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Interregional
Seminar and Regional Demonstration Workshop on Accessible Information and Communications
Technologies (ICT) and Persons with Disabilities |
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Interregional
Seminar and Regional Demonstration Workshop on Accessible Information and Communications
Technologies (ICT) and Persons with Disabilities |
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Organized by: Department of Social Welfare
and Development and In collaboration with United Nations Department of
Economic and Social Affairs Presented by an expert team which includes: Vision Office Support Services, Ltd.
(Vision Office), Canada |
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| Outcome Documents |
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This interregional forum supports the Millennium Development Goals in the context of rights-based approaches to development as recognized in the UN General Assembly resolution 56/168. Carrying the theme "Empowering Persons with Disabilities through ICT", it produced two milestone documents that can serve as tools for accessible ICT development and advocacy.
The meeting. Participation in the meeting was strong from Asia, with both South and Southeast Asia represented by senior governmental officials - including a secretary for social affairs from Bangladesh and under-secretary for social welfare and development from the Philippines - programme managers as well as civil society.
In addition, the National Institute for Development Administration of Thailand, which had hosted the June 1999 "ASEAN seminar on Internet accessibility", provided a team of national experts and representatives of civil society, including the president of the Foundation of the Blind, as its contribution to recommended follow up of the 1999 meeting.
Twenty-eight participants attended the meeting, with approximately an equal balance between national experts and regional and interregional experts. All contributed fully to the proceedings.
The meeting was organized in three issue clusters, responding to policy issues related to accessible ICT, structural and institutional aspects, and technology aspects. The applications cluster involved group work on accessible Web design, and formulation of a strategic plan to promote and realize accessible ICT for all.
The outcome. In the penultimate plenary session participant teams presented their respective strategic plans, which were all of high quality, logical and respond to national priorities and conditions.
The final meeting plenary was devoted to consideration of the draft outcome document, which had been discussed with the national organizing committee and compiled by the international team.
The outcome document is comprised on the "Manila Declaration on Accessible Information and Communications Technologies" and companion "Manila Accessible ICT Design Recommendations".
The "Manila Declaration" focuses on normative aspects of accessible ICT and notes that (a) accessibility is part of broad rights based approaches to development and that accessible ICT - which includes the set of electronic and information technology products - empowers and enables persons with disabilities to participate on the basis of equality in social life and development, (b) addressing the digital divide also involves addressing the human capabilities divide and that strategic initiatives must be gender sensitive, cohort neutral and disability responsive, (c) promoting and realizing accessible ICT involves consultation and advocacy with Governments at all levels and all sectors of society.
In the companion "Manila Accessible ICT Design Recommendations" participants called for progress on the elaboration of an international convention on the rights of persons with disabilities and set forth design principles and recommendations for a "minimum threshold" that would provide flexibility in accommodating each user's needs and preferences for Web-based information goods and services.
It is envisaged that the minimum threshold provisions set forth in the Manila ICT Design Recommendations could provide a basis for improved comprehension of accessible ICT in the context of development in countries due to an observed absence of such guidance currently. Moreover, by presenting design "recommendations" participants provided a framework for further substantive and normative development in the light of continuing advances in electronic and information technology products.
Participants further recommended in the "Manila Declaration" three specific products, for which the urgent assistance of the United Nations was requested, as part of a concerted strategy to promote awareness and build national capacities for accessibility with reasonable accommodation:
(a) Preparation of a global comparative study on norms and standards related accessibility with reasonable accommodation that will provide critical input for promotion and advocacy of the "Manila Accessible ICT Design Recommendations" in countries and respond to the request of the first session of the Ad Hoc Committee to consider proposals for a comprehensive and integral convention to promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities concerning input from experts and persons with disabilities in the matter of accessibility with reasonable accommodation (A/57/357, paragraph 15, endorsed by General Assembly resolution 57/229 of 18 December 2002).
(b) Development, testing and evaluation of a pilot validation tool to test and evaluate online Web site compliance with the minimum threshold of accessibility with reasonable accommodation set forth in the "Manila Accessible ICT Design Recommendations" and promote thereby awareness and realization of accessible ICT in countries.
(c) Preparation of a scheme for training and resource materials on norms, standards and substantive aspects of accessibility with reasonable accommodation to build national capacities and to provide input to activities to promote and realize accessible ICT in countries and to provide input to the proposed "accessible ICT network".
At the closing session the Under-Secretary for social welfare and development of the Philippines noted that in her capacity as convener for ASEAN subcommittee on social welfare and development she would present the results and outcome of the meeting for the consideration of adoption by ASEAN. She also envisaged the possibility of cooperation between ASEAN and SAARC in the matter within the framework of the extended Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons (2003-2012).
Participants received a CD-ROM, compiled by the digital content specialist of the international team, which contains all pre- and in-session meeting materials, which are also available on the Internet site established by the international presentation team for the meeting < http://www.worldenable.net/manila2003/ >.
