As we increasingly embrace digital tech, we’re also grappling with several new ideas, concepts and questions, including digital self-determination (DSD). 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 ran a series of studios on disability and digital self-determination in India in 2023.

Over four studios in three 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. 

Landscapes of the Digital documents this exploration in a short documentary.

Findings from the studios are available in two comprehensive reports. The first discusses the need for design to be at the front and centre of accessibility so people with disabilities don’t just survive, but flourish online, and offers recommendations to that end. The second focuses on takeaways from the lived experiences of participants from the four studios and explores DSD through the lens of diverse disabilities: visual, hearing, locomotor and psychosocial, and offers recommendations in tech, design and policy. Each report is available in PDF or Word format for enhanced accessibility.

Design Report (PDF)

Design Report (Word)

Studio Report (PDF)

Studio Report (Word)