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| Despite limited bandwidth, the pilot effort achieved a reasonable level of voice- and text-based collaboration.
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Participation Report on a pilot Internet-based video conference at the XII Jornadas Nacionales de Personas con Discapacidad (Guanajuato, México, 25-28 May 2000)*The Internet is more than technological innovation, which makes life easier by opening new opportunities for communication, collaboration and commerce. It is a basic tool for development, which has introduced fundamental changes to social, economic and political life and development. A major question is whether societies will provide the necessary supports - in terms of appropriate policy frameworks, resources and institutional arrangements - to ensure both continued development and enhancement of this tool and whether the capacities that it offers will be accessible to all. As way to study the instrumental attributes of the Internet and examine basic issues in Internet accessibility, the United Nations were requested to assist with the organisation and conduct of an Internet-based video conference on "El Concepto de Inclusión como factor en el Desarrollo de Personas con Discapacidad", to the national assembly of organisations of persons with disabilities - XII Jornadas Nacionales de Personas con Discapacidad - held at the historic city of Guanajuato (México) from 25-28 May 2000. The conference was organised by Ing. Santiago Velázquez Duarte (President, Confederación Mexicana de Limitados Físicos y Representante de Deficientes Mentales (COMELFIRDEM) in cooperation with State of Guanajuato and the Sistema Estatal para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF) Guanajuato. Sr. Velázquez noted that the video conference would be the first time that Internet-based services would be presented for the consideration of delegates to the national assembly, which had inclusión con calidad as its theme. He suggested that the video conference pilot focus on both the instrumental role of the Internet accessibility and the contribution that Internet accessibility make in the promotion of social solidarity and inclusion. Technical advice and assistance on Internet accessibility and video conferencing was provided through the courtesy of VisionOffice Support Services Ltd. from their offices at North Vancouver, BC (Canada). Lic. José Luis Caudillo, Coordinator of the Independent Living Programme of the Latin American Regional Office of Disabled Persons International (OMPD) assisted in all aspects of the video conference pilot on behalf of the conference organisers. The video conferenceFollowing pre-tests with the Mexico City offices of OMPD, Mr Valdés suggested that conference organisers consider using Microsoft NetMeeting since it came bundled with Microsoft Windows 9x operating system. NetMeeting involved no additional expenses for special software for video conferencing and offered a range of accessible distance collaboration tools: text-based chat, audio and video conferencing, and "whiteboard" collaboration, which also supported posting of graphics and slide presentations. Sr. Caudillo and Mr. Valdés worked intensely from 24 May to test and evaluate the range of distance collaboration possibilities with NetMeeting and with two open-source collaboration tools - IRC (Internet text chat) and ICQ (chat and graphics). Both IRC and ICQ were dropped from consideration since their open-source nature meant that anyone could easily enter a collaboration session - and pursue an agenda that may not correspond to the interests of the national assembly. Pre-test sessions indicated that there was sufficient bandwidth over a normal telephone line in Guanajuato for video or audio conferencing but not both services. Pre-tests also indicated that it was possible to support text chat and whiteboard collaboration sessions in NetMeeting on a T0 (56Kb) line. Since Mr. Valdés had a cable modem (up to 1.5 Mb) line at VisionOffice, he was able to deliver distortion-free audio from Canada. Thus, the video conference pilot would meet basic accessibility requirements. The video conference took place on the morning of 26 May. Sr. Caudillo began the session with a brief introduction and overview to the Internet and the NetMeeting application. Mr. Rapley made a brief introduction to international issues and trends in Internet accessibility and selected experiences of countries in using the Internet as an instrument to promote full participation and equality of persons with disabilities in social life and development. However, the considerable potential of the instrumental role of the Internet often was of limited benefit due to Web designs that did meet international technical standards for accessible Internet-based services. His remarks drew upon the lessons of pilot efforts by United Nations in promoting Internet accessibility and selected experiences of countries:
The presentation focused on a few strategic points in Internet accessibility and drew upon presentation materials developed for a number of Governments. Presentations were in English and Spanish with time devoted for a lively and informed dialogue between Guanajuato and Canada. The dialogue began - predictably - with a question on costs of video conferencing "for ordinary people" and moved to sophisticated questions on options for obtaining more predictable and enhanced bandwidth, and on alternative distance collaboration tools. An immediate result of the video conference pilot was an observed increase in multimedia content and level of substantive presentations at the national assembly. For instance, one presentation used video with extensive closed captioning. Next stepsSeveral Internet portals now serve Latin America; and search engines on two sites -Terra.Com and T1msn.Com - pointed to a number of resources in Spanish on Internet accessibility and persons with disabilities. The materials, which are of high quality, were posted on servers in Spain. Some were monographs produced by Spain-based academic institutes; some were translations of relevant work of the Web Accessibility Initiative of the United States-based World Wide Web Consortium; and other materials resulted from the Seminario de Iniciativas en Discapacidad y Accessibilidad en la Red (SID@R) of the Madrid-based Real Patronato de Prevención y de Atención a Personas con Minusvalia. Relevant resources thus are available for consultation and study on Internet accessibility, although none reflect fully conditions prevailing in the Americas Region. The dialogue at the National Assembly suggests a need for a regional Americas technical exchange on information policies, strategies, structures and technologies and Internet accessibility. There also is an observed need for development and testing of training and resource materials on design, development and maintenance of accessible Internet-based services appropriate to conditions prevailing among countries in the Américas Region. Currently the Americas account for some 3 percent of registered Internet users; this is projected to grow 48 percent, to an estimated 38 million users by 2003 and to 67 million users by 2005. Such growth in individual Internet users strongly suggests that the time is both opportune and urgent to introduce Internet accessibility at relevant development fora and technical services in the Américas and to promote public awareness that Internet accessibility is a concern of all. Note: Disclaimer: Products metioned are trademarked to their respective manufacturers. References to external links are provided for information and do not consitute endorsement by the WorldEnable consortium. Comments welcome. Please contact info @ visionoffice.com. |
Copyright (c) 2000 WorldEnable |
The
distance collaboration session facilitated by Mr. Valdés began with a short text chat
session so that delegates could see all aspects of preparing for and presenting the
videoconference. Mr. Valdés moved quickly to his whiteboard session, which began with a
Mr. Valdés at his office in Canada. Until that point many delegates were skeptical about
possibilities of someone from Canada joining their discussions on a real time basis in
Guanajuato. Once delegates saw the graphic, a few words in Spanish from Canada over the
Internet, the session took off. Some bandwidth problems were experienced, but at no time
was the integrity of the session lost.