The panel was divided into a number of sub-topics, all of which were concerned with addressing how equal access to technology can be promoted for different populations, including seniors, youths, disabled people, and gender. We will now summarize each topic discussed. Technology may inspire these feelings in many people - which result in avoidance and missed opportunity. To combat this situation, we need to invite people to participate in safe, collaborative, non-competitive situations, which will inspire people to experiment with novel technologies and ideas. Victoria Plaut spoke about gender issues in technology.
Many women often avoid technology.
She defined stereotype threat as the fear fulfilling negative stereotypes - something that can profoundly influence someone's ability to perform either academically or socially. For example, women who are reminded of their gender prior to taking a math test perform more poorly on the test. The actual representation of the domain, or the problem statement, can also influence performance. Charles Merritt discussed youth access to Information Technology. Under-privileged students face many barriers trying to use technology , mainly accessibility.