Disability and Digital Self-Determination: What’s the Missing Link?

As we increasingly embrace digital tech, we’re also grappling with several new ideas, concepts and questions, including digital self-determination. Who are we as digital beings? How can we determine our ‘selves’ in a data-driven society? How do we re-imagine human autonomy, agency and sovereignty in digital spaces? 

In collaboration with the Embassy of Switzerland in India and with the support of the  International Network on Digital Self-Determination (IDSD) and the Directorate of International Law at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), we have run a studio on disability and digital self-determination in India over the last few months.

Over 4 studios in 3 cities, together with Point of View and Design Beku, we’ve explored these big questions with people with disabilities, designers, researchers and technologists. We’ve shared lived experiences of being online, pinpointed accessibility pain points, imagined dream machines, and mapped policy gaps – all in the context of disability.

Now we bring it all together in a grand finale, to which you are warmly invited, under the umbrella of SwitzerlandIndia 75 – celebrating 75 years of peace and friendship between our two nations.

Agenda

6:30pm Welcome Remarks 

  • Olivier Fink, Embassy of Switzerland to India
  • Roger Dubach, Directorate of International Law, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
  • Jonas Brunschwig, Swissnex in India

6:45pm Panel Discussion on Disability and Digital Self-Determination

Moderator

  • Padmini Ray Murray, Design Beku

Panelists

  • Nidhi Goyal, Rising Flame, Studio Contributor
  • Pranav Savla, High School Student, Techie, Studio Participant
  • Prateek Madhav, AssisTech Foundation
  • Stefaan Verhulst, New York University GovLab

7:25pm Closing Remarks

  • Bishakha Datta, Point of View
  • Padmini Ray Murray, Design Beku
  • Jonas Brunschwig, Swissnex in India

7:30pm Networking reception

Speakers