Transcript Document

Dr Gerald Craddock
Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD)
National Disability Authority (NDA)
Dublin
Ireland
www.universaldesign.ie
University of Pittsburgh
Accessibility in the Context of the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Transatlantic Perspective
June 12-13 2009
"Measuring Progress of eAccessibility in Europe"
(known as the 'MeAC' study).
The study commissioned by the European Commission in 2006 as
a follow-up to the eAccessibility Communication of 2005
The aim
To provide an evidence-base to support the future development of EU policy in
the eAccessibility field.
The full report including annexes is available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/einclusion/index_en.htm
MeAC Reports 07,08
Major data gathering programme was implemented to compile the necessary
information for this purpose, including:

1) survey of the policy situation in relation to eAccessibility in each of the
Member States and in selected comparison countries (Australia,
Canada, United States)

2)measurement of the status of eAccessibility in each of
these countries on a common set of selected key Indicators

3) surveys of key stakeholders (ICT industry, user
organisations, and public procurement officials).
Dataset the largest and most representative information on the
eAccessibility field in Europe and internationally that has been available
anywhere in the world to date –Benchmarking
eAccessibility!!!!!!
The spectrum of relevant ICT technologies and services
MeAC Report Nov 08
MeAC Report
• Results not good: Surprise!!!!
– eAccessibility “Deficit”
– eAccessibility “Gap”
– eAccessibility “Patchwork”
Image courtesy: Raph de Rooij - web interface quality specialist,
www.webguidelines.nl
Examples of Deficit in Europe on
eAccessibility
 Text relay services (essential for deaf and speech impaired people) are only
available in one-half of the Member States; emergency services are directly
accessible by text telephone in only seven Member States
 Mobile operators in only seven Member States provide dedicated information
for customers with disabilities on their websites
 On average, less than one-third of national language broadcasts of main
public broadcasters in Europe were provided with subtitling (for deaf people)
in 2006; there is wide variability (from 95% to none) in the amount of subtitling
across individual countries
 key government web sites in the Member States meet the accepted
minimum international standards on accessibility (12,5% passed automated
testing and only 5,3% passed both automatic and manual examination)
• key commercial/sectoral web sites (e.g. railways, TV, newspapers, retail
banking) providing this minimum level of accessibility is even lower (only 3,9%
passed automated testing while not a single site passed both automatic and
manual testing)
Implementation “GAP” – Europe
- CA, Aus, USA
The e Ac c e ssibility S ta tus G a p - ove ra ll a nd se le c te d e Ac c e ssibility the me s
Overall
eAccessibility info by main telephone operators
24h/7d availability of text relay service
Share of public broadcasts with subtitles
Share of commercial broadcasts with subtitles
eAccessibility info by computer/software providers
Basic accessibility of governmental websites
Basic accessibility of private/sectoral websites
Deployment of talking ATMs by main retail banks
0
EU25
US, CA, AU
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Status score
3.5
4
4.5
5
The Policy “GAP” – Between Europe and
Canada, USA and Australia
Pathwork across all Countries – White Spaces = No
Implementation/Policy
Ireland policy
Progress of eAccessibility in Ireland
Policy and Implemtation Impact
Ireland
Overall eAccessibility Policy
Scores
Overall eAccessibility Policy Scores
Ireland Score
The eAccessibility Implementation 'Gap'
Ireland
Why Ireland????
BC
Strategy For Equality 95
• People with Disabilities came up with 402
Recommendations:- All Sectors
• Key: Disability Defined within a Social
Model
• Legislation introduced would be “rights
based”
• Independent Assessment of Need
Equality Legislation
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The Employment Equality Act 1998
National Disability Authority Act 1999
The Equal Status Act 2000
The Equality Act 2004
The Education for Persons with Special
Educational Needs Act 2004
• The Citizens Information Act 2004.
• The Disability Act 2005
• The Citzens Information Act 2006 -Advocacy
Equality Acts
Legislation
• Illegal to discriminate against worker or job
applicant with disability
• Discrimination is in context of worker being able
to do core job
• Employer must reasonably accommodate
disability – if cost not disproportionate
• Premises serving the public must be accessible – if
cost of doing so is nominal
Equality -Infastructure
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Equality Authority 99
Equality Tribunal 99
National Disability Authority 2000
National Council for Special Education 05
National Disability Strategy 06-16
sets the Agenda for Change
• Disability Act 05
• Education of Persons with Special Needs Act 06
• 6 Sectoral Plans
• Multi-annual funding for high support needs
• Citizen Information Bill re advocacy
• Equality Acts as foundation
• Overseen by interdepartmental Senior Officials Group
chaired by D/Taoiseach -Champion
• Cabinet Committee on Social Inclusion
Six Sectoral Plans
Government Departments
• Dept of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Comreg (Communications Regulator),
– BCI (Broadcasting Commission of Ireland)
• Dept of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government,
– BRAB – Building Regulations Advisory Board
• Dept of Transport.
– (National Transport Authority)
•
Dept of Enterprise, Trade and Employment,
•
Dept of Health and Children,
•
Dept of Social and Family Affairs,
Accessible public services
Part 3 Disability Act
Public bodies must
• Ensure people with disabilities can use mainstream public
services
• Provide information in ways that suit the needs of people
with disabilities (e.g. large print, Easy to Read)
• Buy in accessible goods and services
• By 2015, have accessible premises
• All “where practicable and appropriate”
• NDA Code of Practice on services, information,
procurement Gov/Public Bodies Only – Regulatory
Instrument
Accessibility
• UN Convention – Art. 9
• Nat. Disability Strategy
• Accessible premises,
information
• Public service obligations
for accessible services,
premises, information,
public procurement
• Access to private sector
public venues
• Co. of Europe
• Barrier-free built
environment
• Universal Design
• Accessibility programme
by local authorities under
Environment Sectoral Plan
Universal Design
• UN Convention Art. 4
• to promote universal
design in the development
of standards and
guidelines
• Co of Europe 6
• Guidelines, standards,
training of professions
• Disability Act 2005
• Centre of Excellence
in Universal Design
– Develop and promote
standards
– Education of design
professions
– Work with professional
bodies
Correlation between national level accessibility-related
policies and achieved accessibility (EU25, USA, CA, AU)
Centre for Excellence in Universal Design CEUD
IT Guidelines
• 5 technology areas
– Web
– Public access terminals
– Application Software
– Telecoms
– Smart Card Systems
IT Procurement Toolkit
Practical advice on procurement:
•Writing an Request for Tender document
(RFT)
•Assessing candidates and tenders
•Evaluating deliverables
eg – sample text to insert into RFT
Digital Accessibility Toolkit for Policy
Makers
(G3ICT)
Standards
Past:
Standards = minimum requirements
Today:
Standards = support & catalyst for Innovation
Innovation and standards development
• European Commission paper –
“Towards
an increased contribution from standardisation to
innovation in Europe”
• Stronger role for standardisation in support of innovation
Enables Europe to address
economic,
environment
& social challenges.
• Can be a tool to disseminate new knowledge innovation and technology
EU Mandates 376 and 420 – Phases 1 completed by
CEN – testing & Comformance
ETSI – Human Factors
Defining Innovation
“Something new that will be adopted by
customers”
Michael Schrage (MIT)
Main Reason for non-adoption
Failure to fully understand customer
needs
Universal Design curriculum for
Continious Professional Development
(CPD)
• European Committee for Standardization (CEN) provides
a platform for the development of European Standards and
other technical specifications. A CEN Workshop
Agreement is a consensus-based specification, drawn up
in an open Workshop environment.
• goal to specify and recommend a curriculum for training
IT and web professionals in how to apply a Universal
Design approach.
• Launch 27 May, 2009 Brussels
Solution???
eAccessibility is more than a technical Solution!!!
Image courtesy: Raph de Rooij - web interface quality specialist,
www.webguidelines.nl
Going Forward
• Increase Collaboration Transatlantic
– Regulation/Directives/Standards
– ITU, UN globally
• New Champions
• Education – integrated into Courses at all Levels
• Universal Design – Not as a Marketing tool but as
a Process that Includes all and is Good Design –
brings more people to the party – older people,
gender, eithnic minorities etc
10th International Conference of the Association for the Advancement of Assi
stive Technology in Europe (AAATE)
Inclusion between past and future ‐ AT from adapted equipment to inclusive
environments
August 31 – September 2, 2009, Florence, Italy
:
The contribution of Assistive Technology and Design for All towards
inclusion;
•The need for standardization (formal, informal and de facto);
•Cultural aspects: e.g. acceptance of different approaches, designs
and aesthetics of AT devices and inclusive living environments
•Social aspects: penetration of AT and integrated approaches, the role
of Europe in building up inclusion competence in emerging and
developing countries, etc.;
“The difference principle”
Institutions to be structured with a built-in bias in
favour of the disadvantaged
(Rawls, 1971)
As international communication and travel increase,
it will become increasingly difficult to justify
national or regional differences in accessibility
criteria ... the marketplace is demanding accessibility
at a rate that is outstripping accessibility standards.
John P.S. Salmen, Universal Designers and
Consultants