Addressing barriers to engaging with marginalized communities: Advancing research on information, communication and technologies for development (ICTD)

Researchers' inability to address challenges related to planning, collecting or interpreting data collected from marginalized communities is one of the main reasons for the failure of projects using information, communication and technologies for the development (ICTD) of marginalized communities. This panel consists of information science experts who have conducted research with marginalized communities like women earning less than a dollar a day in slums in India, farmers, Latino community in the Midwest, racial minorities and visually impaired population. Panelists will share various challenges that they encountered while planning, collecting and interpreting data collected from marginalized communities; they will also provide guidance, advice, lessons learned and tips for addressing the challenges encountered during data collection with marginalized communities in the developing and developed world. This panel will inform information science researchers, who work at the intersection of information technologies and social justice, for better engaging with marginalized communities.