Internet Governance Forum November 2009 Gunela Astbrink Internet Society of Australia

1. Sustainable Capacity Building for Internet Accessibility Policy Development Internet Governance Forum November 2009 Gunela Astbrink Internet Society of Australia Version 1.9 November 2009

2. In other words: To develop tools for working with Government and industry so that the Internet is accessible for people with disabilities

3. “The new myth of the Internet is that people with disabilities are special beneficiaries of the Internet, and that their needs have been taken care of by technology designers, policymakers, and service providers. While the Internet has brought changes to the lives of many people with disabilities, they have also been firmly kept in the margins online or just left offline.” Digital Disability, The Social Construction of Disability in New Media Gerard Goggin & Christopher Newell, 2003 (page 110)

4. Purpose of Workshop - To build understanding of how the Internet can overcome barriers to accessibility for people with disabilities. - To improve the possibilities for people with disabilities to participate in the Internet economy – this means education, employment and recreation. To work on strategies to make change happen!

5. Overview • Used poorly the Internet can impose BARRIERS to access for people with disabilities • Used effectively the Internet can be a great ENABLING tool for people with disabilities • Consumers and their advocates must UNITE to lobby service providers and policy makers to get changes to accessibility • Consult with your consumers to FOCUS your efforts on the accessibility priorities they want • This is a GLOBAL issue; use the research, tools and resources to work together for accessibility

6. Barriers to accessibility of the Internet – imagine… • Physical accessibility • Someone locks your computer room door so you can’t get to it? • Someone unplugs your mouse or keyboard and takes it away? •  Visual accessibility • The cable is missing on your computer monitor? • You are forced to read the screen with heavy sunglasses? •  Accessibility to language • You can only get Internet access to foreign language sites?

7. Barriers to accessibility of the Internet – imagine… • Accessibility to auditory information • Your sound card breaks and you can’t hear system sounds, music or hear videos? • Understanding content • You are blocked and can only visit highly technical engineering sites? • Accessibility to technology and Internet services • The Internet cables to your area are down for months?

8. Accessibility issues for people with disabilities • Workshop activity: Visual accessibility • Let's try out glasses that simulate different types of vision impairment • Try to read the computer screen or document with the glasses • (Courtesy Royal Society for the Blind - South Australia)

9. Improving Internet accessibility • New technologies may create new classes of disadvantage and disability, however… • New technologies also offer new opportunities to reduce the impact of disabilities Did you know…? The first typewriter, the Malling Hansen Typing Ball, was patented in Denmark in 1870. It is reported that the inventor’s wife was blind – and this was his motivation to invent! http://www.malling-hansen.org

10. Creating products right from the start that considers the needs of the whole community – also includes people with disabilities Inclusive design Key principles of inclusive (or universal) design can be applied to Internet products and services Improving Internet accessibility

11. Improving Internet accessibility • Mobility – access to communications and services without travel • Banking, services, chat rooms, blogs, social networks

12. Improving Internet accessibility • Mobile delivery • The world is changing; the Internet may be delivered in new ways • This provides new options but will the challenges of accessibility increase?

13. Improving Internet accessibility • Vision – accessible web sites should work well with screen reading programs that convert text to speech • Tags to describe graphic elements • Screen magnifiers and contrast enhancement • Screen reading programs such as JAWS or free software eg Thunder through screenreader.net or NVDA through http://www.nvda-project.org/ Using accessibility tools such as screen reading programs can help people with low literacy skills

14. Rakesh Chand presenting at PacINET Conference in Papua New Guinea

15. Improving Internet accessibility • Captions – (different from subtitles)

16. Improving Internet accessibility • Sign Language

17. Real-time text conversation Using the Internet for text conversation (faster and more interactive than Instant Messaging) on a computer or mobile phone More information is at: http://www.realtimetext.org Improving Internet accessibility

18. Government – include accessibility in ICT policy and make appropriate regulation and legislation Service providers – offer accessible products and services Non-profit organisations – include accessibility in activities Everyone – make accessible websites We can all make it happen!

19. ACTION… making sure your Internet is accessible

20. ACTION… making sure your Internet is accessible • Before you can improve Internet accessibility, you need to RESEARCH • Identify the key disability groups in your community • Find out if other groups are active in Internet accessibility • Research local Internet sites to check their accessibility (especially Government sites) • Collect examples of important services that are not accessible • Research your legislation and regulations to see what your Government policies are for disability access

21. ACTION… making sure your Internet is accessible • We need to UNITE • Arrange public meetings to plan your approach • Invite politicians and senior public servants who may support you • Work as a team to identify what your key issues are • Make sure you INCLUDE people with disabilities in every stage of your consultation and planning • Prioritise your wish list for change and FOCUS on those things that are most important for your community • Don’t try to do everything at once, pick a few important issues to tackle first

22. ACTION… making sure your Internet is accessible • We need to PLAN • Build a strong case • Gather examples of services that aren’t accessible • Get real stories of disadvantage and discrimination • Provide international examples of accessible Internet • Show how other countries manage accessibility

23. ACTION… making sure your Internet is accessible • We need to PLAN • Identify the key decision makers that you need to influence • Aim high: the President, Prime Minister or Government Ministers - they can bring about change • Create a plan to present your case to the decision makers • Coordinate your team - decide who should be the contact point and how they should do it

24. ACTION… making sure your Internet is accessible • Be patient but strong • There are many small steps that make a big win • Measure each small achievement • Celebrate each time you achieve a step • Communicate each win with everyone involved – it helps keep spirits and hopes high • Continue to gather evidence and stories – keep sending out the same, strong message

25. ACTION… making sure your Internet is accessible • Make the media your friend • Get close to your media - they can help you keep the heat on decision makers • Local and national newspapers • Radio • Internet blogs (you may like to start one for the campaign) • Provide frequent press releases and updates • Regularly provide the media with examples of disadvantage and discrimination

26. Resources to help you • There are many case studies of action for accessibility • Maguire vs Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games under Australian Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) – inaccessible website • Australian Telecommunications Act refers to DDA

27. United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?navid=12&pid=150 Millennium Development Goals http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1470 ITU-T Resolution on Disability Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability http://www.apcdfoundation.org/ Resources to help you

28. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and its partner, the Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs (G3ict) teamed up to develop an online Toolkit for Policy Makers on e-Accessibility & Service Needs for Persons with Disabilities, to assist national regulators, policy makers and legislators to implement measures and foster national programmes supporting the digital accessibility agenda of the CRPD. Website is at http://www.e-accessibilitytoolkit.org Resources to help you

29. Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) Consumer watch-dog in communications Working on improved availability, accessibility and affordability to ICT http://www.accan.org.au Example of consumer advocacy

30. Summary • Used poorly the Internet can impose BARRIERS to accessibility for people with disabilities • Used effectively the Internet can be a great ENABLING tool for people with disabilities • Consumers and their advocates must UNITE to lobby service providers and policy makers to get changes to accessibility • Consult with your consumers to FOCUS your efforts on the accessibility priorities they want • This is a GLOBAL issue - use the research, tools and resources to work together for accessibility

31. Let's find future champions for making change Country Regional Using tools to move forwards Future Champions

32. Accessibility is not only for people with disabilities but for everyone. The Internet Society's motto is: The Internet is for everyone Concluding remarks

33. ISOC – Community Grants Programme funding ISOC- Australia Chapter – support and coordination PICISOC – organisation and venue Pacific Disability Forum – liaison and input Royal Society of the Blind, South Australia – resources Rakesh Chand and Soloveni Vitoso – co-presenters at PacINET And workshop participants! Acknowledgements

34. Gunela Astbrink Director, ISOC-AU http://www.isoc-au.org.au g.astbrink@gsa.com.au g.astbrink@accan.org.au Contact details