1. By Axel Leblois Executive Director, G3ict July 20, 2009
The Accessibility Imperative: Global Opportunities for the Information and Communication Technology Industry
By Axel Leblois
Executive Director, G3ict
July 20, 2009
BILL & ARTHUR

2. “To Facilitate the Implementation of the Digital Accessibility Agenda Defined by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”
A Flagship Advocacy Initiative of the
Global Alliance for ICT and Development
AXEL

3. The G3ict Initiative is made
possible thanks to the generous support of the following organizations:
PLATINUM SPONSORS
PUBLICATIONS SPONSORS
CO-HOSTS
G3ict Mission
“To Facilitate the Implementation of the Digital Accessibility Agenda Defined by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”
A Flagship Advocacy Initiative of the
Global Alliance for ICT and Development
BILL, ARTHUR, AXEL & ASSEMBLED PARTICIPANTS
Georgia: A Hub for Digital Accessibility Innovation
Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 1 October 2008 3 3

4. Agenda Disability and ICTs Demographics at a Crossroad
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: a Global Blueprint for ICT Accessibility
Corporations on the Move: Looking at ICT Accessibility as a Market Opportunity
5 – 10 Years Ahead: Opportunities which May Disrupt the ICT Accessibility Paradigm

5. Demographics
10% of the World Population lives with life long disabilities: vision, hearing, mobility, cognitive
650,000,000 persons
18% if temporary or age related disabilities are included
2 billion persons are involved including relatives and care takers
2/3 of which live in developing countries

6. 2005 US Census Results Persons with disabilities in the United States:
54.4 million persons, 19% of population, on the rise from previous census
35 million or 12% with a severe disability
69% of those age 21 to 64 with a severe disability are unemployed
30% of US families have a member with disabilities

7. More US Census Results Among people 15 and older:
7.8 million (3%) had difficulty hearing a normal conversation, including 1 million being unable to hear at all. 4.3 million people reported using a hearing aid.
3.3 million people, or 1%, age 15 and older used a wheelchair or similar device, with 10.2 million, or 4%, using a cane, crutches or walker.
7.8 million people had difficulty seeing words or letters in ordinary newspaper print, including 1.8 million being completely unable to see.
More than 16 million people had difficulty with cognitive, mental or emotional functioning.

8. Global Comparison: South Africa Speech - Voice Language
Categories
Degree
Confirmed Impairment
Visual
Visual impairment
1.40%
Blindness
0.64%
Partially Sighted
0.76%
Speech - Voice Language
Moderate
4.0 to 6.0%
Severe
.80 to 1.0%
Hearing
Mild hard of hearing
6.0%
Moderate-extremely hard of hearing
3.0%
Severe – profoundly deaf
1.0%
Motor
Dexterity
2.6%
Walking difficulty
0.90%
Inability to walk
0.20%
Source: Ministry of Health, South Africa
21.30% to 23.50%

9. The Impact of Aging Demographics
By 2025, 20% of the population of OECD countries will be over 65
In the United States:
Among 65 and older: 52%, have a disability and 37% a severe disability.
Among 80 and older: 71%, including 56% having a severe disability.

10. The Pervasive Impact of ICTs on All Aspects of Life
A Massive Increase in ICT usage:
900 million personal computers
1.6 + billion Internet users (incl. shared / mobile access)
1.4 billion telephone land lines
1.5 billion TV sets and 2.4 billion radios
4 billion cell phones, over 2 billion text messaging users
Major impact of ICT accessibility on education, employment and social and cultural opportunities
AXEL 10

11. The ICT Accessibility Gap
Would any architect today think about designing a public building without taking into account accessibility features?
Yet, everyday, ICT products and services are designed and launched with no consideration for accessibility features such as:
inaccessible web sites
Inaccessible phones
inaccessible kiosks
Raising considerable Human Rights, ethical, legal, social and economic issues

12. Questions addressed by the Convention for ICT:
The Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: A Global Blueprint for ICT Accessibility
Questions addressed by the Convention for ICT:
How to ensure that barriers are not created by Information and Communication Technologies?
How to better use ICT based assistive solutions for persons with disabilities?
Georgia: A Hub for Digital Accessibility Innovation
Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 1 October 2008

13. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Considerable momentum around the world: 139 signatures, 58 ratifications in two years, covering 70% of the world population
Will cause local rules, programs and policies similar to the ADA to be adopted around the world over the next 2 to 5 years
Digital Accessibility is an important and carefully negotiated component of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
New Administration in the United States committed to sign and ratify it
AXEL 13

14. ICT Accessibility Elevated to a Fundamental Right
« To enable persons with disabilities to live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life, States Parties shall take appropriate measures to ensure to persons with disabilities access, on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, to transportation, to information and communications, including information and communications technologies and systems... » (Article 9)
AXEL 14

15. Specific ICT Accessibility and Assistive Technologies Dispositions
Application Areas
Accessibility Mandates
Facilitating Assistive Technologies
E-Government ü
Employment
Education
Media & Internet
Consumer Services
Freedom of Expression
Emergency Response
Personal Mobility
Independent Living
Culture & Leisure
AXEL 15

16. Private Sector Services Accessibility
“The state must insure that private entities that offer facilities and services to the public take into account the accessibility of those services” (Art. 9)
(Also mentioned in Art. 21)

17. Important Dispositions for the Future of Accessible Product Development
States must promote R&D in ICT accessibility and assistive solutions
ICT Products Development and U.D.
Reasonable accommodation defined and mandated
Obligation for States to set accessibility standards
Intellectual property rights

18. 1 - Promoting Accessible and Assistive Technologies R&D
State Parties...undertake or promote research and development of, and to promote the availability and use of new technologies, including information and communications technologies, mobility aids, devices and assistive technologies, suitable for persons with disabilities, giving priority to technologies at an affordable cost (Article 4 – g)

19. 2 - ICT Product Development
Early Stage Accessibility Definitions:
“Promote the design, development, production and distribution of accessible information and communications technologies and systems at an early stage, so that these technologies and systems become accessible at minimum cost” (Art. 9)
Universal Design:
“To undertake or promote research and development of universally designed goods, services, equipment and facilities, as defined in article 2 of the present Convention, which should require the minimum possible adaptation and the least cost to meet the specific needs of a person with disabilities, to promote their availability and use, and to promote universal design in the development of standards and guidelines” (Art. 4)
AXEL 19

20. 3 - Reasonable Accommodation Defined and Mandated
“Reasonable accommodation” means necessary and appropriate modification and adjustments not imposing a disproportionate or undue burden, where needed in a particular case, to ensure to persons with disabilities the enjoyment or exercise on an equal basis with others of all human rights and fundamental freedoms (article 2)
General obligation in article 3, referenced in articles on education and employment

21. 4 - Standards
« States Parties shall take…appropriate measures to develop, promulgate and monitor the implementation of minimum standards and guidelines for the accessibility of facilities and services open or provided to the public »
Article 9-2 (a)

22. 5 - Intellectual Property Rights
“States Parties shall take all appropriate steps, in accordance with international law, to ensure that laws protecting intellectual property rights do not constitute an unreasonable or discriminatory barrier to access by persons with disabilities to cultural materials.” (Article 30 on Cultural life)

23. In Summary
The Convention incorporates effective policy elements from countries which have historically led policy and standardization initiatives for ICT Accessibility
It constitutes an excellent universal blueprint to foster global efforts and harmonization of ICT accessibility
Supporting standards for mass production, economies of scale, competition, interoperability and lower prices

24. What Can be Done to Make it Work?
Support policy makers implementing the Convention at national level (Resources, toolkit, benchmarks, capacity building)
Promote ICT accessibility standardization initiatives
Proactively pursue public-private partnerships for accessible ICT products
Focus on ICT Accessibility as a market opportunity, not as a threat

25. Corporations on the Move
IBM, Microsoft, AT&T, Nokia, CA…
Sears, GE, Intercontinental Hotels…

26. Persons with Disabilities in the United States:
Market Opportunity
Persons with Disabilities in the United States:
Aggregate income of over $1 Trillion
$220 Billion in disposable income
X 2 spending power of teens
High concentration of net worth among 60+in the US and OECD countries

27. Market Opportunity Market Data Points:
72% of people with disabilities are likely to upgrade to a product's latest model.
62% of people with disabilities say they are likely to do business with companies that have a commitment to diversity and equal treatment of employees.
73% of people with disabilities are heads of household.
People with disabilities spend $13.6 billion on 31.7 million trips each year
4 of 10 members of the traveling public are Americans with disabilities and their companions (2004)

28. Beyond PWDs: Those Likely to Benefit of Accessible Features
MGX 2006
7/29/2018 5:30 AM
Beyond PWDs: Those Likely to Benefit of Accessible Features
57% of computer users
(age in the US) are likely or very likely to benefit fro accessibility features
1 in 4 users experiences a visual difficulty.
1 in 4 experience pain in wrists or hands.
1 in 5 has a hearing difficulty.
Very likely
to benefit
17%
Likely
to benefit
40%
Not likely to benefit
43%
Study commissioned by Microsoft,
Conducted by Forrester Research
in 2003
© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
This presentation is for informational purposes only. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, in this summary.

29. Looking 5 to 10 Years Ahead: Opportunities
Product Development
Engineering Curriculum
Marketing Curriculum
Public-Private partnerships for R&D
Government Programs
Public Procurement
E-Government web sites accessibility
Subsidizing Assistive Technologies and services in Education
Subsidizing assistive technologies and services in the Workplace
Disruptive Technologies and Opportunities
Cell phones as universal platforms for assistive technologies
Universally designed social networking and collaborative environments
Open Source and Mass produced ICT accessibility devices in emerging economies

30. Funding Opportunities for R&D PPPs
Funding of projects should address key economic and social challenges:
Education
Workplace/employment
Independent living and health care
Develop solutions beyond individual ICT accessibility tools and address collaborative environments in a real world scalable context
Private sector needs to be involved alongside academic and civil society partners to maximize ROI on R&D and foster global replication of solutions
Georgia: A Hub for Digital Accessibility Innovation
Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 1 October 2008

31. Looking 5 to 10 Years Ahead: Opportunities
Product Development
Engineering Curriculum
Marketing Curriculum
Public-Private partnerships for R&D
Government Programs
Public Procurement
E-Government web sites accessibility
Subsidizing Assistive Technologies and services in Education
Subsidizing assistive technologies and services in the Workplace
Disruptive Technologies and Opportunities
Cell phones as universal platforms for assistive technologies
Universally designed social networking and collaborative environments
Open source and Mass produced ICT accessibility devices in emerging economies

32. Looking 5 to 10 Years Ahead: Opportunities
Product Development
Engineering Curriculum
Marketing Curriculum
Public-Private partnerships for R&D
Government Programs
Public Procurement
E-Government web sites accessibility
Subsidizing Assistive Technologies and services in Education
Subsidizing assistive technologies and services in the Workplace
Disruptive Technologies and Opportunities
Cell phones as universal platforms for assistive technologies
Universally designed social networking and collaborative environments
Open source and Mass produced ICT accessibility devices in emerging economies

34. The G3ict Initiative is made
possible thanks to the generous support of the following organizations:
PLATINUM SPONSORS
PUBLICATIONS SPONSORS
CO-HOSTS
Thank You
+1 (404)
BILL, ARTHUR, AXEL & ASSEMBLED PARTICIPANTS
Georgia: A Hub for Digital Accessibility Innovation
Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 1 October 2008 34 34