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There is no conclusive data globally, but most studies seem to indicate that around 20% of the population has some sort of disability. While this does not always translate to the person not being able to use the Internet, there still is a significant percentage that is not able to - particularly if they are visually or physically challenged.

Web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) have been around for a while, and over the years they have been continually updated and developed to try and provide a better user experience. While some websites have adopted these - to varying degrees - a large proportion have not.

Keeping in mind that Internet users with accessibility needs are a significant part of the population, this does mean that many of them are not able to make full use of the content available. For businesses this translates to lost opportunities - if a user is not able to view the content, then they are also not going to buy a product or service made available through the site.

This also applies to non-commercial websites - be they run by the government or others. With more and more governments embracing e-government services, it is critical that these services meet accessibility guidelines so that all parts of the population are able to make full use of these services.

Recently, I was in Pakistan where I met with the ICT Accessibility Working Group and the Ministry of Information Technology. It was very encouraging to note that at the meeting, the Ministry made a commitment to ensure that its own website met accessibility guidelines and immediately put in place a team to work with members of the ICT Accessibility Working Group. In just over a week, the team was able to meet the requirements for web accessibility under the WCAG. After which, the Ministry made a further commitment to encourage other parts of government to do the same. Estimates indicate around 10% of Pakistan's population has accessibility needs, so this is a great step forward.

Last year we partnered with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to launch a mobile app development competition to encourage local mobile content and services development in the country. This year, a strategic decision was made to focus the 2016 Mobile App Awards on accessibility issues for People with Disabilities with the theme "Embracing Mobile Accessibility".

This is another small way to not only raise awareness of accessibility issues but also encourage developers and the technical community to be inclusive from the very beginning when designing and launching products and services - and in this way universal design becomes inherent.

Rajnesh D. Singh
Regional Bureau Director for Asia-Pacific

Speakers at the Mobile App Awards Pakistan 2016

Throughout the world, assistive technologies such as screen readers, talking textbooks and voice recognition devices have opened up opportunities in education and employment for persons with disabilities, and helped them achieve their potential in their communities and workplace.

In Pakistan, persons with disabilities are successfully serving in various fields including in government administration and policymaking, and in academia and research. This is largely because Pakistan has taken some bold steps to ensure that public services, facilities and technologies are accessible to persons with disabilities.

Pakistan is a ratified signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - an international human rights treaty to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. The Convention has served as a major catalyst in shifting people's views of persons with disabilities, from objects of charity, medical treatment and social protection, to viewing them as equal members of society with human rights. This has been achieved through promoting accessibility and universal design.
 
Accessibility refers to the characteristic that products, services and facilities can be independently used by people with a variety of abilities. In this context, universal design can broadly be defined as the design of products and environments for all people, without the need for adaptation or specialised design. In the case of information and communication technology (ICT), products that are universally designed are accessible to and usable by everyone, regardless of their age, ability or status in life.

Evidence shows that when barriers to inclusion are removed and persons with disabilities are empowered to participate fully in societal life, their entire community benefits. In Pakistan, multiple steps have been taken to ensure that persons with disabilities have access to services and technologies, and equal opportunities for education and employment. Firstly, persons with disabilities in Pakistan are able to participate in civil service exams and compete for top positions in government. Secondly, the State Bank of Pakistan has issued comprehensive guidelines to all banks and made it obligatory for all banks to provide persons with disabilities with access to ATMs and Internet banking services, and allow them to operate individual accounts.

Recently, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority together with the Internet Society and other partners organised a Mobile App Awards 2016 around the theme "Embracing Mobile Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities" to focus on the development of ready-to-use mobile applications that address the needs of persons with disabilities. Moreover, the Ministry of Information Technology is promoting accessible government websites, and has even requested input from persons with disabilities on its revised national IT policy.

In a paper entitled, The state and potential of web accessibility for persons with disabilities in Pakistan (written by the author) some suggestions are provided for the way forward:

1. Continue work on the development of an Urdu screen reader.
2. All websites should meet the requirements of the Web content accessibility guidelines
3. The accessibility training centres under the Directorate/Departments of Special Education should be re-energised.
4. A research and development centre on innovations for inclusion and accessibility should be established.
5. Collaborate with organisations and libraries working on accessibility issues.