ACS / Social Impact / Access to Tech
Access to technology is not a luxury but a necessity. Yet millions of Australians are digitally excluded. And the faster technology develops, the further behind they fall.
Education, location and income are traditional barriers to tech although increasingly a lack of inclusive design creates edge users – people who have trouble using a product or a process because of its design.
At ACS, we believe access to technology is a basic human right and that the design of products and services, policies and experiences must consider the full range of human diversity.
Access to tech is important for two reasons:
Reason 1: In a fair and just society like Australia, it is the right thing to do as everyone is entitled to feel welcomed and included.
Reason 2: It benefits the Australian economy as edge users possess an estimated $40 billion in annual disposable income.
ACS is proud to partner with LiteHaus International, an organisation leading the drive to provide greater access to technology.
ACS is proud to partner the Centre for Inclusive Design and LiteHaus International, to organisations leading the drive to provide greater access to technology.
Centre for Inclusive Design
Australia’s leading exponent of inclusive design, the Centre for Inclusive Design helps businesses, educators and governments with the methods and applications of designing for all users.
ACS members can benefit from the Centre for Inclusive Design’s ability to bring together different perspectives throughout a design process to deliver useful and usable solutions.
Read the report: The Benefits of Designing for Everyone
Produced in partnership with Adobe and Microsoft, the Centre for Inclusive Design report educates businesses on the advantages of designing for all users. And reveals how designing with and not for edge users can help reach four times the number of intended consumers.
Personal growth: The benefits of keeping an open mind
Everybody possesses biases developed through culture and personal experience. If we learn to accept our personal view is just one of many, we can open our minds to seeking new perspectives by listening and learning. This is an uncomplicated approach that everybody can adopt and bring to life every day.
ACS LiteHaus International partnership
LiteHaus International aims to close the digital divide and eliminate e-waste.
Since 2017, LiteHaus International has repurposed more than 8,000 digital devices, diverting them from landfill before putting them in the hands of 150,000 students and providing training on how to use them, at no cost.
Over 280 companies, from ACS and Deloitte to Domino’s and Macquarie Bank, have donated over 18,000 laptops and other devices to LiteHaus International.
To date, LiteHaus International has repurposed over 300 tonnes of e-waste, and removed 620 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere.
Donate end-of-life digital devices to LiteHaus International.
Every three hours, a student in Australia receives a laptop from LiteHaus International, closing the digital divide by providing access to technology.
How you can take action
- Become an ACS member and join our community
- Donate your end-of-life laptops to LiteHaus International
- Become an advocate for digital accessibility within your workplace
- Work with ACS to develop new and better ways to make a difference
- Connect with those helping to bridge the digital divide, including:
- Jack Growden – CEO, LiteHaus International
ACS Social Impact
We are building a better tech future… and you can join us!