Technological innovation has brought immense benefits to our society and economy.Information and communication technologies (ICT) now play a key role in all our daily lives, in our work, education, use of public services and in our homes. New possibilities emerge of products and services that are flexible, quick, adaptable to our preferences, reliable and robust. Yet these same technological advances can present significant barriers to some of the very people able to benefit most from these services and, without the right support,can even add to the exclusion many people suffer. Key decisions made when designing and developing technological products and services will dictate whether some groups, like people with disabilities,will be able to use them or not.
About 15% of Europeans report difficulties performing daily life activities due to some form of disability.With the demographic change towards an ageing population,this figure will significantly increase in the coming years. Older people are often confronted with multiple minor disabilities which can prevent them from enjoying the benefits that technology offers.As a result, people with disabilities are one of the largest groups at risk of exclusion within the Information Society in Europe.
It is estimated that only 10% of persons over 65 years of age use internet compared with 65% of people aged between 16-24. This restricts their possibilities of buying cheaper products, booking trips on line or having access to relevant information, including social and health services. Furthermore, accessibility barriers in products and devices prevents older people and people with disabilities from fully enjoying digital TV, using mobile phones and accessing remote services having a direct impact in the quality of their daily lives.
Moreover,the employment rate of people with disabilities is 20% lower than the average population.Accessible technologies can play a key role in improving this situation,making the difference for individuals with disabilities between being unemployed and enjoying full employment between being a tax payer or recipient of social benefits.
The recent United Nations convention on the rights of people with disabilities clearly states that accessibility is a matter of human rights. In the 21st century, it will be increasingly difficult to conceive of achieving rights of access to education, employment health care and equal opportunities without ensuring accessible technology.
Technology penetrates ever more in our daily lives. It is crucial that we create solutions that are usable and accessible for everyone, regardless of their abilities. This is not just about meeting the needs of a small part of the population. In fact, evidence suggests that facilitating access to the information society for people with disabilities benefits many more people in the general population, for example as it drives innovation towards easier to use products and websites.
Last year, all Member States agreed on a declaration in Riga committing themselves to take concrete steps to build an Inclusive Information Society and setting clear targets forii Towards an inclusive future the coming years.To achieve these objectives, it is important to make everyone aware that eAccessibility is a positive factor for the competitiveness of our industries. Technology is pointless unless it ultimately meets the needs of society.This must be fully reflected in the European policies for building the Information Society. eAccessibility is thus essential to achieving an inclusive society and key for the success of the i2010 initiative,A European Information Society for Growth and Employment.
European funding on research and development for accessible technologies and services is not the only precondition to building an information society for all. To ensure that everyone has the opportunity to benefit from these impressive technological advances, it is also essential to create a legal and economic environment in which these European socio-economic objectives can be achieved. The various factors that can contribute to the risk of exclusion are indeed often interrelated, like poverty, low level of education, unemployment, disability and old age. These need to be addressed in a consistent and coherent policy framework.
A truly inclusive Information Society must be socially and economically sustainable. For many years, accessibility efforts have been concentrated on removing existing barriers. But this is not enough. COST 219 activities have been pioneers in preventing eAccessibility problems by promoting a Design for All approach for telecommunication products and services.
This book addresses the accessibility of next generation ICT networks and services running on them. Some of the specific issues in this context are: how to ensure accessibility to new IP based communication solutions? What features do we need to build in next generation networks to ensure real time multimodal conversations? How to ensure the accessibility of emergency numbers? Next generation networks offer immense opportunities for having, besides voice, good quality real time video communication using sign language and text, including for example display in real time virtual Braille.This would open up new communication opportunities in particular for deaf-blind persons.
The time is ripe for addressing these issues, asking questions such as the ones above.This book will certainly contribute to the debate and stimulate the implementation of accessible solutions in next generation networks. I welcome this important contribution to the telecommunications field and to the construction of an Inclusive Information Society in Europe.
Towards an Inclusive Future - Impact and Wider Potential of Information
Patrick R.W. Roe
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