Paper presented at Equality Diversity Inclusion (EDI) 2010 Conference, Vienna, Austria 14-16 july 2010
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The central thesis of this book is that access to information represents a vital aspect of contemporary society, encompassing participation, accountability, governance, transparency, the production of products, and the delivery of services. This view is widely shared, with commentators and scholars agreeing that access to information is a key factor in maintaining societal and economic stability. However, having access to information does not guarantee its accessibility. Assuming that information is (cognitively) interpretable is incorrect, as many practical examples illustrate. In the first chapter, this book offers insights into the challenge of access to information in a digitalized world. The concepts of access and accessibility are addressed, elucidating their meanings and delineating the ways in which they are influenced by the exponential growth of information. It examines how information technology introduces a novel access paradox. The second chapter examines the challenges to access to and accessibility of information in a digitalized, hybrid world where code may be law, where there is an inescapable loss of privacy, where doing business opens and restricts access, where literacy is a necessity to survive ‘digital divides,’ and where environmental concerns may have an adverse effect on high expectations. The third chapter presents a review of theoretical approaches to access and accessibility from seven different research perspectives: information access disparity, information seeking, information retrieval, information quality, information security, information management, and archives management. Six approaches to information access and accessibility are identified: [1] social, economic, and political participation; [2] ‘smart’ and evolving technology; [3] power and control; [4] sense-making; [5] knowledge representations, and [6] information survival. The fourth chapter addresses the bottlenecks and requirements for information access and accessibility, culminating in a checklist for organizations to assess these requirements within their own business processes. In the fifth chapter, some perspectives on artificial intelligence and the future of information access are presented. The sixth chapter represents an attempt to draw conclusions and to bring this book to a close.
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The realization of human rights standards depends in part on the commitment of local actors. It can be argued that local public service professionals such as social workers can also be regarded as key players. The possible role of social workers becomes imperative if these professionals are working in a policy context that is not congruent with human rights. If existing laws or policies cause or maintain disrespect for human rights, social workers are in a position to observe that this is having an adverse impact on clients. When social workers are regarded as human rights actors, the question arises how they can or should respond to law and policy that impedes them in carrying out their work with respect for human rights. This article adds to existing theories on social workers as human rights actors by examining the practices of social professionals working in such a challenging policy context. The research took place among professionals in social district teams in the city of Utrecht, the Netherlands. Following a series of decentralizations and austerity measures the social care landscape in the Netherlands has changed drastically over the last few years. As a result, social workers may find themselves on the one hand trying to realize the best possible care for their clients while on the other hand dealing with new laws and policy expectations focused on self-reliance and diminished access to specialist care. The article explores how social professionals’ responses to barriers in access to care affect human rights requirements. In doing so, this socio-legal study provides insight into the ways in which everyday social work relates to the realization of human rights at the local level.
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