G3ict publishes the second edition of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) Progress Report on ICT Accessibility, in cooperation with Disabled Peoples’ International
by Nilofar Anshar, online producer for the G3ict (the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies – an initiative of of United Nations)
More than 75% of ratifying countries report no or minimum levels of implementation of policies or programs promoting the accessibility of the information infrastructure
The 2012 CRPD Progress Report includes the latest data on 52 countries representing 77.4 percent of the World Population. The report offers disability advocates, governments, civil society and international organizations -- monitoring the progress of the implementation of the Convention by States Parties -- a unique benchmarking tool that collects data on country laws, policies, and programs pertaining to accessible and assistive Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) around the globe. All results are available cross-tabulated by region, level of income per capita of Human Development Index to facilitate benchmarking by advocates and policy makers.
The study indicates that significant deficits remain to set in place a foundation to promote ICT accessibility. For example:
- Only 36 percent of countries have a definition of accessibility which includes ICTs or electronic media in their laws of regulations compliant with the definition of accessibility in CRPD Article 9;
- While 71 percent of the countries have dispositions to consult persons with disabilities at large, only 16 percent have a mechanism to involve Disabled Persons Organizations (DPOs) in the design, implementation and evaluation of laws, policies and programs regarding ICT accessibility;
- Although 82 percent of the countries have a government body dedicated to persons with disabilities, and 62 percent have a government body solely dedicated to ICTs, only 31 percent of the countries have government funds allocated to programs in support of digital accessibility;
- Only 26.7 percent of States Parties mention having public procurement policies promoting accessible ICTs, meaning that the vast majority of States Parties continue to purchase equipment or services which may be inaccessible to persons with disabilities; and
- In relation to the above, only 35.6 percent provide services to the general public, including through the Internet, in accessible and usable formats for persons with disabilities.
You can download the PDF version of the report from this G3ict Recource Center Web page
Read the Press Release
Comments