Innovative approaches from mobile hardware and applications
developers as well as operators are helping connect the estimated 15 per cent
of the global population that lives with some form of disability to the power
of information and communication technology (ICT), a latest study says.
A joint report released last week by the
International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and civil society partner the
Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs (G3ict) on the occasion of the United
Nations Conference on States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities, in New York, USA reveals a surge of interest in an as-yet
untapped market, with new accessibility applications now being launched almost
daily, offering unprecedented ways to empower persons with disabilities to
communicate, access information and control their environment.
The report entitled ‘Making Mobile Phones and Services
Accessible for Persons with Disabilities’ observed that senior citizens, people
living with disabilities and the illiterate are often marginalised from the
‘mobile miracle’ however, because devices are not equipped with the right kind
of accessibility features, or because the price of accessible mobile phones and
services is out of reach.
That’s now changing, with a host of exciting options coming
onto the market. ‘New screen readers can make mobile phones easily usable for
the blind, those with low vision and the illiterate. “Visual or vibrating
alerts, relay services and hearing aid compatibility devices are making mobile
phones accessible for the deaf and hard of hearing, while features such as
voice recognition and auto text are proving a boon to those with physical
disabilities,” the report read.
Examples of pioneering solutions
highlighted in the report include special text-only billing plans for the deaf
and hard-of hearing so that subscribers pay only for messaging and data; a new
SMS-to-Avatar translation system being developed by the University of Tunis
which converts typed text into real-time, online interpretation in sign
language with the help of a dictionary of words and signs; and new GPS-based
devices and services that help blind and partially sighted people navigate
streets using an interface that announces the nearest points of interest and
the user’s current location, with links to Braille readers over Bluetooth, the
report noted.
‘Digital accessibility’ is a relatively untapped market
segment that offers potentially lucrative commercial opportunities for mobile
service providers, manufacturers and smart phone application developers while
ensuring the digital inclusion of persons with disabilities.
The report said a handful of leading mobile operators from
around the world were already successfully addressing the needs of seniors and
persons with disabilities, demonstrating the business case for promoting mobile
accessibility.
Unfortunately, the report noted, not all mobile operators
and manufacturers were following suit, and affordability remained a major
issue, especially for smart phone solutions and for subscribers in developing
markets. ‘ITU encourages all Member States to implement regulatory and policy
measures to promote access and ensure the accessibility needs of all people are
met.
‘This is especially timely given the
widespread adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities which requires ICT accessibility of all its signatories, most of
which are also ITU Member States,” said
Dr Hamadoun Toure, ITU Secretary-General. He said there were already six
billion mobile cellular telephone subscriptions globally.
By 2013, ITU estimates that there will be more mobile
cellular telephone subscriptions than human beings on the planet. But while
some people are hyper-connected, others are yet to be reached.
The report also includes a checklist for policy makers which
includes steps such as developing a roadmap with operators, supported by
organizations of persons with disabilities, to identify and address mobile
phone accessibility gaps; facilitating or holding capacity building programmes
with mobile operators on disability awareness and ways to reach out and serve
persons with disabilities; and identifying areas for which Universal
Service/Access Funds may intervene to equalize access for users with disabilities.
Times of Rwanda