Disadvantaged by Disability: Examining the Accessibility of Cyber Security

Today, we are living in a digitally dependent world. Through the use of digital technologies, life is meant to be easier and streamlined. This includes giving access to services that previously were unavailable to many due to disability. Although technology has evolved immensely over the past few decades, reducing the digital divide, authentication methods have changed very little. Authentication is the forefront of securing users’ information, services and technology, yet for many it still poses issues in terms of usability and security, due to specific characteristics of different disabilities. In this paper, drawing upon a literature review, a review of recognized disabilities, and the results of a small questionnaire study, we review the current authentication methods and discuss the potential issues that users with different disabilities face when interacting with these methods. We identify the specific aspects of disabilities that lead users to struggle to authenticate themselves. The results of this study lead to several recommendations, and suggestions for extending the existing inclusive technology framework to the authentication context. Through extending the framework, this could guide the development of future technologies, systems and services, ensuring that they are not only digitally inclusive in their function, but digitally inclusive in their security.