Discrimination in access to public information and the visibility of websites administration

Access to public information is a right that on the basis of the Constitution provides each citizen, and on the basis of the Law on Access to Information publicznej – to everyone irrespective of their citizenship by him. Both the Law on Access to Public Information and its accompanying regulation indicate what conditions must meet the website of the public authority, that it can be considered as a Public Information Bulletin. The parties are often not adapted to the needs of people with disabilities or digitally excluded. It seems that in this case we can speak of a restriction of their right to access to public information. To overcome the barriers that previously existed for access to public information of persons with disabilities, established a series of regulations aimed at ensuring web accessibility for people with disabilities. At the same time it seems that the measures taken are not sufficient or are not sufficiently used and do not provide full accessibility of public administration websites visually impaired and partially sighted.

Online interviews in qualitative research of the pandemic period: inclusive potential, risk of exclusion, and quality of collected data

The paper is devoted to online interviews that gained significant popularity during the pandemic. The text has two main goals. The first was to reflect on the possible mechanisms of exclusion and inclusion of various categories of research participants. The second objective was to analyze the impact of the communication channels used with the respondents on the quality of the collected qualitative data. The study exhibits that online research is gradually becoming more inclusive, and the argument of digital exclusion is becoming increasingly outdated. The respondents’ education may still exclude, especially among lower than secondary education respondents. At the same time, the formula of online interviews offers a significant proinclusive potential, which was reflected in the participation in the study of a number of informants who could be permanently unavailable under traditional research. Research also shows that online interviews are generally effective. However, the application of diversified communication channels results in systematic and measurable differences in the collected data. Considering various aspects, Zoom offered data of better quality than Skype. On the other hand, mobile applications (and phone calls) do not constitute a natural alternative, and it is difficult to recommend them.

Digital Exclusion and the Implementation of the Right to a Court on the Example of Electronic Writ Proceedings

In this study, the author, using the doctrinal legal method and, additionally, the historical method, conducts an analysis of the regulations and principles contained in the Constitution of the Republic of Poland and in the ratified international agreements, as well as in the civil procedural law. The paper highlights how digital exclusion can limit the realization of the right to a court, illustrating this with examples from civil cases resolved in electronic writ proceedings. Furthermore, the author, employing the analytical method, presents and explains the concepts of “digital competence” and “digital exclusion”, and describes the nature of this problem in Polish society. The considerations also include a discussion of the benefits derived from the use of electronic writ proceedings by entities seeking legal protection, benefits which cannot be accessed by digitally excluded individuals.