Good morning, good afternoon, good evening wherever you happen to be and thank you for joining us.
Let me begin by thanking all our partners for their continuous support and advice in organizing this track, and especially our panelists for joining us today and Morten for moderating the session.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, people around the world have relied more than ever before on ICTs to keep in touch with loved ones, be advise on health measures, continue their work or studies. However, this is providing they have access, and the skills and ability to make use of the connection. As we know almost half the world’s population is unconnected but also there are particular challenges for people with disabilities. According to WHO, over a billion people are living with some form of disability and are at risk of being excluded from the accelerated digital transformation that has been taking place this past year.
ITU, as the UN specialized agency ICTs, recognizes that the principles of universal design, affordability and equal opportunity to access ICTs and assistive technologies are key to building inclusive societies.
ITU pioneered work on standards for persons with disabilities in the 1990s and adopted the first international text telephone standard: Recommendation ITU-T V.18 in 1994.
My first World Telecommunication Standards Assembly as TSB Director in 2008 was a major step forward in mainstreaming accessibility in ITU. The conference adopted the first ITU Resolution on accessibility Resolution 70 which recognises the importance of the work on accessibility and mandated ITU to document best practice, review its services and facilities for accessibility, and to work on programmes to progress accessibility in developing countries.
Recognising that standards have an enormously important role to play in making ICTs more accessible, the Resolution required the development of an ‘Accessibility Checklist’ to ensure that all new ITU standards incorporate the needs of people with disabilities. The Resolution also called on ITU to work collaboratively and cooperatively with other organizations and entities to avoid duplication and pool our resources and I am pleased we are joined by some of those representatives today.
Some of our more recent examples of ITU’s standards on accessibility cover areas such as:
an audio-based indoor and outdoor network navigation system for persons with vision impairment: ITU-T F.921; Accessibility in IPTV systems: ITU-T H.702; and, Safe listening guidelines and standards which support WHO’s “Make Listening Safe” initiative.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, ITU has addressed the needs of those with disabilities or specific needs by taking a number of measures, including updating our online resources and developing guidelines for decision makers and communicators on how to make digital information and services accessible to all people, regardless of disability. These guidelines are available in all UN official languages and 22 other languages. We also released online training which is available for free through the ITU Academy in English, French and Spanish.
ITU’s ultimate objective is universal connectivity, and for this we need to ensure that persons with disabilities and specific needs can fully access ICTs, not only as users but also as producers and developers.
This special track will provide information on how ICTs can better help people live with disabilities, and how we can reduce the accessibility barriers constraining digital connectivity. All week long, we will hear from speakers across a range of different sectors and stakeholders. We will discuss efforts to leverage ICTs to assist people with blindness and vision impairment, consider the importance of educator training and inclusive universal design, and have an inside look at how startups and firms are designing emerging assistive technologies to help persons with disabilities.
From academia and international organizations to civil society and the private sector, the participation of all stakeholders will be crucial in the fight for digital inclusivity. We are very grateful for the expertise and breadth of personal and professional experience with us today.
I encourage participants to suggest concrete outcomes, collaborations and partnerships that can have a positive impact on digital connectivity, inclusion and access for persons with disabilities and specific needs.
I wish you a very success discussion.
Thank you.