InternationalTelecommunicationUnion

The views expressed in this presentation are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the ITU or its Membership.

Susan Schorr, Head a.i., Special Initiatives Division

BDT, International Telecommunication Union

Overview of the ITU-G3ict Toolkit for Policy Makers

on e-Accessibility & Service needs for Persons with Disabilities

Asia-Pacific Regional Forum on Mainstreaming ICT Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities

25-27 August 2009 Bangkok, Thailand

Organized by ITU and ESCAP

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Agenda

1. Introducing ITU2. Mission of ITU-D3. What is the ITU-G3ict e-Accessibility

Toolkit4. A look inside the Toolkit to introduce

topics to be discussed in later sessions 5. Where do we go from here?

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Introduction to ITU ITU is the leading United Nations agency for

information and communication technology issues

With 191 Member States and nearly 600 private sector members, ITU is the global focal point for governments and the private sector in developing ICT networks and services

Founded in 1865, it is the oldest specialized agency of

the UN system; Headquarters Geneva, 11 regional offices

3 Sectors --ITU-D (Development), ITU-T (Standardization) and ITU-R (Radiocommunication)

ITU is committed to connecting the world

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Growth in fixed lines, mobile cellular subscribers, estimated Internet users and subscribers to mobile broadband networks,

in billions, 1995-2008

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

in b

illi

on

s

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

nb

co

un

trie

s

Mobile broadband

Internet users

Mobile cellular subscribers

Fixed lines

Global telecom market on the move

Source: ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database and ITU Telecommunication Regulatory Database

Competition in mobile

Competition in fixed

Growth in fixed lines, mobile cellular subscribers, estimated Internet users and subscribers to mobile broadband networks, in billions, 1995-2007

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ITU-D and the Special Initiatives Division

The ITU Development Sector (ITU-D) was established to: help spread equitable, sustainable and affordable

access to ICT to stimulate broader social and economic development and

promote the extension of the benefits of ICTs to all the world’s inhabitants

The Special Initiatives Division assists developing countries in identifying strategies and policies to promote ICT access to and use by persons with disabilities and other marginalized and vulnerable groups Development of the e-Accessibility toolkit ITU-D Study Group Question 20/1 Telecentre and training Projects for persons with

disabilities, such as in Sri Lanka

What is the e-Accessibility Toolkit?

http://www.e-accessibilitytoolkit.org/

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A look inside the Toolkit

1. Introduction to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

2. Who benefits from accessibility?3. E-Accessibility basics4. Technical resources5. Produce Development and Design6. Public Procurement7. Promoting Assistive Technologies8. International Cooperation9. Local governments10.Developing Policy

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ITU-D objective in co-developing the e-Accessibility Toolkit: Sharing best

practices Assist national Telecommunication/ICT ministries and

regulatory authorities – our core members – to identify policies and regulations they could implement to create inclusive enabling environments for persons with disabilities.

Support work of ITU-D Study Group 20/1: Access to telecommunication services for people with disabilities which seeks to identify policies and execute strategies for promoting and implementing services and solutions which provide access to telecommunication services for persons with disabilities.

Support ITU members in meeting their obligations under article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

ITU seeks to fulfill its mandate to connect the world and ensure an inclusive Information Society in which persons with disabilities can fully participate.

http://www.e-accessibilitytoolkit.org/

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How Toolkit will support telecom/ICT regulators, ministries, private sector and other ITU

members

Explains the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Identifies best and promising practices taken by other regulators, ministries, private sector players and other ITU members to promote e-Accessibility for persons with disabilities.

Establishes a framework for addressing the e-Accessibility agenda

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43

86

106

124137

148 152

1990 1995 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2009

Regulatory agencies, world (cumulative)

Growth in the number of regulators worldwide

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Technical Resources - What to expect in Chapter 4?

How to make payphones and fixed line phones accessible Text relay, voice control dialing, flashing for incoming calls, height

controls, etc. How to make mobile phones accessible

predictive text messaging, hearing aid compatibility, vibration alerts, large font, voice recognition, text-to-speech, raised tip on #5, adjustable output for volume

How to make websites and computing devices accessible. screen readers, magnifiers, video captioning, audio description,

big character keyboards How to make video content accessible

captioning, audio description, sign language, easy-to-navigate remotes for TVs, etc.

How to provide alternatives to the mouse human interface elements for keyboard accessibility such as

joysticks, trackballs and other alternatives for data entry

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Universal Design

Universal Design is one of the issues to be explored in Chapter 5

The basic idea behind universal design is that ICTs, when be developed, should be designed for use by everyone

Universal design avoids the need for expensive fixes to make equipment and user devices accessible after costly product development

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Why is accessibility for persons with disabilities so important?

World Health organization estimates that 10 per cent of the world population is disabled

An estimated 691-829 million people with disabilities within the next year and this number expected to rise over 1 billion

Aging populations, wars, famine, natural disasters are likely to increase these numbers

Policy makers and regulators need to consider the different kinds of disabilities to address, including physical, mental as well as auditory, visual and speech

ICTs enable greater autonomy for persons with disabilities for daily living, education and careers

ICTs can be used for e-learning, open up new job opportunities and facilitate access to health services  

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What to expect in Chapter 10 or what can Policy

Makers/Regulators do? Map existing laws and regulations that address non-

discrimination of persons with disabilities and accessibility provisions, e.g. to buildings or public transport or ICT.

Gather data on number of persons with disabilities by type of disability (or multiple disabilities), the number of persons with disabilities with access to ICTs or public centers, etc.

Learn about best practices and case studies – workshops like this and the Toolkit!

Conduct a legal/regulatory/policy gap analysis Include the active participation of persons with

disabilities in consultations on proposed legislation, policy, regulations or industry codes

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Policy cont’d Foster standards development Promote government procurement of assistive technologies. Design universal service projects for persons with

disabilities Promote accessible websites, either through legislation

and/or development of industry codes or guidelines. Ensure that assistive technology is readily available in

markets through industry codes, legislation or by removing any prohibitions on their import or excessive customs duties.

Ensure emergency information made available to persons with disabilities.

Promote self regulation, codes of practice, sector agreements, etc.

Conduct periodic reviews

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Where do we go from here? Toolkit completion ITU-D Study Group Question 20/1 meeting on 9

September 2009 in Geneva Support to development of training/telecentres in Sri

Lanka and two African countries Support to national stakeholders’ meetings and/or

policy development Regional meeting for CIS countries in 2010 Development of best practices on equipping schools

with assistive technologies as part of ITU’s Connect a School, Connect a Community flagship initiative

Your support at the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference in 2010

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Questions for Discussion Should accessibility for persons with disabilities be

an obligation for service providers or a voluntary goal?

Should operators be required to publish information for end-users on equivalent access to services provided for disabled users?

Should operators be required to provide access to emergency services for persons with disabilities?

Should there be cross-border interoperability required for assistive technologies?

Should all websites be made accessible or just government websites?

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International Telecommunication

Union

Committed to connecting the world

susan.schorr@itu.int

Susan SchorrHead, a.i., Special Initiatives Division

susan.schorr@itu.int