INFLUENCE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ON ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES BY PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN TURKANA CENTRAL COUNTY GOVERNMENT

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank have expressed concerns in the "World Report on Disability" about global disability issues, including public participation and service accessibility. In Kenya, individuals with disabilities face significant barriers, with Turkana County reporting participation rates below 1%. This highlights the urgent need for more research on access to services for persons with disabilities. The purpose of the study was to establish the influence of information technology on access to government business opportunities by persons with disabilities in the Turkana County government. The objective of the study was to establish the influence of information technology on access to government business opportunities by persons with disabilities in the Turkana County government. The study considered the trait and factor theory of occupation choice and adopted mixed research design. The study targeted 586 persons with disabilities living in Turkana central Sub- County and who are operating business with county government of Turkana. The participants in the study were selected through a simple random sampling technique. Data collection was through questionnaires and interview schedules administered to nine officials from Turkana Central Sub-County. The validity of the instruments was assessed by experts from the School of Education and Social Sciences. A pilot study was conducted involving 10% of the target population. The reliability of the instruments was determined using Cronbach's alpha, with a coefficient r exceeding 0.7. Qualitative data for the research will be derived from the interview schedules, which was analyzed thematically, and the results presented in a narrative format. Descriptive analysis was employed for the data, with quantitative data analyzed using SPSS. Findings revealed that information technology is a significant factor influencing access to county government business opportunities for individuals with disabilities. The study revealed a significant positive correlation between information technology and access to county government business opportunities, with a correlation coefficient of r = 0.491 and a p-value of less than 0.001. The study emphasizes the necessity of providing in information technology skills for persons with disabilities to improve their access to county government business opportunities.