Disability is not Inability

THE TECHNOCRAT
Sunday Standard Bizbytes
December 3rd 2006

How ICT can help the disabled

BY PAULINE WANGUI

INFORMATION and Communication Technology, ICT, opens up
great opportunities to improve the quality of life of disabled or
physically challenged people.

There is enormous potential for the use of ICT to help promote equality of opportunity for disabled people, through enhanced access to information and services, and improved communication. For example, screen readers or dedicated textto- speech software applications, which enable blind people to use other software, such as word processing, database, spreadsheet and email applications, and web browsing software.

Some screen readers work well with Braille display devices to
allow the output of on-screen content in Braille. ICT has contributed towards the greater independence of disabled people. However, only some of these developments have benefited this particular audience locally. This is because the new systems and products may not have been designed with the disabled or elderly in mind.

There should be a commitment to ensure that ICT, including
generic software, web sites and e-!earning applications, are
designed with accessibility for the disabled in mind. This ought to
be proactive and.means ensuring that accessibility considerations are of the highest prominence in specification, I development, evaluation, support and maintenance of ICT provided by-institutions for use by its people.

More Involvement needed In an ICT context, Ibis could be translated as the involvement of disabled people as advisors throughout the design and development stages of ICT projects, such that not only does the advice provided by disabled people inform the project, but even help those involved in the project develop an awareness and
understanding of the capabilities and opinions of disabled people
wiil respect to ICT. For example, a positive action should ensure
that disabled people are included in user scenarios and testing
when developing specifications for a new ICT.


It calls upon the ICT industry to use inclusive design principles to
create offerings that will be usable by disabled and older people;
aiui be creative in reaching out beyond their traditional customer
base so that ICT equipment and services are available and
affordable for the disabled. They should also make sure that staff
are aware of ICT solutions that meet the needs of disabled. Our
ICT policy needs to articulate guiding principles relating to ICT
and accessibility for disabled persons.

Strong partnerships and ties with public organisations are
needed to help us assess the current, situation and identify the
existing barriers, which disabled persons encounter when using
ICT. The government needs to harness new technology lo create a
more equal society for all citizens and consumers.

In addition to making sure the local and national government, services are fully accessible and usable, it should provide a better funding
framework for access and for the subsidy of specialised access
technologies. We need to see change that can make a positive
step forward, lo inclusion for disabled people and maximise the
potential that tecluiology has to offer everyone.

Assistive technology

Assistive technology, also known as Adaptive Technology refers
lo technology used lo maintain, increase or improve the
abilities of individuals with disabilities. Assistive technology includes
computer programmes or electronic devices. It doesn’t have lo be
high-tech, but. it should serve the purpose of "assistance".
These technologies are dedicated to helping disabled people
overcome their disability and assist, them to compete en an
even basis with their non-disabled peers in the work place.


Such technology enables people with disabilities to accomplish
daily living tasks, assist them in communication, education,
work or recreation activities, in essence, help them achieve
greater independence and enhance their quality of life. One such
technology is the Dragon NaturallySpeaking. This particular
technology gives the use the power to create documents,
reports, e-mails and more—all by speaking! Fast, easy and
amazingly accurate, and is over three times faster I l\an typing.

One just needs to use their voice to dictate and edit it. It is
faster and fun as one can create letters, reports, and e-mails all
by speaking. Just talk, and you can surf the web, open and close
applications, even control your mouse and the entire desktop.
Dragon Naturally Speaking is available for purchase online.

Useful resources

One very useful resource is the Alliance for Technology Access;
www.ataccess. org. This is a free service that allows one to
locate and receive information on assistive technology products
and services. Its mission is to increase the use of technology by
children and adults with disabilities and functional limitations.
ATA is an American net work of technology resource centres,
organisations, individuals and companies. ATA encourages and
facilitates the empowerment of people with disabilities to
participate fully in their communities through public, education,
information and referral, capacity building in community
organisations, and advocacy policy efforts, the ATA enables
millions of people to live, learn, work, define their futures, and
achieve their dreams.

newdisability.com is a web resource designed to be a
platform for communication between the disabled community
and the assistive technology industry. It has a forum where
visitors can express their feedback about all kinds of innovative
assistive technology. Another very helpful web resource is www.
assistivetech.com. This resource offers technology solutions to
help people with disabilities lead more independent lives.

The author is a telecom strategy analyst
Pauline@ nordic.co.ke

Category: Community policy

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