Interactive session "Access to Information and Knowledge for Persons with Disabilities (C3)

16 May 2011 (14:45-16:15), International Labour Organization (ILO), Geneva, Switzerland

This interactive debate will explore existing and potential usage of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to improve access by persons with disabilities to information and knowledge and encourage their participation in social, economic and political life. ICTs are effective tools to reach out to persons with disabilities which can improve their quality of life by providing new educational and employment opportunities as well as promote their social inclusion and participation.

More specifically, access to ICT and existing online systems is no longer an option, but increasingly the primary means to engage in education, employment, civic participation, arts, culture, social connection and leisure. The social and economic costs of digital exclusion are very high, not only for the excluded, but for society as a whole. The accessible Internet can facilitate diverse key players in disability and development and promote the implementation of the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), with specific attention to Article 32, and the inclusion of disability in international aid. During the session, particular attention will be given to the issues related to:CPRD mandates and progress of countries in implementing:Platforms for international cooperation.Examples of government and civil society technology programmes for persons with disabilities.Key barriers to access information and knowledge for persons with disabilities:Communications, Internet, computing, electronic contents and other digital interfaces with practical examples.Bridging learning divide – ICTs in education and life-long learning for persons with disabilities.Challenges and opportunities of mobile systems to provide access to education and employment.Solutions available to eliminate barriers and discrimination: Information infrastructure, assistive technologies, content and specific implementation roadblocks as well as examples. Development of accessible content on the Internet - a presentation of the consolidated and publicly-reviewed guidance on the creation of accessible office documents.Emerging new leapfrogging technologies such as mobile and cloud based solution for personalized digital inclusion. Promise of social networks and crowd-sourcing to address the diversity of access needs. Impact in relation to installed bases of ICTs worldwide on education, employment and cultural opportunities: Importance of the assistive technology eco-system to support persons with disabilities effectively.

At WSIS Forum 2011, in its Facilitator Role for WSIS Action Line, UNESCO, together with ITU (co-Facilitator) and other representatives of international organizations, academia, public-private partners and disability rights activists will share good practices in the area of digital inclusion and promote international cooperation among national, local, nongovernmental and civil society organizations working with persons with disabilities.

Key questions of the session include:

  • How can local governmental institutions improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities through ICTs?
  • How are stakeholders working together to ensure the digital inclusion of persons with disabilities for social and economic development?
  • How have available ICT tools and applications proven to be useful for persons with disabilities?
  • How do technologies and practices designed for persons with disabilities benefit everyone?
  • What are the main areas of policy interventions for promoting wider access to education for disabled persons through ICTs?
  • What are the possibilities of increasing access of disabled persons to education and life-long learning by means of ICTs? National approaches and best practices.
  • How can effective inter-disciplinary working between professionals working in the different sectors involved in ICTs in education for lifelong learning be effectively co-ordinated?
  • What are the implications for quantitative and qualitative data collection and what could be the key indicators that will act as signposts for tracking progress in the use of ICT in education for people with disabilities?
  • What are the major challenges and requirements to make the Internet accessible for persons with disabilities?
  • How can digital office documents (which continue to be one of most common forms of digital communication) be made accessible for persons with disabilities?
  • How can emerging cloud-based infrastructures and the ability to personalize applications and content be used to enable digital inclusion and address barriers of physical, sensory and cognitive access to online systems?

Meeting documents

Useful Weblinks

Back to top