ICTs and Disabilities Introductory Remarks by Deepak Bhatia Practice Leader for ICT Applications GICT / CITPO

Context The concept of disability encompasses a wide range of human conditions, and poverty and disability are deeply interrelated in a complex vicious circle. Estimates indicate that there are about 600 million people with disabilities around the world Three out of every four of them are living in the developing world Half are of working age Half are women The highest incidence and prevalence of disabilities occurs in poor areas Source: Development Gateway dgCommunities;

ICT and disability and the link to e- government E-government requires –Access (telecommunications, & multi-channel service delivery infrastructure), –Demand (digital literacy, capacity building, affordability, relevant content in local language) and –Participation (multi-stakeholder consultations and partnerships) Governments pursuing this proactively –Bridging the digital divide (haves and have nots) –E-Inclusion –E-government for all

Goals of ICTs & Disability Work 1.Give disabled people a powerful tool in their battle to gain employment 2.Increase disabled people’s skills, confidence, and self-esteem 3.Integrate disabled people socially and economically into their communities; 4.Reduce physical or functional barriers and enlarge scope of activities available to disabled persons Source: iConnect, infoDev, UNESCO

How can ICTs help? ICTs have the potential for reduce discrimination promote more opportunities to engage people with disabilities in all aspects of life Specialized software, e.g. sign language translation widgets or text- reading software Specialized vocational training to perform functions within abilities Specialized keyboards, e.g. Braille Braille printers conversion of local language to Braille Touch screens Customized workspace setup to fit a wheelchair

Some examples Bank projects - Tunisia - Sri Lanka - Ethiopia – ICT Assisted Development

Internal to the Bank – ISG’s services

Korea’s programmes ICT Education for the Disabled: For providing public ICT education to the disabled, about 200 education centers were established, and instructors call at the disabled home for seriously handicapped. Local Information Access Center: For promoting information access, local information access centers have been established to provide free and easy Internet access. These centers have been provided by local government offices and public organizations throughout the nation. Used PC Distribution: Used PCs are collected from government, public organizations and private companies, and are given free of charge to digital-deprived such as the disabled, through repairs if needed. ICT Assistive Devices Provision: The disabled who can’t afford to buy expensive ICT assistive devices and special SW are supported through the matching fund of 80% from government. ICT Assistive Technology Development Support: To raise social awareness and promote technology development for the disabled, the government holds a special exhibition and supports private companies/ R&D institutions to develop ICT assistive devices. Web Access Standards: Under the Korea Disability Discrimination Act, government and public web sites must confirm web accessibility after April 11, 2009 for those who have difficulty using the Internet due to physical disabilities. Draft version of Web usability Guideline for Handicapped is now under consideration. Internet and communication rate discount: For providing affordable access to information and communication service, the disabled can use these services at a reduced price. Content Development and Distribution: Customized content for the disabled are developed and distributed to education centers throughout the nation. Also, Ministry of Culture is developing a customized website for the blind of national e-library. Source: Dong-Hyung Lee

Kerala -Taking ICT to the masses INSIGHT Introduction An initiative of KSITM Ensuring benefits of ICT to disabled people First of its kind in the country Visually challenged master trainers available in all districts Exclusively based on Free Software

Discapnet - world's biggest and most visited website dealing with disability issues Discapnet is an accesible website created to promote social and labour integration of people with disabilities. in 2007 was visited by more than 9 million users In 2008 of 1 million visits a month and more than 74 million visited pages.

GICT Sectoral applications practice Is currently supporting 111 projects with ICT components in 27 countries in all sectors Key contacts for ICT and disability in CITPO: –Carlo Rossotto, MNA Regional Co-ordinator –Samia Melhem, Chair, E-Thematic Group

Thank you