AMANDA HYNAN FINAL THESIS PDF

and gives an example of the immediate environmental factors in terms of things like
assistive technology devices and the more distant as encompassing issues such as
systems, policies and societal approaches.
Participation in everyday life situations is an important environmental health indicator
within the ICF-CY (WHO, 2007). Looking at participation is a relatively new
research context for disabled children and adolescents (Parkes et al. 2010).
Raghavendra et al. (2007) and Lidstrom (2011) both point out simply supplying
technology will not necessarily negate participation barriers. Exploring implications at
an individual and societal level are important as, explained by Raghavendra et al.
(2007), they exist at a practice, attitude, knowledge and skill level and they suggest
the ICF-CY is useful to the field of AAC but may also need refinement. Rowland,
Fried-Oken, Steiner, Lollar, Phelps, Simeonsson and Granlund (2012) present their
development of the ICF-CY for AAC and suggest the ICF-CY is good for AAC
because it separates speech from communication functions. Their AAC focused code
set has four categories: restrictions on participation caused by communication
limitations, communication limitations, functional impairments that limit
communication and environmental factors that serve as barriers or facilitators for
communication.
In this thesis the focus is on participation from the viewpoint of using digital
technology and social media. This activity has arguably become an important
component of the everyday life for adolescents and young adults within westernised
societies and facilitates novel forms of social inclusion (Notley, 2009). However,
some populations are in danger of having limited access to an online environment as
illustrated in the literature review (section 2.5.3.).
3.2.4. Challenges of internet-focused research
Many challenges exist for conducting internet-focused research. Researchers have
used approaches such as monitoring computer and content use (sometimes with
specialist software to log activity) or using online questionnaires and surveys (van
Deursen & van Dijk, 2009; Wright, 2005), but limitations have been identified for
measuring communication skills or understanding why people make choices over
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