An aspect of Rule 5 that is relevant to livelihoods has to do with accessible information and communication. The text was negotiated before the Internet was widely known, but reading into its principles we can see how it applies. First, it talks of the government responsibility. The principle is expressed as “Persons with disabilities and, where appropriate, their families and advocates should have access to full information on diagnosis, rights and available services and programmes, at all stages. Such information should be presented in forms accessible to persons with disabilities.”
The rule speaks of ensuring the information is available through means that are accessible to persons with all types of disabilities, such as Braille, tape services, large print, sign language and closed captioning. Applied to the Internet, it means that governments should ensure that website are accessible (for example, alt tabs are included for graphics, and subtitles for persons with auditory disabilities). Many governments have taken this to heart, and the World Wide Web Consortium, the non-governmental organization that sets standards for the Web, has issued accessibility guidelines. The United States federal government has ordered that all of its web site be completely accessible.
The information service sector is one that has had particularly rapid growth and, if it is accessible, is one in which persons with disabilities have a comparative advantage in developing livelihoods.
