Net charity scheme calls for trust in IT

Disadvantaged people are missing out on the part the Internet can play in improving their lives because they mistrust technology.

That's according to Dr Mary Redmond, lawyer and co-founder of The Wheel, a project offering Web access - and a sense of community - to disadvantaged citizens in Ireland.

Redmond said she wants people to place more trust in technology. "The word 'technology' has no meaning, what's important is the value it adds. It's the improved quality of life and the improved quality of communications it brings to people. A lot of people are technophobic and they say, 'We are not interested, we don't think it will do anything good for us.'"

She claimed once people can get over the fear of technology and see what's on offer, they'll realise how much it can help them overcome their disabilities.

Clive Longbottom, strategy analyst at Strategy Partners, said technology such as voice-over-IP (VoIP) and text-to-voice software will help disabled users contact each other via a PC.

Redmond added that while the Internet can help in many areas, the need to retain the human element is still as important as ever.

She said: "The Internet is extremely important but it is just a tool. The meeting of people, the physical presence of people to each other, the sharing of wisdom and experience physically is also very important."

The full interview with Dr Mary Redmond can be seen on our Politics Channel (http://www.silicon.com/a37645 )