Introduction

The rapid pace of developments in information and communications technologies has significant social and economic implications. Information goods and services are recognised as central components of the new economics of development¹ and catalysts for change and re-engineering. The unprecedented expansion of information goods and services in countries and the empowering and enabling potential that they offer beg the question of information accessibility for all². Accessibility is a major factor in the full and effective participation in social life and development, and it is not solely the concern of persons with disabilities, or older persons.

This paper considers a single issue: the contribution of accessible information services and goods to implement an particular international policy objective - equalisation of opportunities by, for and with persons with disabilities. The paper reviews more than 12 years of experimentation and rapid prototyping to promote accessible information services and goods in support of the global programme concerning persons with disabilities of the United Nations. A basic characteristic of these efforts is the focus on service-side solutions rather than client-specific fixes to promote accessibility in the work place and among programme constituencies. Two lessons of these experiences are that accessibility requires constant vigilance and always is "under construction".

I. WHY ACCESSIBILITY: AS POLICY OBJECTIVE AND TECHNICAL STANDARD

Accessibility is a concern to all: producers and users of information goods and services. A recent technical paper contributed to the United Nations defines accessibility as the provision of "flexibility to accommodate each user's needs and preferences"³. Some may need assistive technologies, such as screen magnifiers, screen readers or Braille interfaces to create, access or use information goods owing to a physical or sensorial disability. Others may need text-based or low-density graphical content since they have limited communications capacity (bandwidth) or level of information technology to support robust graphics, streaming audio and video clips⁴

At the international level accessibility issues are considered to be one of the "target areas for equal participation" in the United Nations Standard Rules on the Equalisation of Opportunities of Persons with Disabilities.⁵ The Standard Rules address accessibility in terms of the physical environment and with reference to information and communications services. Rule 5 recommends, among other points, that "States … develop strategies to make information services and documentation accessible for different groups of persons with disabilities."

Several countries, including Australia, Canada, Portugal and the United States of America, have adopted legislation on information accessibility. The "Guide to the Internet" of the Government of Canada states:

"Since the end user cannot count on either standard technology or helping devices to ensure access to information on the [World Wide] Web, the onus is on the Web page developer to deliver the message in a way that allows everyone to benefit.

"It is every Canadian's right to receive Government information or service in a form that can be used, and it is Government of Canada's obligation to provide it." ⁶

II.  IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY: CLIENT-SPECIFIC FIXES TO SERVICE-BASED SOLUTIONS

Pilot action to promote accessible information goods and services spans more than 12 years. Initially, the focus was on the work group and facilitating access to office information systems by visually-disabled staff members. The efforts were carried out at the United Nations Office at Vienna - duty station at the time of the United Nations global programme concerning persons with disabilities - and benefited greatly from the knowledge and expertise of the Technical University of Vienna (http://www.zid.tuwien.ac.at/). Provision of client-side accessibility contributed to improved productivity in the work group, greater freedom of choice in the organisation of the work, expanded opportunities for sharing of knowledge and expertise, and solidarity.

In 1993, in connection with the restructuring of the economic and social sectors of the United Nations, the global programme concerning persons with disabilities was relocated to the New York Headquarters. At that time the United Nations was using a Gopher server to provide a range of parliamentary documentation in digital format. Information accessibility was met in asynchronous manner: if a request for information could be served by existing digital content, the product was delivered by electronic mail.

By the mid-1990s the United Nations was developing a presence on the World Wide Web (http://www.un.org). The challenge was to work within the framework for the Internet presence of the Organisation and develop a presence - a "gateway" - that met international standards for Internet accessibility.

In mid-1997 a decision was taken to examine options for introducing accessible Internet-based services in support of selected components of the United Nations global programme on social policies and development. The first task was first to formulate a value proposition that responded to technical and bureaucratic needs. Since disability can affect anyone at any stage of the life cycle⁷, the value proposition, briefly stated, was to develop, test and evaluate, and promote "best total solutions" to meet Internet accessibility needs for all.

The implementation strategy required an institutional setting that allowed flexibility, rapid prototyping, rapid feedback and sharing of results. This resulting arrangement was based on networks of specialists and interested programme constituencies, information flows rather hierarchy, and open standards. The network-based organisational structure leveraged the knowledge of parties interested in accessibility through the power of connectivity⁸. Open standards allowed for ease of entry to exchanges of knowledge and experience, which in turn contributed to increasing returns through valued-added substantive comments and contributed content.

A third component of the implementation strategy was provision of orientation sessions and training opportunities to promote awareness and build capacities to plan, develop and maintain accessible Internet services. A training workshop and practical sessions on "International information structures and technologies" was organised and conducted at United Nations Headquarters from December 1997 to March 1998 with the assistance of an international presentation team. Building on the lessons of these exchanges an international presentation team organised on-site workshops and online practical sessions during the period of December 1998 to April 1999 on "International information policies, structures and technologies" and a policy-oriented seminar on Internet accessibility for interested delegations in May 1999 at United Nations Headquarters.

III. ONE-PAGE BUSINESS PLAN ON INTERNET ACCESSIBILITY

Strategic planning was an essential component of Internet accessibility efforts since these involved fundamental changes in approach to the production and presentation of information goods and services by the Organization.

The Internet accessibility initiative in the social development field had a short time frame to design, test and implement release candidates prior to the deadline set for a functional presence on the World Wide Web. The decision to proceed was taken in late 1997; and an international consultant team began work in February 1998, with a target date of early May 1998 to deliver a functional Internet site to support the activities of the "Preparatory Committee for the Special Session of the General Assembly on the Implementation of the Outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and Further Initiatives".⁹

The strategic plan was a page long and had five points:

1. Vision: formulation of a shared vision for the Internet accessibility initiative was important for building awareness and a general consensus for first principles of Internet accessibility and for changes envisaged concerning the ways in which social development information goods would be presented through Internet technologies. The vision emphasised provision of timely and accessible social development information goods for all.
2. Scope and priorities: the time frame for design, testing and implementation of a functional Internet site that met international standards on Internet accessibility - February to May 1998 - was short. The scope of the Internet accessibility initiative was, first, provision of accessible information goods for persons with disabilities. The second task was design of accessible Internet-based services to support two priority international observances in the social development field: the 1999 International Year of Older Persons, and preparations for the special session of the General Assembly to consider the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development. Other subject areas would follow in line with priorities of the global social development programme of the United Nations.
3. Feasibility and strategic components: the time frame for the Internet accessibility initiative required selection, testing and rapid application of best-available accessibility concepts and Web design tools rather than extensive research and studies of emerging practices and technologies. The Internet provided links to a great deal of relevant material internationally; chief among the resources consulted were the World Wide Web Consortium (http://www.w3c.org) and the Center for Applied Special Technology and its on-line Web accessibility evaluation tool, "Bobby" (http://www.cast.org/bobby). Since the Internet accessibility initiative was being designed and implemented within the framework of the Internet site of the United Nations (http://www.un.org), strategic components were designed to fit within its basic Internet architecture, albeit consistent with universal Web design standards and relevant Internet accessibility guidelines.
4. Implementation plan: the Internet accessibility initiative was outsourced to an international consultant team with considerable expertise in communications planning, Web design, systems integration and training. The international consultant team prepared a prototype Web design within two weeks of joining the project and made effective and strategic use of communications technologies to meet the schedule of deliverables set by the Division for Social Policy and Development of the United Nations Secretariat. The decision to outsource was taken since this was the first effort to design and develop an Internet presence in the United Nations system that would meet international standards for accessible Web design.
5. Monitoring and evaluation: the Internet accessibility pilot project had a tight schedule for design, testing and implementation and was carried out by an international consultant team, with members based in Canada and Spain. A critical task was determination of milestones for conceptual designs, delivery of content by the concerned substantive specialists, co-ordination with the concerned technical services and systematic feedback on design options from beta testers representative of the various programme constituencies - governmental as well as non-governmental. Critiques from persons with disabilities served to make the Persons with Disabilities Web site easy and efficient to navigate with text browsers and legacy computer systems. Web design options were evaluated continually by means of online tools to assess compatibility with various Internet browsers and telecommunications capacities.¹⁰

IV. ACCESSIBILITY AND INTERNATIONAL POLICY PROCESSES

The United Nations is an intergovernmental organisation, a non-sovereign entity whose functions are performed in pursuit of its mandates. The work is done largely on the basis of consensus. Substantive support to intergovernmental policy processes is a key function.

A critical analysis of reforms of intergovernmental organisations identified two sets of tasks for a substantive secretariat in support of international policy processes: policy formulation and development, and evaluation.¹¹

International policy instruments focus on transnational conduct and provide guidance for the design of national strategies and policies. These instruments describe agreed areas where actions by governments need to be harmonized, international cooperation achieved and international machinery employed. They also set forth norms and standards on desired conduct and priorities for action.

Once a policy instrument is adopted, such as the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons, substantive secretariats may monitor implementation by States as well as the involvement of civil society. A related task is maintenance of consistency of obligations identified in the instrument. This involves mobilisation and dissemination of information and need to perform an institutional memory function.

Substantive secretariats may be requested by States to provide technical information and advice, undertake applied research and prepare technical guidelines and case studies on the application of norms and standards. Secretariats may provide direct advisory services in the context of technical cooperation activities as well.

Substantive secretariats undertake periodically norm enforcement tasks in the context of periodic reviews of the application by States of international instruments in terms of progress achieved and obstacles encountered. This task may include global reviews of issues and trends, analyses of deviations that have occurred in the implementation of the instrument, and submit suggestions for achieving desired ends. Norm enforcement functions range from moral suasion in relevant intergovernmental bodies, action by treaty bodies (such as the Committee on the Rights of the Child), and Charter-based judicial activities of the International Court of Justice.

Information is central to the effective functioning of intergovernmental policy processes and the development and implementation of international norms and standards on transnational conduct and behaviour. Information services that do not meet international accessibility standards can limit full and effective participation by all, on the basis of equality, in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of relevant norms and standards.

While Rule 5 of the Standard Rules addresses accessibility in a broad sense, there still is no policy link between that instrument and any other norm, standard or technical guideline.

V.  LESSONS LEARNED

The data suggest that, from the lifecycle perspective, accessible information and communication solutions are more cost effective than solutions requiring retrofits to facilitate ease of access and use by all.

The Internet accessibility initiative sought to provide an expanded range of information goods and services to the various constituencies of the global social development programme of the United Nations in a timely and efficient manner and in accessible formats. The Internet accessibility initiative began in early 1998 and became operational ahead of its scheduled release date of May 1998 - and within budget. Its content has been updated and expanded over the past two years. Lessons of the pilot effort are summarised below: