3.1.4 Promoting Democracy
There is a perception amongst politicians and governments in many coun-
tries that the population has become more and more “ disenchanted with the
traditional institutions of representative government, detached from politi-
cal parties, and disillusioned with older forms of civic engagement and
participation ” (Norris et al. 1999). What Norris (2001) calls the “ cyber-
optimists ” in society regard digital technologies as the panacea to many of
the problems which underlie this apparent civic disengagement. E-
democracy and its subsidiary e-government are two of the perceived
lynchpins of the e-society. E-democracy can be defined as the use of ICTs
and strategies by democratic actors (e.g. government, elected officials, the
media, political organisations, citizens/voters) within political and govern-
ance processes of local communities, nations and the international stage
(Clift 2004). In the UK, government policy on e-democracy has two
tracks:
• firstly it is about encouraging people to take part in elections by giving
them choices about how they cast their vote, including through the
internet, either at home or at public venues, and by using mobile phones;