Editing Digital divide (section)

===Physical and mental disability gap===
Inequities in [[access to information]] technologies are present among individuals living with a physical disability in comparison to those who are not living with a disability. In 2011, according to the Pew Research Center, 54% of households with a person who had a disability had home Internet access, compared to 81% of households that did not have a person who has a disability.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2011/01/21/americans-living-with-disability-and-their-technology-profile/|title=Americans living with disability and their technology profile|location=Washington|date=January 21, 2011|website=Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech|access-date=April 5, 2020|archive-date=May 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200521233043/https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2011/01/21/americans-living-with-disability-and-their-technology-profile/|url-status=live}}</ref> The type of disability an individual has can prevent them from interacting with computer screens and smartphone screens, such as having a [[quadriplegia]] disability or having a disability in the hands. However, there is still a lack of access to technology and home Internet access among those who have a cognitive and auditory disability as well. There is a concern of whether or not the increase in the use of information technologies will increase equality through offering opportunities for individuals living with disabilities or whether it will only add to the present inequalities and lead to individuals living with disabilities being left behind in society.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Lazar|first1=Jonathan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zCPUDgAAQBAJ&q=information+technology+and+disability&pg=PR9|title=Disability, Human Rights, and Information Technology|last2=Stein|first2=Michael Ashley|date=2017-06-22|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|isbn=978-0-8122-4923-1|access-date=December 18, 2020|archive-date=January 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117061044/https://books.google.com/books?id=zCPUDgAAQBAJ&q=information+technology+and+disability&pg=PR9|url-status=live}}</ref> Issues such as the perception of disabilities in society, national and regional government policy, corporate policy, mainstream computing technologies, and real-time online communication have been found to contribute to the impact of the digital divide on individuals with disabilities. In 2022, a survey of people in the UK with severe mental illness found that 42% lacked basic digital skills, such as changing passwords or connecting to Wi-Fi.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=2022-12-06 |title=Barriers to care: many people with severe mental illness lack digital skills |url=https://evidence.nihr.ac.uk/alert/many-people-severe-mental-illness-lack-digital-skills/ |journal=NIHR Evidence |doi=10.3310/nihrevidence_54954|s2cid=254396790 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Spanakis |first1=P |last2=Wadman |first2=R |last3=Walker |first3=L |last4=Heron |first4=P |last5=Mathers |first5=A |last6=Baker |first6=J |last7=Johnston |first7=G |last8=Gilbody |first8=S |last9=Peckham |first9=E |date=2022-08-05 |title=Measuring the digital divide among people with severe mental ill health using the essential digital skills framework |journal=Perspectives in Public Health |volume=144 |issue=1 |pages=21–30 |doi=10.1177/17579139221106399 |pmid=35929589 |pmc=10757390 |s2cid=251349830 |issn=1757-9139}}</ref>

People with disabilities are also the targets of online abuse. Online disability hate crimes have increased by 33% across the UK between 2016–17 and 2017–18 according to a report published by [[Leonard Cheshire Disability|Leonard Cheshire]], a health and welfare charity.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/may/10/online-hate-against-disabled-people-rises-by-a-third|title=Online hate crime against disabled people rises by a third|date=May 10, 2019|website=The Guardian|access-date=April 5, 2020|archive-date=April 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200428025942/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/may/10/online-hate-against-disabled-people-rises-by-a-third|url-status=live}}</ref> Accounts of online hate abuse towards people with disabilities were shared during an incident in 2019 when model [[Katie Price]]'s son was the target of online abuse that was attributed to him having a disability. In response to the abuse, a campaign was launched by Price to ensure that Britain's MPs held accountable those who perpetuate online abuse towards those with disabilities.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-politics-42964068/katie-price-calls-on-mps-to-make-online-abuse-criminal-offence|title='He can't speak to defend himself, I can'|work=BBC News|access-date=April 5, 2020|archive-date=March 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311093019/http://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-politics-42964068/katie-price-calls-on-mps-to-make-online-abuse-criminal-offence|url-status=live}}</ref> Online abuse towards individuals with disabilities is a factor that can discourage people from engaging online which could prevent people from learning information that could improve their lives. Many individuals living with disabilities face online abuse in the form of accusations of benefit fraud and "faking" their disability for financial gain, which in some cases leads to unnecessary investigations.