SV: SV: [governance] IS THE DIGITAL DIVIDE A PHANTOM?

Sun Jul 29 19:52:26 EDT 2007

Kicki has mentioned something that is overlooked, and that has nothing to do if one is from a developing country. Web developers are often appalling in their appreciation of the issues faced by people who are blind in accessing the internet.

Even with the best screen readers and computer equipment, they are often next to useless if the websites can't be "read" by the screen reading software.

David

----- Original Message ----
From: Kicki Nordström <kicki.nordstrom at srfriks.org>
To: governance at lists.cpsr.org; kwasi boakye-akyeampong <kboakye1 at yahoo.co.uk>
Sent: Monday, 30 July, 2007 6:33:56 AM
Subject: SV: SV: [governance] IS THE DIGITAL DIVIDE A PHANTOM?

Dear Kwasi,

You are so right but 
to this we must add the extra ordinary costs that additional programs as screen 
readers etc, takes for enable blind and visually impaired persons to access ICT. 
A screen reading program and a Braille Display to read the text, cost several 
times more than the computer as such and it is no reduction because you are 
coming from a developing country! 

I should not afford 
this technology if I have to pay from my own income, but in Sweden, we get this 
through different insurance, and can therefore use the available technology! But 
the technology is also underdeveloped, as many Websites are inaccessible due to 
formats, drawings and pictures, colours, columns and tables which the screen 
reader can not interpret as it is also problems with PDF-files. 

Equality of 
accessing ICT is far away for poor people from any country but in particular 
developing countries, and then to get the world to understand that everything 
designed in a website can not and will not be possible to read for the worlds 
180 million blind and visually impaired persons. We need to get a new solidarity 
and understanding what is possible to technical develop and teach to normal 
blind and visually impaired people, The more technical and specific the ICT 
become, the more exclusive it will be. 

Warm 
regards

Kicki 

Kicki 
Nordström
Synskadades Riksförbund (SRF) 
World Blind Union (WBU)
122 88 Enskede
Sweden
Tel: 
+46 (0)8 399 000
Fax: +46 (0)8 725 99 20
Cell: +46 (0)70 766 18 
19
E-mail: kicki.nordstrom at srfriks.org 

kicki.nordstrom at telia.com (private) 

Från: kwasi boakye-akyeampong 
[mailto:kboakye1 at yahoo.co.uk] 
Skickat: den 28 juli 2007 
14:16
Till: governance at lists.cpsr.org; Norbert Bollow
Ämne: 
Re: SV: [governance] IS THE DIGITAL DIVIDE A PHANTOM?

Norbert, you wrote:
"This of course needs to be funded 
somehow, but as
soon as this has been achieved, 
all visually disabled 
people
everywhere 
will be able to benefit from this ...".

I disagree 
with the underlined bit because in the developing (under-developed) regions, 
even the non-visually impaired are struggling to have access to computers. 
Internet access is even worse. So for the visually impaired it is worse for them 
in developing countries.

Believe me, the digital divide issue is worse 
than we make it sound. Most of the solutions we propose are just not practicable 
in the deprived regions. They are models fit for the developed countries. For 
instance, most developing countries are struggling with electricity supply even 
in the cities. Most rural communities are not connected to the national 
electricity grid. So bridging the digital divide goes beyond providing them with 
computers. 

Greetings,
Kwasi

Norbert Bollow 
<nb at bollow.ch> wrote:
Kicki 
  Nordstrom wrote:

> World Blind Union 
  has tried to negotiate with the producer of screen
> reading programs, 
  that we from industrial could pay more to reduce
> the price for 
  customer in developing countries. But this was not
> possible due to 
  business tradition.

I think this calls for the development of a good 
  screen reader program
as Free Software. This of course needs to be funded 
  somehow, but as
soon as this has been achieved, all visually disabled 
  people
everywhere will be able to benefit from this, and will be able 
  to
always use the newest version without big extra costs, without 
  being
contrained by the "business traditions" of a profit-oriented 
  company.

Greetings,
Norbert.

-- 
Norbert Bollow 
  http://Norbert.ch
President of the Swiss Internet User Group 
  SIUG 
  http://SIUG.ch
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