Advancing ICT Accessibility With ITU

Following a meeting in February 2007, International Telecommunication Union and the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and a non-governmental organization called Communication Technologies (G3ict) entered into a cooperation that has since flourished beyond expectation and delivered essential tools in support of policy makers and advocacy organizations around the world, including:

1. The production of a global benchmarking on the implementation and promotion of the ICT accessibility dispositions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD);
2. Mapping the work of standards-developing organizations (SDOs) on ICT accessibility within the framework of the dispositions of the CRPD;
3. The development of an “e-Accessibility Policy Toolkit for Persons with Disabilities” in 2009, which mobilized more than 62 expert editors from around the world. Since inception, more than 70,000 unique visitors have used the Toolkit which is widely referenced around the world by regulators and policy makers.
4. The publication of Joint reports, such as “Making Television Accessible” (2011) and “Making Mobile Phones and Services Accessible for Persons with Disabilities” (2012) published jointly by ITU’s Development Sector (ITU-D) and G3ict;
5. Collaboration at the annual M-Enabling Summit, held every year in Washington, DC. The M-Enabling Summit has established itself as the leading global forum for innovation in mobile accessibility and mobile assistive solutions for seniors and persons with disabilities.
6. The advocacy work at the UN level, such as the work conducted in 2013 for the 2014 High Level Meeting on Disability and Development which led to the publication of a report titled “The ICT Opportunity for a Disability-Inclusive Development Framework”, a joint initiative of ITU, UNESCO, G3ict, Microsoft, the International Disability Alliance (IDA) and the Telecentre.org Foundation, which advocated for the incorporation of ICT accessibility into the UN post-2015 Development Agenda.
7. The elaboration of a set of Model ICT Accessibility policies, a new initiative being developed with ITU-D. These model policies, being written by consultants under the joint supervision of ITU-D and G3ict, will provide a much-needed set of practical guidelines for the implementation of the dispositions of the CRPD, based on success factors and good practices observed around the world.

[Leblois serves on the Board of Directors of USICD, US International Council on Disabilities, and GAATES, Global Alliance on Accessible Technologies and Environments]