Microsoft White Paper Book Cdr
# Inclusion of People with Disabilities through Information and Communication Technology – A White Paper Knowledge Partner Inclusion of People with Disabilities through Information and Communication Technolog y – A White Paper Introduction I nformation and Communication Technology (ICT) has revolutionized the world and is continuing to do so at a faster pace than ever before. It has become a part of our lives – be it daily news, appliances, phones, computers, etc. It is ubiquitous in cities and is increasingly being seen even in villages. It is changing the way we communicate, study, work, shop, pay bills, entertain ourselves, socialize, gather information, even access physical spaces and so on. The COVID 19 pandemic has further accelerated the use of information and communication technology in a major way. Technology is a great enabler and equalizer for persons with disabilities. Due to technology, there is now greater flexibility for people to work/study, attend conferences and trainings, seek medical advice, etc. online, from the comfort of their homes without any need for travelling or worrying about other physical barriers. However, technology can also exclude and become a barrier if it is not accessible or unavailable. For example, an app for a doctor's consultation which cannot be read by a screen reader makes it inaccessible to users with visual disabilities; unavailability of a sign language interpreter during an online class makes it impossible for deaf people to attend; and if one does not have a smartphone/computer/assistive technology, one is totally cut off. FICCI, an industry body, and DEOC, a social enterprise working in the area of disability inclusion, with the support of Microsoft, decided to develop a White Paper on the subject of accessibility of ICT. The paper focuses on the current scenario of technology accessibility, the work being done by the Government and private sector in the area and analyzes the progress and gaps present in order to come up with some recommendations for promoting accessibility of ICT for persons with disabilities. 5 years of Digital Bharat/Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, 1st July 2020 accessed at https://digitalindia.gov.in/ebook/5_years_of_Digital_India_Book.pdf on 15th July 2020. Role of Technology in the lives of People with Disabilities
As per the Report of '5 years of Digital Bharat/Aatmanirbhar Bharat' n India is the second largest market of smartphones in the world. n Smartphone users have increased from 22 crores in 2014 to 50+ crores in January 2020. n Mobile phone connections were 90 crores in 2014 and has increased to
n The number of internet users was 24.3 crores in June 2014 and has almost tripled to 68.8 crores in January 2020. Inclusion of People with Disabilities through Information and Communication Technology – A White Paper Inclusion of People with Disabilities through Information and Communication Technolog y – A White Paper Introduction I nformation and Communication Technology (ICT) has revolutionized the world and is continuing to do so at a faster pace than ever before. It has become a part of our lives – be it daily news, appliances, phones, computers, etc. It is ubiquitous in cities and is increasingly being seen even in villages. It is changing the way we communicate, study, work, shop, pay bills, entertain ourselves, socialize, gather information, even access physical spaces and so on. The COVID 19 pandemic has further accelerated the use of information and communication technology in a major way. Technology is a great enabler and equalizer for persons with disabilities. Due to technology, there is now greater flexibility for people to work/study, attend conferences and trainings, seek medical advice, etc. online, from the comfort of their homes without any need for travelling or worrying about other physical barriers. However, technology can also exclude and become a barrier if it is not accessible or unavailable. For example, an app for a doctor's consultation which cannot be read by a screen reader makes it inaccessible to users with visual disabilities; unavailability of a sign language interpreter during an online class makes it impossible for deaf people to attend; and if one does not have a smartphone/computer/assistive technology, one is totally cut off. FICCI, an industry body, and DEOC, a social enterprise working in the area of disability inclusion, with the support of Microsoft, decided to develop a White Paper on the subject of accessibility of ICT. The paper focuses on the current scenario of technology accessibility, the work being done by the Government and private sector in the area and analyzes the progress and gaps present in order to come up with some recommendations for promoting accessibility of ICT for persons with disabilities. 5 years of Digital Bharat/Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, 1st July 2020 accessed at https://digitalindia.gov.in/ebook/5_years_of_Digital_India_Book.pdf on 15th July 2020. Role of Technology in the lives of People with Disabilities
As per the Report of '5 years of Digital Bharat/Aatmanirbhar Bharat' n India is the second largest market of smartphones in the world. n Smartphone users have increased from 22 crores in 2014 to 50+ crores in January 2020. n Mobile phone connections were 90 crores in 2014 and has increased to
n The number of internet users was 24.3 crores in June 2014 and has almost tripled to 68.8 crores in January 2020. Inclusion of People with Disabilities through Information and Communication Technology – A White Paper Inclusion of People with Disabilities through Information and Communication Technolog y – A White Paper Inclusion of People with Disabilities through Information and Communication Technology – A White Paper There is no data as to how many people with disabilities have access to ICT in our country. However, there are many informal studies that indicate that most people with disabilities do not have access to technologies. In the context of people with disabilities, we could broadly classify ICT as mainstream or assistive. Mainstream ICT includes computer hardware and software, operating systems, web-based information and applications, audio-visual systems, information kiosks, etc. Assistive Technologies (AT) bridges the gap for people with disabilities so that they can access mainstream technology. Examples of ATs are screen readers, Braille Displays, augmentative communication devices, adapted keyboards etc. There are also examples of mainstream technologies that are accessible to people with disabilities by construction and therefore bypassing the need to use mediating assistive technologies. For example, some accessibility features, such as voice recognition are now part of mainstream technologies and are being used by people with and without disabilities. The convergence between ATs and mainstream technologies that are inclusive (i.e., technologies developed keeping in mind universal design principles) has had a huge impact on the availability and affordability of technologies for people with disabilities. ICTs are being used by people with different disabilities, including people with multiple disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy and Deaf-blindness, to live their life productively. The list of various technologies being used for education, employment and for independent living, which has been compiled from select NGOs and people with disabilities is given in Annexure 1. The list of technologies being used may seem impressive, but this is, however, the story of only a handful of people with disabilities in India who have managed to get access to these technologies. This list given in the Annexure should rather be seen as indicative of the potential that technology can offer for the larger community of people with disabilities who have been excluded so far. Some of the barriers faced by people with disabilities in accessing assistive technologies, as mentioned by respondent NGOs, are as follows.
countries. For example, a Braille Display costs about Rs. 2,00,000/-. The most accessible mobile phone costs somewhere between Rs. 30,000/- to 50,000/-. The additional imposition of 5% tax (GST) further adds to the burden of cost. (It is an established fact that the cost of living is higher for persons with disabilities.)
disabilities. There is also a lack of availability of ATs and the training that may be required for using them effectively. It is also seen that most DPOs and NGOs, particularly those who are working at the grassroots level, are not aware of ICTs or Ats.
available in Indian languages. The information on the web (including many Indian websites) is mostly in English which is also a problem particularly for people living in rural areas.
people with disabilities. These services are mostly non-existent, and even if available, they are scattered and piecemeal. The various gaps in the provision of ATs are listed below. a) Camps organized as part of the Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fitting of Aids and Appliances (ADIP) scheme are the most popular method to distribute assistive products. These camps distribute ATs in bulk where there is no possibility of assessment or training. They are not customised to individual needs. Many ATs received in camps are just not used and are usually abandoned as they are not found suitable to the individual and/or the environment they live in. b) There are some lists/directories available of various ATs on websites, but they do not have other, usually much more, useful information, such as how it works, the dealer's address, cost, user feedback, comparative analysis with other similar ATs, etc. Such information, even if present, is unfortunately not regularly updated. c) There are very few professionals in the country who can provide expert advice to persons with different disabilities on the most suitable technology to adopt by taking into account the individual's functioning, needs, preferences and context. d) There are problems related to the access to repair and maintenance which may be difficult to obtain as the concerned products are either not manufactured near the place of disbursement nor are there authorised repair and maintenance shops close by that can do what is necessary. e) There are not many initiatives focused on research and development in the area of ATs. There is also a chronic scarcity of funds to support research initiatives.
said that they do not have any AT programs, particularly those which are ICT based. Barriers for accessing technologies can be encountered at multiple levels. These exist in: 1) Accessing basic technologies such as computers, laptops, mobile phones, television, and so on. 2) Accessing Assistive Technologies (AT) such as screen readers, speech to text software and so on, that may be required to access the basic technologies mentioned above and the training required to use them effectively. 3) Accessing content. The software may have accessibility issues. For example, a CAPTCHA, when it is given only in visual text, is not readable by the screen reader and if a television programme does not have captions, it is rendered inaccessible to a person with hearing disability. Assistive Technology (AT) is an umbrella term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and also includes the process used in selecting, locating, and using them. (Source: Wikipedia accessed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assistive_technology on 25th June 2017). ATs could be wheelchairs, scooters, prosthetics, pill organisers, hearing aids, screen readers, etc. For this report, the ATs that we are focussing on are ICT based.
