Twice as likely to be "digitally excluded"

Recall a time you felt vulnerable because of your mobile phone.

"I'm visually impaired and I work for an organization that represents visually impaired people. I have learned from this that not only are we twice as likely to be ‘digitally excluded’ (not using or having access to the internet in the last three months) but even those of us who have smartphones and are comfortable using them often report their unwillingness to when out and about, preferring their phone to stay safely in their pocket or bag. "Not only do we have the same concerns anyone might about their fragile and expensive smartphone, but we also feel more vulnerable both to theft and to the inability to bring about justice in that theft due to being unable to physically identify the thief. "Also, blind people with smartphones have often done a lot to make that phone accessible to them—and only that literal phone in particular. Someone I know with no sight at all says her phone is the only way she can access her banking. So mobile phones are important not just for the meal or train journey or whatever a blind person is doing when out and about, but also for the rest of their life. Relying on such a thing so heavily does make me feel vulnerable."

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