Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije Регулаторна агенција за комуникације Communications Regulatory Agency Accessibility and ICT in Bosnia and Herzegovina Suada Hadžović Communications Regulatory Agency Bosnia and Herzegovina Belgrade, 8-9 October, Role of ICT in the Development of an Inclusive Society for Persons with Disabilities

Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije Регулаторна агенција за комуникације Communications Regulatory Agency Belgrade 8 – 9 October 2015 Slide 2/10 Agenda 1.Introduction - ICT accessibility 2.UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 3.Legal instruments - Law on Communications 4.Regulatory instruments 5.Multistakeholder approach 6.Conclusions

Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije Регулаторна агенција за комуникације Communications Regulatory Agency Belgrade 8 – 9 October 2015 Slide 3/10  Accessibility is identified in Article 3(f) of the UN Convention as one of its eight general principles, and accessibility, including access to ICTs, is established therein as a condition that will enable persons with disabilities to exercise their fundamental freedoms and human rights.  Designing for accessibility means that the content of online forms, images, graphics, tables, charts or photos can be accessed by assistive computer technology, for example:  People who are blind can use software that reads web pages out loud.  People with dexterity problems, who cannot use a mouse, can use assistive devices to input commands onto a keyboard.  People who have difficulty with keyboards can use speech recognition software to write correspondence, pay bills, or work online.  People with hearing loss can understand what is being said by real- time captioning of video and audio content. 1. Introduction - ICT accessibility

Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije Регулаторна агенција за комуникације Communications Regulatory Agency Belgrade 8 – 9 October 2015 Slide 4/10  The purpose of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is to ensure that people with disabilities worldwide can enjoy the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.  There are significant provisions throughout the Convention that must have an impact on national policies and strategies for ICT and the future of the web. Article 9 of the Convention sets out general obligations for States Parties to ensure that persons with disabilities have access to ICT and systems.  Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) – Convention Ratification Date  In practice, the level of UN Convention implementation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is at low level. 2. UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije Регулаторна агенција за комуникације Communications Regulatory Agency Belgrade 8 – 9 October 2015 Slide 5/10  According to Article 7 of Law on Communications of Bosnia and Herzegovina - The regulatory principles of telecommunications shall include:  That all users shall have access to telecommunications services on a transparent, objective and non-discriminatory basis which can be provided by a telecommunications operator for a reasonable return;  That any user of telecommunications services shall have unrestricted access by means of that service to any other such user;  That the interests of all users of telecommunications services shall be protected in respect of the availability of such services, their quality and the prices charged for them. 3. Legal instruments in BiH - Law on Communications

Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije Регулаторна агенција за комуникације Communications Regulatory Agency Belgrade 8 – 9 October 2015 Slide 6/10  The Communications Regulatory Agency of BiH (CRA) accomplished the tasks in accordance with its competences from the Law on Communications and the Telecommunications Sector Policy which were created and adopted by the BiH Council of Ministers. Aggravating factor in the implementation of regulatory activities lies in the fact that the BiH Council of Ministers has not adopted a Policy for the Telecommunications Sector for the period  CRA rules  CRA 55/2011 Rule on Audio Visual Media Services includes provision that prescribes accessibility of programmes to the persons with disabilities and special needs. However, the provision is not obligatory.  CRA 68/2013 Rule on the conduct of the provider activity for public fixed telephone services includes provision that a service provider shall publish the phonebook in electronic form on its website in a form to which “screen reader'' programs can be applied in order to facilitate access for blind and weak sighted persons. 4. Regulatory instruments

Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije Регулаторна агенција за комуникације Communications Regulatory Agency Belgrade 8 – 9 October 2015 Slide 7/10 5. Multistakeholder approach 1/2  CRA have started collecting informations about web accessibility from BiH telecom operators since  According to collected information, telecom operators started to work on improving web accessibility.  But, CRA still receive a number of complaints from alliances of blind people.  Better situation require the active involvement of all stakeholders. Team work, participants of meeting initiated by CRA:  Alliances of blind people, Republika Srpska and Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina  Communications Regulatory Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina  Ministry of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina  Telecom operators, alternative operators, cable operators

Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije Регулаторна агенција за комуникације Communications Regulatory Agency Belgrade 8 – 9 October 2015 Slide 8/10 5. Multistakeholder approach 2/2  The main contribution of meeting is improved awareness among key stakeholders. For example, participants from ministry, regulatory authority and operators got set of recommendations and book about web accessibility issued by alliance of blind people at the meeting.  All stakeholders express strong will to advocate for the improvement of the current status of ICT accessibility.  Some of meetings conclusions - actions needed:  Intensify efforts to propose binding legislation dedicated to web accessibility and eAccessibility in general (Draft of Telecommunications Sector Policy for next period).  Raise awareness and promote ICT accessibility;  Organize trainings for users, policy makers and service providers.

Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije Регулаторна агенција за комуникације Communications Regulatory Agency Belgrade 8 – 9 October 2015 Slide 9/10  Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country with low level of implementation of ICT accessibility policy for persons with disabilities and specific needs.  Certain objectives of ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities and specific needs are achieved through regional initiatives (e-SEE).  The Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between the EU and BiH which entered into force on 1st June 2015 brings new responsibilities stemming from its implementation and for BiH authorities to deliver upon.  Team work of participants from alliances of blind people, ministry, regulatory authority and operators is a big step forward.  It is expected significantly improvement of the level of ICT accessibility in the next two years. 6. Conclusions

Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije Регулаторна агенција за комуникације Communications Regulatory Agency Belgrade 8 – 9 October 2015 Slide 10/10 Thank you Accessibility and ICT in Bosnia and Herzegovina