Dear Friends,
I am very happy to share a major news item with all of you and would be grateful if you share it with all concerned. Please remember that only vigilance on our part as stakeholders will make this a reality.
The accessibility of websites will go a long way in creating accessible information. We also need the technology which will enable us to access GPS etc at a click of a button. We are not able to access many sites and are unable to buy online tickets at consessional rates which is most needed for those who cannot travel but ironically we are required to be present at the ticket counter to avail consessions. What a tragedy. I dream of a day when my dependency upon the world minimal. I am sure the day is not very far.
National Centre for Promotion of Employment of Disabled People (NCPEDP) has set up a national committee of disability experts with core groups on specific areas. One of the groups is on web accessibility and due to its advocacy with the Government of India the Government has changed Web Guidelines and has decided that henceforth all websites will be WC3 2.0 level 1 compliant that is to say that they will be accessible to all people with special needs particularly the blind and the people with low vision.
There was a meeting in Feb and here are its decisions:
On 17th February, the IT Minister launched India's first fully accessible portal - India.gov.in
On 19th February, the IT Ministry issued the official Minutes of the Meeting on “Web Accessibility for Visually Impaired and others with Special Needs”.
The highlights are as follows:
1- All existing websites be mandated to become standards compliant by a certain timeline and all new web sites be compulsorily mandated to begin only if these are made compliant with latest standards.
2- Accessibility should be an integral part of all new tenders and WCAG 2.0 standards be adhered to.
3- All existing websites (Government, Private Sector or NGOs etc.) should conform to access standards with staged approach to be in the time frame 2010-2012.
4- Government should consider coming out with a National Policy for Electronic Accessibility, since this will overarch all existing legislations and be applicable to accessing information over all types of mediums ranging from the mobile phones to computers.
In fact, now our work becomes more pertinent as only our vigilance will assure that this gets achieved. Let me tell you friends, that as a blind person accessing railway website today is a nightmare for me.
Ketan Kothari
Programme Officer
Write to me about advocacy initiatives in your area at kkothari@sightsavers.org
Phone: 022 28821919 Extension 110.
Mobile: 09987550614
