Joint Coordination Activity on Accessibility and Human Factors (JCA-AHF)
The Joint Coordination Activity on Accessibility and Human Factors (JCA-AHF) was established in December 2007 with a mandate to increase awareness of accessibility in standards work and thereby increase the usability of ICTs for all. While its work focuses on the telecommunication standardization sector of ITU (ITU-T), the JCA-AHF has outreached to other ITU sectors as well as external standards development organizations.

ITU-T and Accessibility
Tools to assist standards makers:

• Telecommunications Accessibility Checklist:
  This checklist assists experts developing technical standards to ensure that they are taking into account the needs of those to whom accessibility to ICTs are restricted. The checklist is a tool which helps to ensure that accessibility needs are taken into account at an early stage of the standards development process, rather than ‘retrofitted’.
• ˝Telecommunications accessibility guidelines for older persons and persons with disabilities˝ - ITU-T Recommendation F.790
  This Recommendation gives guidance on understanding the topic of accessibility and the ways that accessibility may be incorporated in ICT products and services.

Resolution 70 “Telecommunication/information and communication technology accessibility for persons with disabilities”: the ITU-T milestone for Accessibility
In 2008 the highest level meeting of the Standardization Sector, the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-08) approved the first Resolution on accessibility. Resolution 70 mandates ITU-T to document best practices, review its services and facilities and to work with ITU’s Development sector (ITU-D) on programmes to progress accessibility in developing countries. It highlights compliance with the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities. A first step has been to produce an action plan for the ITU-T sector.

ITU-T and Internet Governance Forum (IGF)
The ITU-T initiated and sponsors the Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability (DCAD) by providing a website, secretariat support and a coordinator, so that persons with disabilities can actively and directly participate in IGF activities.


Past ITU workshops with the Internet Governance Forum organized by ITU/DCAD: 2009, Sharm El-Sheikh, 2008, Hyderabad, India, 2007, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Videos on Accessibility

Photos of ITU Accessibility Events

ITU and Accessibility
An overview of ITU activities in the field of accessibility.