Just my thoughts on this...<div><br></div><div>Working on the Education field, I would like to use the word "accommodations" when it comes giving ICT access to people with disability. I can give you some instances on how we do "accommodations" for people with disabilities:</div>
<div><br></div><div>[1] Each semester typically in a US university, $1200 is allocated through state funding for students to avail of one-on-one tutoring. Tutoring includes assistance in the use of online coursework. Students usually apply for financial aid to avail of these services. Braille keyboards are available. Here at Texas Tech University, we have a student laboratory with braille keyboard. The monitors are a lot bigger, too.</div>
<div><br></div><div>[2] Textbooks are converted to a media file that students can listen to. We have a couple of student assistants who are special education majors working with our Student Disability Services who do the media conversion. Our special education program was ranked 11th best in the nation so that might speak of the accommodations that we do.</div>
<div><br></div><div>[3] When deaf/mute students need to call (we usually use Lync), the deaf/mute interpreter uses a TV attached to the phone to be able to converse with the student. </div><div><br></div><div>[4] There are trained tutors who work with students on specific field of study - Engineering, Business, English and Science. I work with Science majors specifically Physics and Chemistry and I usually work in the Lab with them in accessing their coursework and what they need in the classroom. I use Quizlet a lot for vocabulary and I help students use the Internet to make their flashcards. </div>
<div><br></div><div>[5] I have also used VI software and they can be installed in a thumb drive. You plug in the thumb drive into any computer and it starts automatically. For several weeks I have worked with VI students who were struggling a lot with a Business Computing course I was teaching in another workforce development program with a local college. I had to use magnification software. My company was compelled to ask assistance from the Texas DARS (<i>Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services</i>) Division for Blind Services (DBS). <i>DARS </i>usually would provide a magnification screen for computers so VI people can use computers better. </div>
<div><br></div><div>I'd like to think that in terms of "<i>access to all</i>" for people requiring special services, it is indeed a priority. That priority makes "<i><u>accommodations</u></i>" come into place. When we actually accommodate them, we take that extra effort to help them. Usually most services are in place. I've seen it and I've worked with it. If we push people to see and understand that accommodations are necessary, they will be compelled to look for resources for software, equipment and even personnel training. Most governments are hard to convince so a lot of funding have been from private donors. I would really like to see the word '<u>accommodations</u>" being used a lot side by side with "<u>access</u>." Maybe that would give a lot of people insight on what needs to be done.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Charity Gamboa-Embley</div><div>Texas Tech University</div><div>Student Disability Services<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Oct 19, 2012 at 2:58 PM, Salanieta T. Tamanikaiwaimaro <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:salanieta.tamanikaiwaimaro@gmail.com" target="_blank">salanieta.tamanikaiwaimaro@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div>Dear All,</div><div><br></div><div>People take using the Internet for granted and we have persons in our community who despite extraordinary challenges go to great lengths to access the internet. One of the things that saddens me is how it continues to remain an area least prioritised as far as Freedom of Expression goes. Even when the UN Special Rapporteur Frank La Rue wrote about his , Report on Freedom of Expression in relation to the Internet, Access for Disabled Persons was relegated to the last paragraph in what I thought was a "By the way...off handed comment", at least in my reading of the same.</div>
<div><br></div><div><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:13px;font-family:arial,sans-serif">Whilst there is a United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities on this area, see: </span><a href="http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=150" style="color:rgb(17,85,204);font-size:13px;font-family:arial,sans-serif" target="_blank">http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=150</a><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:13px;font-family:arial,sans-serif"> , there are 154 countries that have signed up and only 125 have ratified, you can check to see which countries have ratified by going to the link.</span></div>
<div><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:13px;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:13px;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><i><b>Accessibility</b></i></span></div>
<div><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:13px;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br></span></div><div> I know that the Australian Government have through various initiatives made ICT accessible for disabled persons as has been reported to the community from Gunela Astbrink, there is still a lot of room for improvement. This includes things like handsets that can be easily used by those who are visually challenged. I will never forget sitting in a CommunicAsia meeting in Singapore and hearing Skype CEO back then talk about how Skype had revolutionised communication.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b><i>Website Accessibility</i></b></div><div><b><i><br></i></b></div><div>Last year at the PACINET in American Samoa in a session organised by Gunela Astbrink from ISOC Australia,in an extraordinary advocate who has been pushing access for disabled persons for many years in Australia, within the region and internationally, <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:13px;font-family:arial,sans-serif">Faaolo Utumapu from Samoa demonstrated how her screen reading software with speech synthesis works and how she can navigate through accessible websites. She also demonstrated how barriers are placed in front of her when websites are not accessible. </span></div>
<div><br></div><div><font color="#222222" face="arial, sans-serif">For websites to be able to be completely accessible, there are various standards developed to help cater for these. A good resource site is: </font><a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2012/WD-WCAG-EM-20120920/" target="_blank">http://www.w3.org/TR/2012/WD-WCAG-EM-20120920/</a></div>
<div><br></div><div><b><i>Hungary Proposal to the WCIT [8b on Access for Disabled Persons]</i></b></div><div><br></div><div>Whilst there are Resolutions in place from the Plenipotentiaries which resulted in the creation of a Fund, it was reported to the Caribbean WCIT Preparation that only Cyprus had contributed to the same. There is a proposal by Hungary to add 8(b) and it includes excellent Access provisions for disabled persons and countries should support Hungary's Proposal. </div>
<div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Kind Regards,</div><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><div><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:13px;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br></span></div><div><br></div>
<div><br></div>-- <br><div>Salanieta Tamanikaiwaimaro aka Sala</div><div>P.O. Box 17862</div><div>Suva</div><div>Fiji</div><div><br></div><div>Twitter: @SalanietaT</div><div>Skype:Salanieta.Tamanikaiwaimaro</div><div>Fiji Cell: <a href="tel:%2B679%20998%202851" value="+6799982851" target="_blank">+679 998 2851</a></div>
<div><br></div><div> </div><div><font color="#222222" face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="line-height:16px"><br></span></font></div><br>
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