Dr Gerald CraddockCentre for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD)

National Disability Authority (NDA)DublinIreland

www.universaldesign.ie

University of PittsburghAccessibility in the Context of the United Nations

Convention on the Rights of Persons with DisabilitiesTransatlantic Perspective

June 12-13 2009

"Measuring Progress of eAccessibility in Europe" (known as the 'MeAC' study).

The study commissioned by the European Commission in 2006 as a follow-up to the eAccessibility Communication of 2005

The aim

To provide an evidence-base to support the future development of EU policy in the eAccessibility field.  The full report including annexes is available at: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/einclusion/index_en.htm

MeAC Reports 07,08Major data gathering programme was implemented to compile the necessary information for this purpose, including:          1) survey of the policy situation in relation to eAccessibility in each of the

Member States and in selected comparison countries (Australia, Canada, United States)          2)measurement of the status of eAccessibility in each of

these countries on a common set of selected key Indicators          3) surveys of key stakeholders (ICT industry, user

organisations, and public procurement officials).

Dataset the largest and most representative information on the eAccessibility field in Europe and internationally that has been available

anywhere in the world to date –Benchmarking eAccessibility!!!!!!

The spectrum of relevant ICT technologies and services

MeAC Report Nov 08

MeAC Report

• Results not good: Surprise!!!!– eAccessibility “Deficit”– eAccessibility “Gap”– eAccessibility “Patchwork”

Image courtesy: Raph de Rooij - web interface quality specialist, www.webguidelines.nl

Examples of Deficit in Europe on eAccessibility

Text relay services (essential for deaf and speech impaired people) are only available in one-half of the Member States; emergency services are directly accessible by text telephone in only seven Member States

Mobile operators in only seven Member States provide dedicated information for customers with disabilities on their websites

On average, less than one-third of national language broadcasts of main public broadcasters in Europe were provided with subtitling (for deaf people) in 2006; there is wide variability (from 95% to none) in the amount of subtitling across individual countries

key government web sites in the Member States meet the accepted minimum international standards on accessibility (12,5% passed automated testing and only 5,3% passed both automatic and manual examination)

• key commercial/sectoral web sites (e.g. railways, TV, newspapers, retail banking) providing this minimum level of accessibility is even lower (only 3,9% passed automated testing while not a single site passed both automatic and manual testing)

Implementation “GAP” – Europe - CA, Aus, USA

The eAccessibility Status Gap - overall and selected eAccessibility themes

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5

Overall

eAccessibility info by main telephone operators

24h/7d availability of text relay service

Share of public broadcasts with subtitles

Share of commercial broadcasts with subtitles

eAccessibility info by computer/software providers

Basic accessibility of governmental websites

Basic accessibility of private/sectoral websites

Deployment of talking ATMs by main retail banks

Status scoreEU25 US, CA, AU

The Policy “GAP” – Between Europe and Canada, USA and Australia

Pathwork across all Countries – White Spaces = No Implementation/Policy

Ireland policy

Policy and Implemtation Impact Ireland

Progress of eAccessibility in Ireland

Overall eAccessibility Policy Scores

Ireland ScoreOverall eAccessibility Policy Scores

The eAccessibility Implementation 'Gap'

Ireland

Why Ireland????

BC

Strategy For Equality 95

• People with Disabilities came up with 402 Recommendations:- All Sectors

• Key: Disability Defined within a Social Model

• Legislation introduced would be “rights based”

• Independent Assessment of Need

Equality Legislation • The Employment Equality Act 1998• National Disability Authority Act 1999• The Equal Status Act 2000• The Equality Act 2004• The Education for Persons with Special

Educational Needs Act 2004• The Citizens Information Act 2004.• The Disability Act 2005• The Citzens Information Act 2006 -Advocacy

Equality ActsLegislation

• Illegal to discriminate against worker or job applicant with disability

• Discrimination is in context of worker being able to do core job

• Employer must reasonably accommodate disability – if cost not disproportionate

• Premises serving the public must be accessible – if cost of doing so is nominal

Equality -Infastructure

• Equality Authority 99

• Equality Tribunal 99

• National Disability Authority 2000

• National Council for Special Education 05

National Disability Strategy 06-16sets the Agenda for Change

• Disability Act 05

• Education of Persons with Special Needs Act 06

• 6 Sectoral Plans

• Multi-annual funding for high support needs

• Citizen Information Bill re advocacy

• Equality Acts as foundation

• Overseen by interdepartmental Senior Officials Group chaired by D/Taoiseach -Champion

• Cabinet Committee on Social Inclusion

Six Sectoral PlansGovernment Departments

• Dept of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, - Comreg (Communications Regulator), – BCI (Broadcasting Commission of Ireland)

• Dept of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, – BRAB – Building Regulations Advisory Board

• Dept of Transport. – (National Transport Authority)

• Dept of Enterprise, Trade and Employment,

• Dept of Health and Children,

• Dept of Social and Family Affairs,

Accessible public servicesPart 3 Disability Act

Public bodies must

• Ensure people with disabilities can use mainstream public services

• Provide information in ways that suit the needs of people with disabilities (e.g. large print, Easy to Read)

• Buy in accessible goods and services

• By 2015, have accessible premises

• All “where practicable and appropriate”

• NDA Code of Practice on services, information, procurement Gov/Public Bodies Only – Regulatory Instrument

Accessibility

• UN Convention – Art. 9

• Accessible premises, information

• Access to private sector public venues

• Co. of Europe

• Barrier-free built environment

• Universal Design

• Nat. Disability Strategy

• Public service obligations for accessible services, premises, information, public procurement

• Accessibility programme by local authorities under Environment Sectoral Plan

Universal Design

• UN Convention Art. 4

• to promote universal design in the development of standards and guidelines

• Co of Europe 6

• Guidelines, standards, training of professions

• Disability Act 2005• Centre of Excellence

in Universal Design– Develop and promote

standards– Education of design

professions– Work with professional

bodies

Correlation between national level accessibility-related policies and achieved accessibility (EU25, USA, CA, AU)

Centre for Excellence in Universal Design CEUD IT Guidelines

• 5 technology areas

– Web

– Public access terminals

– Application Software

– Telecoms

– Smart Card Systems

IT Procurement ToolkitPractical advice on procurement:

•Writing an Request for Tender document (RFT)•Assessing candidates and tenders•Evaluating deliverables

eg – sample text to insert into RFT

Digital Accessibility Toolkit for Policy Digital Accessibility Toolkit for Policy MakersMakers(G3ICT)(G3ICT)

Standards

Past:Standards = minimum requirements

Today:

Standards = support & catalyst for Innovation

Innovation and standards development

• European Commission paper –

“Towards an increased contribution from standardisation to innovation in Europe”

• Stronger role for standardisation in support of innovation Enables Europe to address

economic,environment & social challenges.

• Can be a tool to disseminate new knowledge innovation and technology

EU Mandates 376 and 420 – Phases 1 completed by CEN – testing & Comformance ETSI – Human Factors

Defining Innovation

“Something new that will be adopted by customers”

Michael Schrage (MIT)

Main Reason for non-adoption

Failure to fully understand customer needs

Universal Design curriculum for Continious Professional Development

(CPD)

• European Committee for Standardization (CEN) provides a platform for the development of European Standards and other technical specifications. A CEN Workshop Agreement is a consensus-based specification, drawn up in an open Workshop environment.

• goal to specify and recommend a curriculum for training IT and web professionals in how to apply a Universal Design approach.

• Launch 27 May, 2009 Brussels

Solution???

eAccessibility is more than a technical Solution!!!Image courtesy: Raph de Rooij - web interface quality specialist, www.webguidelines.nl

Going Forward

• Increase Collaboration Transatlantic – Regulation/Directives/Standards

– ITU, UN globally

• New Champions• Education – integrated into Courses at all Levels• Universal Design – Not as a Marketing tool but as

a Process that Includes all and is Good Design – brings more people to the party – older people, gender, eithnic minorities etc

:

The contribution of Assistive Technology and Design for All towards inclusion;

•The need for standardization (formal, informal and de facto);

•Cultural aspects: e.g. acceptance of different approaches, designs and aesthetics of AT devices and inclusive living environments

•Social aspects: penetration of AT and integrated approaches, the role of Europe in building up inclusion competence in emerging and developing countries, etc.;

 

10th International Conference of the Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe (AAATE)

Inclusion between past and future AT from adapted equipment to inclusive ‐ environments

August 31 – September 2, 2009, Florence, Italy

“The difference principle”

Institutions to be structured with a built-in bias in

favour of the disadvantaged (Rawls, 1971)

As international communication and travel increase, it will become increasingly difficult to justify

national or regional differences in accessibility criteria ... the marketplace is demanding accessibility at a rate that is outstripping accessibility standards.

John P.S. Salmen, Universal Designers and Consultants