PUBLIC PROCUREMENT & ACCESSIBILITY Gunela Astbrink Australian IGF ambassador

What is public procurement? Government purchasing processes Government is large purchaser of goods and services including information and communication technology (ICT) such as: Phones Computers Public service terminals A range of software applications 2

Accessibility criteria in public procurement can: Provide more streamlined IT provision for persons with disability in the government workplace Have flow-on effects for greater availability and affordability of accessible ICT in the general community Government can influence market by setting purchasing criteria including accessibility 3

Examples of accessibility criteria Ability to use display for a person without sight Ability to use interface for a person without hearing Ability to use interface for a person with physical limitations Enabling seamless use of assistive technologies with common computer programs Preventing common computer programs from rendering inbuilt accessibility features defunct 4

Research project By University of Wollongong and GSA InfoComm Study and benchmarking of OECD countries and their use of accessibility criteria Detailed analysis of 6 case-studies: USA Japan European Commission Ireland UK Canada 5

Findings Majority of OECD countries include ICT accessibility criteria in public procurement law In this group, the great majority allow discretion in application of accessibility criteria when procuring ICTs Half have some reporting and compliance measures in place 6

USA is a model case Section 508 is an amendment of the Rehabilitation Act to enable US public servants with disabilities to use office equipment on an equitable basis to able-bodied peers Section 508 standards ie accessibility criteria for use by government agencies in their tender documents THIS IS MANDATORY Buy Accessible Wizard Together with anti-discrimination legislation, has had positive impact on companies (eg Apple & Microsoft) when designing mainstream products that are more accessible Section 508 guidelines have been “refreshed” 7

European Commission Mandate 376 for 3 European standards bodies to develop: Accessibility guidelines in line with Section 508 in USA Toolkit for suppliers European Accessibility legislation, if enacted, will make accessibility criteria in public procurement mandatory in European Union countries 8

Conclusion Research indicates that mandatory inclusion of accessibility criteria has the most impact Action on accessibility criteria in public procurement in European countries and USA should influence ICT accessibility internationally 9

Resources and further information Research report and advocacy toolkit: Further information: Gunela Astbrink – Will Tibben – This research was made possible through the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network’s Grants Scheme. Research funding was also supported by the Faculty of Informatics, University of Wollongong 10