The Accessibility Imperative
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"The Accessibility Imperative" is the first attempt made to present in one comprehensive volume the challenges and opportunities of implementing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in matters of accessibility to Information and Communication Technologies. The Convention at large - and more specifically its Article 9 - creates the first universal framework specifically addressing these issues which affect over 600,000,000 persons living with disabilities worldwide. This book was developed based upon the proceedings of the first Global Forum of the G3ict, the Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs, held at the United Nations headquarters in New York on March 26, 2007. It presents the perspective of multiple stakeholders from all regions of the world and from a variety of backgrounds: industry, policy makers, international institutions, academia, and non-governmental organizations representing persons living with disabilities. Additional editorial content was contributed to G3ict and included in this first edition from meetings held in Russia, Korea, and the United States during the Spring of 2007. With 129 countries having signed the Convention as of May 2008, the scope of legislative and regulatory work which will take place over the next few years in matters of ICT accessibility is considerable. This first edition will be the first reference made available to policy makers and their many constituents to facilitate the process of identifying the best path towards effective implementation of the Convention.
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The Accessibility Imperative: DAISY Format
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The downloadable file is an audio version of "The Accessible Imperative", which conforms to DAISY/NISO standards (Digital Talking Book). This edition is accessible to visually-impaired or otherwise print-disabled persons.
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Webcast on Assistive Technologies: Leveraging ICTs for Persons with Disabilities, Challenges and Opportunities
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Compiled by G3ict , this Webcast was presented at the ITU Regional Workshop on "ICT Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities," held in Lusaka, Zambia (July 15-16, 2008)
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Meeting Information and Communications Technologies Access and Service Needs for Persons with Disabilities
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Written by Cynthia D. Waddell, Juris Doctor (ICT Expert for Persons with Disabilities, International Center for Disability Resources on the Internet), the background paper was originally prepared for the seminar "Sharing Experience on Best Practices and Services for People with Disabilities," held on 17 September 2007 in Geneva, Switzerland. This paper has been updated and includes the addition of the Arab Region based on presentations at the first Arab Regional Conference on Sharing Experience on Best Practices in ICT Services for Persons with Disabilities held in Cairo, Egypt, 13-15 November 2007. It was presented at the ITU Regional Workshop on "ICT Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities in the African Region" held in Lusaka, Zambia (July 15-16, 2008).
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EU - Proposal for a Council Directive on Implementing the Principle of Equal Treatment
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The aim of this proposal is to implement the principle of equal treatment between persons
irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation outside the labour
market. It sets out a framework for the prohibition of discrimination on these grounds and
establishes a uniform minimum level of protection within the European Union for people who
have suffered such discrimination.
This proposal supplements the existing EC legal framework under which the prohibition of
discrimination on grounds of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation applies
only to employment, occupation and vocational training.
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EU - Total Conversation and Emergency Call 112
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EU press release and packet regarding the EU announcement of stepped up efforts to use a single emergency phone number to call for assistance – 112 and implementing a pilot service, “Total Conversation”, making the 112 number accessible to all across Europe.
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Technology and Disability Policy Highlights, July/August 2008
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Published monthly by the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC), this July/August 2008 issue focuses on legislative activity addressing emerging technologies and accessibility by persons with disabilities.
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Technology and Disability Policy Highlights, June 2008
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Published monthly by the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC), this June 2008 issue focuses on The House Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management hearing discussing the introduction of proposed legislation entitled \"Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2008\" and the passing of the \"New and Emerging Technologies 911 Improvement Act of 2008\" that includes a directive to improve access to 911 and enhanced 911 services for people with disabilities.
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Technology and Disability Policy Highlights, May 2008
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Published monthly by the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC), this May 2008 issue focuses on The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet hearing discussing the draft legislation "Enhancing Access to Broadband Technology and Services for Persons with Disabilities."
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Technology and Disability Policy Highlights, April 2008
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Published monthly by the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC), this April 2008 issue focuses on how reducing wireless accessibility barriers has been a recurring theme in recent legislation in the U.S. Congress.
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Technology and Disability Policy Highlights, March 2008
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Published monthly by the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC), this March 2008 issue focuses on regulators at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and how the Commission raised a total of $19.592 billion in its auction of 700MHz airwaves that concluded March 19, 2008.
Read below for more information on RERC Efforts in the AT&T Press Release:
RERC Efforts Acknowledged in AT&T Press Release
03.13.2008 - In an effort to encourage application developers and handset manufacturers to consider the needs of seniors or customers who have disabilities when designing products and services, AT&T Inc. announced through a press release that the company's approach to Universal Design will be made publicly available for the first time. AT&T embraces the concept of Universal Design and has urged its handset and software partners to consider this methodology as they develop wireless products and applications. AT&T's recently launched Mobile Speak and Mobile Magnifier applications are examples of accessible products and services that result from innovative collaboration and design.
In creating its Universal Design methodology, AT&T consulted with many leading experts, such as the Wireless RERC. By making AT&T's Universal Design methodology available on its website, the company is hoping all developers of wireless products and applications will consider how future designs can create accessible products, like Mobile Magnifier and Mobile Speak. "Integration of Universal Design into business practice is fundamental to our mission of equitable access to wireless technologies for people of all ages and abilities," said Jim Mueller, project director, User-Centered Research, Wireless RERC. "We're glad that AT&T shares our commitment and is making its Universal Design methodology publicly available."
AT&T's document on Universal Design
[http://developer.att.com/universaldesign].
AT&T's resources for people with disabilities [http://www.wireless.att.com/about/disability-resources/disability-resources.jsp]
[Source: AT&T]
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Web Accessibility at General Electric
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Preety Kumar, Founder, President, and CEO of Deque Systems, Inc., discusses the significance of web accessibility and how General Electric recognized the necessity of accessible techniques in regards to making Web sites accessible to persons with disabilities.
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Assessment of the Status of eAccessibility in Europe
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This Executive Summary of Measuring Progress of eAccessibility in Europe (MeAC) is a report from a study commissioned by the European Commission in 2006 as a follow up to the eAccessibility Communication of 2005. The basic aim was the provide an evidence base to support the future deveopment of EU policy in the eAccessibility field.
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Speech by World Blind Union (WBU) President on the Occassion of the Launching of the "Global Right to Read" Campaign
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Read the speech made by WBU President Dr. William Rowland in Amsterdam on Wednesday 23rd April 2008 on the occasion of WBU’s Press Conference launching the Global Right to Read Campaign.
This document also contains a press release announcing the launch of the Global Right to Read Campaign.
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Joint ANEC-EDF Position on eAccessibility
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This joint ANEC/EDF position paper expresses views on the accessibility of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) products and services by consumers of all ages and abilities.
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Web Accessibility in Context, an Investigation into Standardisation Issues
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This study has set out to investigate the apparent gap between current published guidelines on accessibility and the current practice of web developers, and the tools used by the developers to
create accessible websites.
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Finding the Gaps: A Comparative Analysis of Disability Laws in the United States to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
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"Finding the Gaps: A Comparative Analysis of Disability Laws in the United States to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities" was written by John Vaughn, the Chairperson of the National Council on Disability. The purpose of this paper is to help the NCD, and others, better understand how the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, if ratified by the United States, might impact U.S. disability laws by examining the degree to which U.S. law is consistent with the CRPD. The paper endeavors to analyze the issue in the way a treaty monitoring body would - to see if any area within federal law contravenes the Convention and/or whether there are gaps where legislation or practice might be introduced or reformed to ensure compliance.
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Making a Difference: A Quarterly Magazine of the Georgia Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities
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This Spring 2008 issue of "Making a Difference" features a wide range of articles including one about the 10th Annual Disability Day where over 2,000 people came to hear Ambassador Luis Gallegos, G3ict Chair, speak on the steps of the Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia. Also featured towards the end of the publication is "Creating an Accessible World with the United Nations Convention," an article written by G3ict Executive Director Axel Leblois.
To read about the 10th Annual Disability Day with Ambassador Gallegos, please turn to page 12-15.
To read Axel Leblois' article on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, please turn to page 24.
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Impact of Technology Trends on e-Inclusion Policy and Practice
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The technologies used in information and communication products are advancing at an ever increasing rate. Devices are getting smaller, lighter, cheaper, and more capable. Electronics are being incorporated into practically everything, making a wide variety of products programmable, and thus more flexible. Computing power is increasing exponentially. What requires a supercomputer one year can be done on a child's game player 15 years later.
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An Avatar Based Approach for Automatic Interpretation of Text to Sign Language
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Written by Mohamed Jemni and Oussama Elghoul, this paper describes a current project at the University of Tunis to develop, for the deaf community, a tool facilitating communication through the Web. The aim of this tool is to interpret automatically texts in visual-gestural-spatial language by using Avatar technology.
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State of the eNation Accessibility Reports: Social Networking Web sites
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Today many services are only available, or offered at a discounted rate on the Internet. Other Web sites provide vital information or functionality. If a Web site doesn't meet a base level of accessibility then it will be impossible for a large number of disabled visitors to use. Many others with some sort of limiting condition will also have great difficulty.
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Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center's (RERC) First Report on the Findings of the Survey of User Needs (SUN)
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Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center's (RERC) first report on the findings of a new study aimed at surveying user needs vis-a-vis wireless technologies. The people surveyed represent a large portion of the 40 million Americans with disabilities.
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Summary of the Discussion Draft of the “21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act”
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Summary of the discussion draft of the bill entitled "21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act", which aims to establish new safeguards for disability access to ensure that people with disabilities are not left behind as technology changes and the United States migrates to the next generation of Internet-based and digital communication technologies.
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U.S. 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act Discussion Draft
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The discussion draft of the bill entitled "21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act" aims to establish new safeguards for disability access to ensure that people with disabilities are not left behind as technology changes and the United States migrates to the next generation of Internet-based and digital communication technologies.
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Clas Thoren's Response to Professor Hajime Yamada’s Paper on ICT Accessibility Standardization and Its Use in Policy Measures
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Clas Thoren, Development Strategist at Verva, the Swedish Administrative Development Agency, offers a response to Professor Hajime Yamada's white paper on "ICT Accessibility Standardization and Its Use in Policy Measures".
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European e-Inclusion Initiative: First Contributions to the Campaign (Lisbon, 3 December 2007)
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The European Commission's first publication on its European e-Inclusion Initiative.
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European Commission's First Communication on the European e-Inclusion Initiative
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European Commission's first communication on its European e-Inclusion Initiative.
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ITU Report of the First Global G3ict Forum Meeting (New York, 26 March 2007)
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This document contains the report of the 26 March Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies Forum in New York. It was written by Mr. Greg Ratta, who participated in the Forum on behalf of the ITU.
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John Kemp's Keynote Address at the 2007 Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference
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John Kemp, Esq. addresses the importance of building an infrastructure that supports the creativity and innovation that can be brought to the lives of people with disabilities through accessible technology.
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IBM Italy - Mobile Wireless Accessibility Project
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IBM Italy's white paper on its Mobile Wireless Accessibility (MWA) project.
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NPR's Accessible Digital Radio Project
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NPR's Accessible Digital Radio Project PowerPoint presentation.
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ICT Accessibility Standardization and Its Use in Policy Measures
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Professor Hajime Yamada of Toyo University explores the issue of third party versus self-certification of ICT accessibility standards.
Read Clas Thoren's, Development Strategist at Verva, the Swedish Administrative Development Agency, response to Professor Hajime Yamada's white paper on "ICT Accessibility Standardization and Its Use in Policy Measures".
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OAS/Trust - POETA: From a Pilot Project to a Hemispheric Initiative
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Rene Leon's PowerPoint presentation given at the first G3ict Global Forum (New York, 26 March 2007)
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Moving Towards a Fully Inclusive Digital Europe
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EICTA, founded in 1999, is the voice of the European technology industry. This brochure provides an overview of the need for accessible technologies in the European technology industry while profiling several companies that are currently highly active in effort towards accessible technology. Companies featured include Adobe, Epson, HP, IBM, JVC, MediXine, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Oracle, Panasonic, RIM, SAP, SIEMENS, Sony, and Sun Microsystems.
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Suppliers Declaration and ICT Accessibility
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Explains the new European Council's new conformity assessment system of "Supplier's Declaration of Conformity" (SDoC). Discusses the role of SDoC in eAccessibility and the benefits of Internal Accessibility Training to allow manufacturers to monitor their own accessibility standards.
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Compassionate Assistive Technology
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Approaches the problem of technological inaccessibility through compassion. Focuses on developing computer, global networks, and artificial vision aids for the disabled while working for integration, policymaking and research and development of accessibility ICTs.
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AT home with AT
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Introducing Assistive Technology into
the Existing Homes of Older People:
Feasibility, Acceptability, Costs and Outcomes.
For more information please also see related reports: Tinker, A. (2003) Assistive technology and its role in housing policies for older people. Quality in Ageing. 4.2.4-12 McCreadie, C. and Tinker, A. (2003) Older people, housing and assistive technology: Promoting independence at home. Revista Espanola Geriatrica y Gerontology 38 Supp 1 p. 75, VIth European Congress of Gerontology, Barcelona, Spain, 2-5 July . McCreadie, C. (2003) Shower success: older people talking about baths and showers. Working with older people. Volume 7, issue. Tinker, A, McCreadie, C and Lansley, P. (2003) Assistive technology: Some lessons from the Netherlands. Gerontechnology, 2, 4, 332-337 Lansley, P., McCreadie, C. and Tinker, A. (2004) Can adapting the homes of older people and providing assistive technology pay its way?, Age and Ageing, Vol 3 No 6, 571-576 Lansley, P., McCreadie, C., Tinker, A., Flanagan, S., Goodacre, K., and Turner-Smith, A. (2004), Adapting the homes of older people: A UK case study of costs and savings, Building Research and Information, Vol 32, No 6, 468-483 Tinker, A. (2004) Introducing assistive technology into the homes of older people: The REKI research project. Housing Care and Support, Sept. Vol 17 No 3, 30-34 Tinker, A, Lansley, P, McCreadie, C and Turner-Smith, A (2004). Home Help Housing Today, 30 April, 28-9 Tinker, A (2004) Introducing Assistive Technology (AT) into the homes of older people, Housing Care and Support, 7,3,30-34 Mc Creadie, C and Tinker A (2005) The acceptability of Assistive Technology to older people, Ageing and Society, 25, 1, 91-110 Lansley, P., Flanagan, S., Goodacre , K., Turner-Smith, A. and Cowan, D. (2005), Assessing the adaptability of the existing homes of older people, Building and Environment, 40, 7, 949-963 Tinker, A., and Lansley, P. (2005) Introducing assistive technology into the existing homes of older people: Feasibility, acceptability, costs and outcomes. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare. Vol 2 Supplement 1, 2005, 1-3 Goodacre, K., McCreadie, C., Flanagan, S. and Lansley, P (2007) Enabling Older People to stay at home: How adaptable are existing properties? British Journal of Occupational Therapy, Vol 70, No 1, 2007, 5-15
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IGDA Accessibility in Games: Motivations and Approaches
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White paper from the International Game Developer's Association describing the necessity and steps to be taken in order to make gaming accessible to those with disabilities.
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Best Practices for Web Accessibility Design and Implementation
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Written by Dr. Alan Foley of North Carolina State University and Bob Regan of Macromedia, this document outlines a process-based approach to implementing accessibility design.
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