Information in the private sector
Encourage the media, especially television,radio and newspapers,to make their services accessible.
Should ensure that new computerized information and service systems offered to the general public are either made initially accessible or are adapted to be made accessible to persons with disabilities.
Notes:
In most countries, information and communication is not regulated by the government, but rather is a matter of the private sector. Here, in many countries, the forces of the market are what determine structure and content, although the Government may provide guidance and incentives. This part of Rule 5 suggests that the private sector be encouraged to ensure that mass media are accessible, although it does not say how.
Of more direct relevance is the norm that “States should ensure that new computerized information and service systems offered to the general public are either made initially accessible or are adapted to be made accessible to persons with disabilities.” This implies encouraging the designers of Internet standards and services to build accessibility into their designs. For example, in the United States, there is federal support to the TRACE center at the University of Wisconsin that developed the Bobby software for checking websites for accessibility. Other means, deriving from the implementation rules that have been discussed, could be to use tax and grant incentives to help build accessible information systems.
It can also encourage the transfer of these technologies to persons with disabilities and give incentives to employ them in developing accessible information systems.