and broadcasting through the use of digital information. It covers any products that will store, retrieve, manipulate, transmit and receive information electronically in a digital form. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) encompasses the broad fields of information and communications by means of computer and telecommunication tools are being increasingly used for information processing in all sectors of development. ICT is of course an enabling technology and we should not loose sight of this fact. If it is not properly planed, managed and implemented it might put us into social gaps or to the `Digital Divide'. People with disabilities in Bangladesh have already been lagging far behind the mainstream development as well as of our socio-economic and cultural activities. Hence, ICT can be a significant means of bridging this gap. It is strongly felt that none of us should be left out in isolation in this highly competitive, useful and exciting digital world. And this is why ICT accessibility is very important to all of us, especially, the people with disabilities. Persons with disabilities are an inevitable part of the society and more than 10 percent of our total population is comprised of them. And still they are considered as a burden and liability to the family as well as to the community. If we cannot integrate these large number disabled persons into the mainstream development of the nation our national development would be belated.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is one of the most important and vital field intervention through which the disabled persons could be successfully integrated into different faculties of development it can immensely benefit people with disability and community as well of the community. ICT is of course an enabling technology and we should not loose sight of this fact. It is strongly felt that none of us should be left out in isolation in this highly useful and challenging digital world. And this is why ICT accessibility has become important to all of us, especially, the people with disabilities. As we know persons with disabilities in Bangladesh have already been lagging far behind the mainstream development because of their disability as well as of our socio-economic and cultural realities. Hence, ICT can be a significant means of bridging this gap. ICT can be resembled as a magic stick to bringing our people with disabilities to leap-frog if utilized in a coordinated, planned and appropriate manner.
In order to create optimum ICT accessibility for our people with disabilities, a well-coordinated and collaborative effort is inevitable. Recognizing that access to information is a basic human right, United Nations Economic and Social Commission (UNESCAP) in the Asian and Pacific region convened a seminar in June, 2002 with an aim to draw, “Recommendations on Policy/Legislative Guidelines concerning Information and Communication Technology (ICT) accessibility for Persons with Disabilities in the Asian and Pacific Region.” 73 participants including 13 resource persons from Japan, Sweden, Thailand, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Philippines, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, Hong Kong and USA attended the seminar at different levels. I had my opportunity to participate the seminar as only representative from Bangladesh. To address the digital divide faced by persons with disabilities in the Asian and Pacific region and to promote the digital opportunities of persons with disabilities, the participants in the seminar have adopted a set of recommendations including the definitions of "Persons with Disabilities", "Information and Communication Technology (ICT) “and "Accessibility".
According to the recommendations "Persons with Disabilities" means the persons who have limited access to and usage of information and communications technology due to their visual, auditory, physical, cognitive/intellectual, neurological, psychiatric or other types of disabilities, "Information and Communication Technology" (ICT) means all digital as well as analog technology and services that supports human communication, creation, collection and dissemination of knowledge, and other activities for manipulation of information and, "Accessibility" means the measure or condition of things and services that can readily be reached or used (at the physical, visual, auditory and/or cognitive levels) by people including those with disabilities, which could be achieved through design and/or adaptation irrespective of any types of disabilities. The recommendations of the seminar have a clear bearing on the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action towards an Inclusive, Barrier-Free and Rights-Based Society for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific (2002 –2013).
A Complete Bangla version of BMF has been published and disseminated by Association for the Welfare of the Disabled People (AWDP) in Bangladesh (http://awdpbd.blogspot.com).
By resolution 58/4, Governments in the region defined the 7 priority policy areas of action, which, inter alia, includes access to information and communications, including information, communications and assistive technologies. The five targets set out in the Biwako Millennium Framework under the priority area ICTs are: § By 2005, persons with disabilities should have at least the same rate of access to the Internet and related services as the rest of the citizens in a country of the region. § International organizations (e.g. International Telecommunication Union, International Organization for Standardization, World Trade Organization, World Wide Web Consortium, Motion Picture Engineering Group) responsible for international ICT standards should, by 2004, incorporate accessibility standards for persons with disabilities in their international ICT standards.
§ Governments should adopt, by 2005, ICT accessibility guidelines for persons with disabilities in their national ICT policies and specifically include persons with disabilities as their target beneficiary group with appropriate measures.
§ Governments should develop and coordinate a standardized sign language, finger Braille, tactile sign language, in each country and to disseminate and teach the results through all means, i.e. publications, CD-ROMs, etc.
§ Governments should establish a system in each country to train and dispatch sign language interpreters, Braille transcribers, finger Braille interpreters, and human readers and encourage their employment. From an international perspective, the importance of information and communication technologies (ICT) for development has been considered at the highest level. For example, in the United Nations "Millennium Declaration" (General Assembly resolution 55/2), heads of State and Government resolved, "to ensure that the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communication technologies, in conformity with recommendations contained in the ECOSOC 2000 Ministerial Declaration, are available to all". As such, reference to people with disabilities does not feature in this resolution, though its text can be applied to interpret the right of equal access to people with disabilities. The UN Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with disabilities, 1993 is the first instrument that spells out in Rule 5, that “States should recognize the overall importance of accessibility in the process of the equalization of opportunities in all spheres of society. For persons with disabilities of any kind, States should (a) introduce programmes of action to make the physical environment accessible; and (b) undertake measures to provide access to information and communication.”
Many Governments have adopted policies in the light of the Standard Rules. The UNESCAP has defined Accessibility as “the measure or condition of things and services that can readily be reached or used (at the physical, visual, auditory and/or cognitive levels) by people including those with disabilities…” joint report (e-Inclusion) by the European Commission and the High Level Group on Employment and Social Dimension of the Information Society (ESDIS), people with disabilities are very specifically referred and it is stressed that no one is excluded from the knowledge-based society and new information and communication technologies, in particular, people with disabilities.
As ICT is a global issue and the technology is changing rapidly. Therefore it is very important for us to continue to watch on the recent development and we cannot keep us apart from international development of ICT as well as extending our efforts to adopt those technologies in the country context. As such, we should have a clear understanding on the existing scenario of ICT facilities, services and practices in the country through an ICT Accessibility Study or other means. All possible efforts should be taken to make optimum utilization of our existing resources, services and facilities as well as making our audience familiar with the in-built accessibility options, (i.e. using sticky keys, filter keys, mouse keys, display contrast) adaptation and modification features of the operating systems. Efforts should be taken to design, develop and distribution of accessible ICT products like transcriber, interface, software and assistive technology products.
We should introduce universal concepts and techniques for ICT Accessibility to all categories of disabled people like visually and physically challenged, hearing and speech impaired, intellectually disabled, autistic children and others. Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) can make a leap-frog in promoting education and learning materials for visually impaired people in Bangladesh.
In Bangladesh, books and education materials in DAISY format are getting increasing attention and interest of visually impaired students and people day by day. Unique, innovative and need oriented efforts should be taken to enhance accessibility of persons with disabilities to ICT and wider dissemination of such efforts and experiences. We should take supplementary, complementary and collaborative efforts within the ICT-related stakeholders and sectors. Efforts should be taken to make best use of the existing Policy guidelines and legislative support and tools. We have our national policy guidelines and legislation on ICT, we have national and international instruments and tools for people with disabilities where issues of the ICT accessibility have been emphasized. And, now, is the time to intervene.
As such, there is no alternative of simultaneous initiatives from the government, private sectors and the civil society sectors to bringing our vision into reality. Huge opportunities could be created for people with disabilities through the promotion of ICT accessibility for all. And ICT can play its role as a magic stick for enabling people with disabilities in Bangladesh as well as in this region.
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