3rd Annual International Conference on ICT4PWDs: Inclusion, Empowerment and Participation 13 April 2014, Cairo, Egypt ITU ICT Accessibility for ALL Malcolm Johnson, Director Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU

About ITU… The United Nations Specialized Agency for Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) Founded in Paris in 1865 as the International Telegraph Union 2015 will mark 150 years of experience and innovation

ITU’s Global Presence

Leading Private Sector Members

ITU’s Structure Radiocommunication ITU-R Coordinates global wireless communication Standardization ITU-T Produces interoperable technical ICT standards Development ITU-D Provides assistance to the un-connected The General Secretariat provides intersectoral coordination for the whole organization

ITU-R: Radiocommunication Sector Manages the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits

ITU-D: Development Sector Assists the development of ICTs in the developing world

ITU-T: Standardization Sector Produces international standards covering all fields of telecommunications. Defines tariff and accounting principles for international telecommunication services

Accessibility – some facts More than 1 billion people with disabilities in the world (Source: UN) 80% of persons with disabilities live in low income countries (Source: UNDP) Low income countries, 90% of children with disabilities do not have access to school (Source: UNESCO) Among people living below the poverty level, 1 out of 5 is a person with disability (Source: World Bank) ICTs are a powerful equalizer of abilities, empowering persons with disabilities to fulfill their potential, dreams and ambitions. UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities obliges signatories to provide public information in formats appropriate to different kinds of disabilities.

ITU and Accessibility Champions principles of Universal Design enshrined in the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities Includes accessibility features in all standards Strong advocacy focus Regular workshops 10

ITU-D’s Activities in Promoting Accessible ICTs ITU-G3ict e-accessibility tool-kit Making Mobile Phones and Services Accessible Report Making TV Accessible Report Model ICT Accessibility Policy Report – under development

Model ICT Accessibility Policy Report Provides policy guidelines and legal and regulatory framework Will help policy makers and regulators develop policies and regulations Modular design includes stand-alone sections on policies for: Public access accessibility Mobile accessibility TV accessibility Web accessibility Public procurement Identifies and explains changes needed for existing legislation Reviewed by ICT accessibility experts and stakeholders Planned for publication in 2014

TV Accessibility ITU-T work focuses on how to ensure AVM accessibility ITU-D work focuses on creating an enabling environment to ensure stakeholders act to ensure TV accessibility Big role for Government, parliamentarians, broadcast policy makers and regulators in developing national policies, laws and regulations Facilitated by migration to digital broadcasting

Why is standardization important? International Standards essential in a complex world Standards make things easier Essential for international communications … and global trade Drive competitiveness … efficiency, responsiveness and innovation Standards provide interoperability and economies of scale Lower prices and increase availability by reducing technical barriers and promoting compatibility between systems and networks Manufacturers, network operators and consumers benefit

Why standardization and accessibility Information handling capability varies for all ICT users Everyone can benefit from accessibility standards ITU-T’s accessibility work ensures that all newly developed standards contain the necessary elements to make services and features usable for people with as broad range of capabilities as possible Standards should also describe suitable methods of media delivery for people with disabilities, and are therefore essential for the provision of services accessible for all

WTSA Resolution on Accessibility Resolution 70 encourages more work in the field of ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities invites the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau To identify and document examples of best practice for accessibility To review the accessibility of ITU-T services and facilities To work collaboratively on accessibility-related activities… that enable developing countries to introduce services that allow persons with disabilities to utilize telecommunication services effectively To work collaboratively and cooperatively with other standardization organizations and disability organizations

ITU Accessibility landmarks First international standards body to address accessibility issues - in 1991 1994 the international text telephone standard, Recommendation ITU-T V.18, was published A major landmark tying together text telephone protocols allowing different - previously incompatible - textphones in different countries to communicate Since then, ITU-T’s accessibility experts have helped to incorporate accessibility needs into standards for: Multimedia Network interoperability Multimedia service descriptions Multimedia conferencing Next generation networks (NGN)

ITU’s most famous accessibility standard ITU-T E.161 (2001): “Bump” on key “5” “To assist blind and visually impaired people… and others to facilitate dialing under low light conditions”

Total Conversation Recommendation ITU-T F.703 An audiovisual conversation service providing bidirectional symmetric real-time transfer of motion video, text and voice

Examples of active work items Terminology of accessibility to audiovisual media Relay services: Architecture, user requirements and functionality Technical Paper: Telecommunication relay service's user requirements for persons with disabilities Accessibility Features for mobile media devices Technical Paper on methods for improving the intelligibility of audio (or speech) Guidelines for provision of captioning and of sign language in audio visual content

ITU recognizes dedication to accessibility cause 2008 World Telecommunication & Information Society Day Connecting Persons with Disabilities: ICT Opportunities for All Helped raise awareness of the role of ICTs Laureat: Andrea Saks, key person in ITU work Andrea Saks

FOR A DISABILITY- INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK THE ICT OPPORTUNITY FOR A DISABILITY- INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK

High Level Meeting on Disability and Development (HLMDD) 23 September 2013 This action-oriented document includes strong a strong provision on ICTs, urging states to. . . (e) Ensure accessibility, following the universal design approach, by removing barriers to the physical environment, … services, information and assistive devices, such as ICTs, … to achieve the fullest potential throughout the whole life cycle of persons with disabilities; A meeting of UN Member States, observers and representatives of entities of the United Nations system, as well as representatives of civil society, organizations of persons with disabilities and the private sector. Resulting in an action-oriented Outcome Document in support of development goals for persons with disabilities, agreed upon by the global community and outlining actions to be taken. (o) Encourage the mobilization of public and private resources on a sustainable basis to mainstream disability in development at all levels, … including by facilitating access to and sharing accessible and assistive technologies…;

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE TO ITU Work progresses on the basis of contributions received No contributions, no international standards, no proposals = no progress Provide experts to attend meetings Participate in the JCA-AHF, the group responsible for coordinating the accessibility work throughout ITU as it is open to all Propose topics and provide panelists for workshops and related events to further assist in educating the public on the need for Universal Design and the mainstreaming of accessibility into standardization

Accessibility Apps Showcase

Work with us in ITU to make ICTs accessible to all and help us to truly connect the world Malcolm Johnson Thank you

ITU-T work on accessibility Joint coordination activity on accessibility and human factors (JCA-AHF) Intersector Rapporteur Group on Audiovisual Media Accessibility (IRG-AVA) (launched 25 February 2014) NEW! Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disabilities, under the Internet Governance Forum Study Group 16 - Multimedia - lead ITU study group on telecommunication/ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities Study Group 2 on Operational Aspects - Question 4/2 focused on human factors and related work items Study Group 9 on Broadband Cable and TV ITU-T Focus Group on Audiovisual Media Accessibility (FG AVA) (concluded Oct. 2013)