Post on 12-Sep-2021
Technology Crossroad-Web Barriers or eInclusion?
Presented byCynthia Waddell, Juris Doctor
Vice-Chairman ISOC DSNExecutive Director, ICDRI
Internet Society Disability & Special Needs ChapterRio de Janeiro, Brazil 12 -15 November 2007
ISOC Disability & Special Needs Chapter
Mission: To Address Needs of People with Disabilities that are Related to the Internet –650 Million People!Members are Dedicated to Equal AccessChairman: Michael BurksVice-Chairman: Cynthia WaddellInternational Center for Disability Resources on the Internet -Founding Sponsor www.icdri.org
Published with permission from USGSA
Overview- Web Barriers or eInclusion?
Technology Crossroad Real-Time Captioning on the WebThe Problem- Barriers Signs of Global Inclusive Society ShiftTechnology ConvergenceResources
Technology Crossroad
Explosive Growth of Electronic Commerce Shift from Web Content Publishing to Interactive Web ApplicationsWeb Evolution to Multi-Modality Architecture Global Human Rights Alignment
Accessibility
Accessibility is the Accessible Design of Products, Services and the Environment where the user interface is flexible enough to accommodate the widest range of user needs, preferences and abilities.
Remote Real-Time Captioning
Remote Real-Time Captioning
In House Remote - On the Web
The Problem
Disability Law & Public Policy Historically has Reflected the Medical ModelFocus on Diagnosis & Disability Rather than Ability & Equal OpportunityLeads to Isolation & Segregation due to Ignorance, Neglect, Superstition or Fear
The Problem
Web Design Historically Has Not Included Accessible Design for People with DisabilitiesWeb Developers have Lacked Training, Tools and Resources to Design Accessibly; Web Tools Would Break AccessibilityGovernments & Businesses Had No Incentive to Address Accessible or Universal Design
The Problem
People with Disabilities are being locked out from participation on the Web Why? The Design of the Web Site is Not Addressing Accessibility or Universal Design
The Problem
An Inaccessible Web:People who are Blind or have Specific Learning Disabilities Cannot Use Screen-reading Software that Audibly Reads the Web Page Out Loud Can be a Barrier for People with Busy Eyes, Or Work in a Dark Room Or Have a Slow Modem
The Problem
An Inaccessible Web:People with Mobility Disabilities Need Keyboard Access when They Cannot Use a MousePeople who have Busy Hands, Or Limited Dexterity Or No Hands Available
The Problem
An Inaccessible Web:People Using Speech Technology Input Cannot Access Web ContentPeople with Low Vision Cannot Increase Web Text Size
The Problem
An Inaccessible Web:People who are Deaf Cannot Access Audio-Streaming or Multi-Media that are not CaptionedPeople who Cannot Hear in a Noisy Room or Place Cannot Understand without Captioning
Information & Communication Technology (ICT) Barriers
Web Portals that Prevent People with Disabilities From Accessing Content & Transactions
Mainstream ICT that Lack User Interfaces for People with Disabilities
Mainstream ICT that Do Not Interface Seamlessly with Assistive Technology
ICT Barriers
Undeveloped & Fractured Global Accessibility Requirements and Standards
Lack of Marketplace Incentives
Lack of Training, Education & Outreach on Design for all Methods, Practices and Tools
Need to Benchmark, Monitor and Research Accessibility Solutions
Signs of Inclusive Society Shift
Global Society Shift from Medical Model to Integration and Full ParticipationFocus on Ability, Integration and Incompatibility between Environment and People with DisabilitiesMerger of Civil Rights Model with Social Rights Model
Signs of Inclusive Society Shift
Growing Recognition of Significant Social Cost if Digital Divide RemainsRecognition that Accessible Web Design Promotes Equal Opportunity for Persons with Disabilities
Signs of Inclusive Society Shift
Recognition that Accessible Design Benefits People Without Disabilities:
Older AdultsPeople with Low LiteracyPeople Not Fluent in the LanguagePeople with Low Bandwidth Connections to the Internet and Older TechnologiesPeople who are New and Infrequent Web Users
Signs of Inclusive Society Shift
Emergence of Technical Standards for Accessible Design of ICTU.S.: Section 508 Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards
Gov’t Required to Procure Accessible Technology; Uses Power of Purse as Marketplace Incentive
Industry Standards- W3C WCAG 1.0 (1999)
Signs of Inclusive Society Shift
At Least 26 Countries and Jurisdictions around the World have Adopted Accessible Web Design as a Policy or LawImplementation of US Section 508 Accessible Web Rules, W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, or a HybridSee 2006 Global Survey Published in Web Accessibility: Web Standards and Regulatory Compliance
Signs of Inclusive Society Shift
UN Convention on Rights of Persons with DisabilitiesAdopted by UN General Assembly on 13 December 2006Addresses Rights of 650 Million Persons with Disabilities and Impacts 2 Billion Persons including Family Members of Persons with Disabilities
Signs of Inclusive Society Shift
Number of Signatories on Opening Day of 30 March 2007 are Highest in HistoryAs of today, 118 Countries Have Signed14 out of first 32 non-procedural Articles of Convention Address ICT obligations of States
Signs of Inclusive Society Shift
United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities- Article 9: Accessibility (Built Environment and ICT)
Ensure Access on an equal basis to information and communications, including information and communications technologies (ICT) and systems AND emergency servicesRequires identification and elimination of barriers to accessibility
Signs of Inclusive Society Shift
United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities- Article 9: Accessibility (Built Environment and ICT)
Requires implementation of minimum standards & guidelines for accessibility of servicesEnsure that private entities offering services to the public take into account accessibility
Signs of Inclusive Society Shift
United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities- Article 9: Accessibility (Built Environment and ICT)
Requires training for stakeholders on accessibility issuesStates Parties must promote access to new ICT and systems, including the Internet andStates Parties must promote ICT at early stage to minimize cost
Technology Convergence
Web combines all known communication media- voice, data and video into a single servicePreviously separate technologies are now able to share resources and interact with each other to create new efficienciesComputer networks with different operating systems can communicate via different protocols
Technology Convergence
Critical to Maintain Accessible Design in Coming Complexities FCC Order 15 June 2007 Extends Accessibility Requirements to Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Service Providers and Equipment VendorsContinues to Build Accessibility into Design of All Technologies & Products
ResourcesMeeting ICT Access and Service Needs for People with Disabilities: Major Issues for Development and Implementation of Successful Policies and StrategiesBy Cynthia D. Waddell, Juris Doctor
Commissioned by International Telecommunication Union for 2007 Seminar
http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/study_groups/SGP_2006-2010/events/2007/Workshops/documents/05-Cynthia-Waddell.doc
Resources
The Growing Digital Divide in Access for People with Disabilities: Overcoming Barriers to ParticipationBy Cynthia D. Waddell, Juris Doctor
Commissioned by US Dept of Commerce & National Science Foundation for 1999 White House Digital Economy Conference
www.icdri.org/CynthiaW/the_digital_divide.htm
Resources
CynthiaSays.comFree On-line Web Accessibility Checker Assists in Evaluation of Websites“Tested” but not “Approved”Not a Substitute for Human JudgmentGenerates Section 508, W3C WCAG 1.0, Alternative Text Quality and Screen Movement/Flicker Reports
Resources
Web Accessibility: Web Standards and Regulatory ComplianceBy Jim Thatcher, Cynthia Waddell et al
Published by Apress 2006ISBN: 1-59059-638-2
Contact Information
Cynthia D. Waddell, Juris DoctorExecutive Director and Law, Policy and
Technology Subject Matter ExpertInternational Center for Disability Resources
on the Internet (ICDRI)Cynthia.Waddell@icdri.org