Accessible digital content for the disabled - Future Gov | 22 March 2011

While we exploit technology and work on interoperability to share digital contents over multiple platforms, what we don’t realise is that we might inadvertently leave behind a group of individuals who may have difficulty accessing these digital content, said Chia Woon Yee, Director of Technology & Vocational Training at the Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD).


While countries aim for a knowledge workforce and government moves digital, individuals with visual impairment, physical disabilities, hearing impairment and learning disabilities may have been neglected. These people may not be able to interact with digital contents unless the contents are made accessible, explained Chia to FutureGov Asia Pacific.

“As more and more information is transferred electronically, making digital content accessible becomes a social responsibility, especially if the content is meant for the public,” she said.

Hence, SPD has made a formal advocacy appeal to the Government to reinstate a direction on accessible ICT and web accessibility in the Intelligent Nation 2015 (iN2015) Masterplan, and to take the lead by making all government and e-government portals conform the international standards of web accessibility by 2015.

Making digital content accessible is neither a difficult nor expensive task. “Most common software applications like Adobe PDF maker and Microsoft Office have built-in tools for making documents accessible,” said Chia.

While providing accessibility benefits people with disabilities who are deemed a minority group, Chia said that it should not be forgotten that these same accessible features are also useful for non-disabled people—such as older persons who are slower, people with low literacy, people who have low Internet bandwidth, and individuals accessing content through mobile devices.


The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) outlines the following four basic principles in making websites accessible:

Perceivable— Information and user interface components must be presentable to users such that they can perceive the presented information, i.e. it can’t be invisible to all their senses

Operable— Users must be able to operate interface components and navigate. The interface cannot require interaction that a user cannot perform

Understandable— Users must be able to understand the information as well as the operation of the user interface

Robust— Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies. Users must be able to access the content even as technologies advance

Reference: http://www.futuregov.asia/articles/2011/mar/22/accessible-digital-content-disabled/

Taiwan creates digital opportunities - Future Gov | 11 May 2011

The government’s efforts on providing internet access across the country over the years make the digital divide no longer a big challenge thus paving the way for the government to create more digital opportunities, Sung Yu-hsieh, Deputy Minister of Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (RDEC) told FutureGov Asia Pacific Magazine.


To promote internet usage in the country, RDEC has deployed 535 laptops to 16 public libraries and elementary schools around Taiwan including Chiayi, Nantou, Pintung, Yilan and Yunlin counties.

“It does not mean that people cannot afford computers,” says Sung.

“But the goal is that if your computer is broken or you are somewhere without bringing your computer, you can always go to the nearest library to borrow a laptop for your current information needs, ” he added.

The key objective is to make the people continuously connected to the government through the internet, he stressed.

The laptops that has been delivered carried 35 government-published e-books that could access National Taichung Library’s more than 10,000 catalogues. RDEC statistics reveal that 7,132 individuals used the service for an average rate of 89 per cent.


“Increased access to the Internet in these areas is raising the profile of e-government services and improving local residents’ computer skills,” said RDEC Minister Chu Chin-peng.


Chu said the initiative is also playing a vital role in reviving and improving the value of public libraries through dramatically increased visit numbers.


“The commission will continue working with other agencies to bridge the digital divide,” said Chu. Echoing the minister’s remarks, Chiayi County Magistrate Chang Hwa-kuan said a broad spectrum of residents, from school children to the elderly, are now seizing the opportunity to go online and experience the internet.


Reference: http://www.futuregov.asia/articles/2011/may/11/taiwan-creates-more-digital-opportunities/

Initiative aims to get disabled ‘Connected’ - Gulf Times - 8 December 2010

The Qatar Assistive Technology Centre (Mada) launched a new initiative yesterday in association with Vodafone and Qtel which will connect people with disabilities to information and communication technology (ICT).

Named ‘Connected’, the programme aims to provide nationwide accessibility to people with disabilities, while ensuring that those in the segment don’t have to pay more than others to use mobile telecommunications technology, officials said yesterday.

Over the next weeks, people with disabilities in Qatar will have access to a wide range of accessible and affordable services and products.

This includes assistive technology (AT) software and accessories, specialised handsets, website accessibility, and greater access to both Qtel and Vodafone Qatar stores.
 
Mada CEO Faleh al-Naemi said: “This is part of ongoing efforts by Mada and our industry partners to build an accessible ICT ecosystem in Qatar.”

Mada was launched through the combined initiative of ictQATAR (The Supreme Council of Information and Community Technology), Vodafone, Qtel, Qatar National Bank (QNB), and Microsoft, with a vision of ICT for all, and provides AT to people with disabilities.

Based on a vision of a world with information communication technology for all, Mada provides assistive technology solutions for people with disabilities.

The initiative has seen the coming together of Qtel and Vodafone, whose representatives along with al-Naemi signed agreements for the programme yesterday.

Qtel CEO Dr Nasser Marafih said: “Telecommunications transforms people’s lives, and that’s just how we see our broader mission at Qtel. Working with Mada, we are realising an important corporate goal of providing access for all, making the latest assistive communications technologies readily and easily accessible and affordable for people with disabilities throughout Qatar.”

According to him, Qtel’s own ‘Access for All’ straddles core elements of special discounts, special handsets and accessories, accessible branches, and a dedicated website.

Vodafone Qatar legal, regulatory & external relations director, Mathew Harrison-Harvey, said: “As Qatar aspires to build a fully connected society, Vodafone is proud to leverage its expertise through our partnership with Mada.

“It is part of our responsibilities to contribute by making communication more accessible for everyone.This includes handsets, tariffs and services that are specifically tailored to people with disabilities.”

Speaking to the media later, Dr Marafih said Mada’s innovative work can be copied throughout the region.
“We surely see this working in the markets we operate in,” he said. Harrison-Harvey also agreed while pointing out that Vodafone’s global outreach and expertise will be utilised to support the initiative.
 
Source:
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=403366&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16

Technology puts mind over body – Bangkok Post – 24 Nov 2010

Disabled people can communicate and operate electronic devices just with the power of thought

Quadriplegics face many obstacles, such as full or partial loss of movement and/or speech, but new technology called the Brain Computer Interface (BCI) could improve the quality of life for victims by responding to brain signals and enabling control of certain electrical devices.

The BCI response is becoming ever more realistic thanks to continuing work at the Brain Computer Interface Lab Department of Biomedical Engineering Principle Researcher, Center of Biomedical and Robotics Technology, Mahidol University.

Lab director Yodchanan Wongsawat, speaking after the Thailand seminar on Broadband Deployment and Universal Service Obligation, organised by the Telecommunications Research and Industrial Development Institute (Tridi) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), said BCI recognises brain signals and uses them to control electrical or communication devices and can even assist in repairing human cognitive or sensory-motor functions.

The technology use sensors to detect brain activity and amplify signals, which can then be processed into messages or commands to aid decision-making.

This information is sent wirelessly to a receiver. Currently, the lab has developed a prototype of "iThink 2", the second version of BCI which helps to control electrical devices via brain signals.

The three year projects, developed with funding of 5.8 million baht from Tridi, are aimed at developing solutions to allow severely disabled people to use their thoughts to operate a "visual stimulation unit" _ a virtual remote control _ which could be used to operate home electronic devices such as televisions.

When users look at the visual remote control, the sensor can detect their instructions via EEG electrodes and an EEG amplifier and then transmit their brain activity to a receiver that converts analogue signals to digital.

This process, known as Pattern Recognition Algorithm, then wirelessly sends the user's instructions to the target devices over a range of around 20 to 30 metres.

"We need to further develop the visual stimulation unit so that brain signals are strengthened and commands are processed quicker," said Yodchanan.

"We also need to spend more time training users. Our goal is to achieve an accuracy rate of 90 to 95 percent."

The lab is also working on a prototype of a wheelchair that can be controlled using BCI technology.

In this model, the sensor will detect brain signal activity and connect this with an amplifier and control box to operate the wheelchair's joystick.

In initial tests, the BCI wheelchair has seen an average usage time of one or two hours before brain signals weakened or users became too tired. The next step is to conduct clinical trials of the device, and then to negotiate pricing with manufacturers. Yodchanan hopes the wheelchair, which will be the first of its kind in Thailand, will be sold for 20,000-30,000 baht.

As well as controlling wheelchairs and home devices, the BCI technology can be applied to many other areas, such as facilitating writing by enabling the user to select letters and other targets on a computer screen without any muscular movement, or to remotely control games, robotic arms or other electronic movements.

Meanwhile, Professor Dr Toshio Obi, Director of the Waseda University's Apec e-Government Research Center in Tokyo, added that there is a need for governments to expand mobile broadband development by targeting a broader range of rural citizens with diverse information needs, ranging from mobile commerce, agriculture and education to government issues, healthcare and disaster reduction.

In his view, the use of mobile technologies for disaster reduction is important because research shows that 80 percent of people injured in such incidents will be the elderly and/or disabled.

Senator Monthian Buntan said that expanding broadband would require focusing not only on universal access across all geographical areas, but also on improving human functions.

For example, to ensure accessibility for all, products and services should have a universal design; and assistive technologies for special needs persons should be provided.

"Information communication technology which assists senior citizens, pregnant women, disabled people or those with impaired speech will has huge business potential," said Senator Monthian.

"Whether in the analogue or digital world, inclusive technology will help bring us all closer together."

National Telecommunications of Thailand (NTC) has announced a telecommunication equipment standard draft that has to support a public telephone standard, according to Torpong Selanon, at the NTC.

The standard mainly covers universal design that facilitates equal access use for all, including disabled and senior citizens, such as bigger displays, space for wheelchair access, and so on.

Next year, Torpong expects that 10,000 public telephones across Thailand will comply with this standard. NTC is also aiming at establishing a design standard for fixed lines and mobile phones so that keyboard typing is a feature on all handsets.

Article 27 of the recent NBTC bill supports equal access, while Article 50 mentions a plan for universal service sand accessibility for telecommunication for any group of people, regardless of geographical location or disabilities and other human factors.

Furthermore, Article 52 NBTC supports assistive technology for underprivileged, disabled and senior citizens.

In Thailand, around 1 million disabled people are registered with the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, although the National Statistical Office estimates there is a total of 2 million disabled people and 6 to 7 million elderly people nationwide.

NTC has also allocated 18 million baht to set up a Telecommunication For Disabled and Elderly People Showcase Centre in collaboration with Nectec under the Ministry of Science and Technology. This centre will provide all assistive technologies available on the market to increase awareness of such devices and services, and will also take a mobile roadshow of the same into communities.

Obama signs technology access bill for disabled - Associated Press - 9 October 2010

By Darlene Superville

Blind and deaf people will be able to more easily use smart phones, the Internet and other technologies that are staples of life and work under a bill signed into law on Friday.

Such a step has been a priority of advocates for the millions of people who cannot see or hear.

In the East Room of the White House, where he was flanked on stage by lawmakers and Stevie Wonder, President Barack Obama portrayed the occasion as another step in guaranteeing equal access, opportunity and respect for all Americans.

He recalled celebrating this year's 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, banning workplace discrimination against qualified people with disabilities and requiring improved access to public places and transportation.

"We've come a long way but even today, after all the progress that we've made, too many Americans with disabilities are still measured by what folks think they can't do, instead of what we know they can do," Obama said.

The new law "will make it easier for people who are deaf, blind or live with a visual impairment to do what many of us take for granted," he said, from navigating a TV or DVD menu to sending an e-mail on a smart phone.

"It sets new standards so that Americans with disabilities can take advantage of the technology our economy depends on, and that's especially important in today's economy when every worker needs the necessary skills to compete for the jobs of the future," Obama said.

In one corner of the East Room, sign language interpreters translated Obama's remarks as he spoke. Across the room, his words scrolled on a large video monitor with help from a stenographer who transcribed them.

Under the law, the quality of life will improve for 25 million people who are blind or have difficulty seeing, along with the estimated 36 million people who are deaf or hard of hearing, advocacy groups say.

Nondisabled people stand to benefit, too. They may find the devices and screens easier to use.

The law sets federal guidelines that require the telecommunications industry to:

-Make getting to the Internet easier by improving the user interfaces on smart phones.

-Provide audible descriptions of on-screen action to help the blind more fully enjoy television.

-Add captions to online TV programming to help the deaf.

-Make the equipment used for Internet telephone calls compatible with hearing aids.

-Add a button or other switch to television remote controls for simpler access to closed captioning on television.

Paul Schroeder, a vice president at the American Foundation for the Blind, said many blind or deaf people have had to spend hundreds of dollars on costly accessories or software to make their cell phones and other devices easier to use.

"We hope that companies will start working immediately on making solutions available and affordable for people with disabilities," he said.

Blind since childhood, Schroeder described the bill as "life changing."

"As a person who is blind, it will bring some of the new technologies that are changing the workplace, education and leisure into my hands," he said.

Source: Associated Press, 9 October, 2010
URL:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101008/ap_on_hi_te/us_obama_technology_disabled

Older MRT stations retrofitted with barrier-free facilities - StraitsTimes - 10 Aug 2010

WE THANK Mr Kevin Leong for his feedback on Tanjong Pagar station ('One of the most user-unfriendly stations'; July 31).


The chairlift was a temporary measure by SMRT to allow wheelchair-bound passengers access to Basement1, where the retail outlets are located, while a lift was being built. It has since been decommissioned as the lift has been completed.

We recognise the need to ensure that our MRT train stations cater to the elderly as well as less mobile commuters. As such, we have retrofitted the older stations along the North- South and East-West lines to accommodate barrier-free facilities, such as ramps and railings, wheelchair-accessible toilets and at least one barrier-free entrance inclusive of a lift.

For example, at the Tanjong Pagar station, a new entrance was constructed in June 2006 to provide barrier-free access directly to the station platform. With new developments coming up around Tanjong Pagar station, we will also work with the relevant authorities to integrate barrier-free access to the station.

We will continue to upgrade the stations and by next year, more than 70 per cent of our MRT stations will have at least two barrier-free access routes. For the newer stations along the Circle Line and the future Downtown Line, escalators will be provided on both sides of the passageways to cater to commuters entering and exiting the station.

Helen Lim (Ms)
Deputy Director, Media Relations
Land Transport Authority

Ms Bernadette Low
Manager, Corporate Marketing and Communications
SMRT Corporation

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_564052.html