2006 Conference General Sessions
INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS ON
ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
Presenter(s)
James Thurston
Information Technology Industry Council (ITI)
1250 Eye Street, NW Suite 200
Washington DC 20005
Day Phone: 202-626-5721
Fax: 202-638-4922
Email: jthurston@itic.org
The Opportunity
for Global Harmonization: The need for accessible information technology is acute across
the globe. According to a 2001 United Nations report, there are approximately
600 million people with disabilities worldwide. The global number of people
with disabilities and age-related limitations is destined to grow as the
population ages. In response to this reality, governments around the world are
currently exploring or actually establishing unique, national, information and
communication technology (ICT) accessibility policies. Effective policies and
robust technical standards encourage market competition and broad deployment of
accessible ICT. However, conflicting policies create unnecessary national
technology barriers that divide governments, industry, and people with
disabilities. Such barriers only reduce the overall amount of accessible ICT
available in the commercial marketplace.
The Session: This session will be a
panel discussion of the international efforts to develop ICT accessibility
standards and regulations. Currently there are significant accessibility
related standards and regulatory or legislative activities ongoing in Europe,
Asia, and the Americas.
In addition, several international organizations are considering ICT
accessibility from both a policy and a technical perspective. This panel will
discuss the current status of international activities. In addition, the panel
will explore how the global marketplace, including industry, governments, and
consumers, can make the best use of these international efforts to avoid the
development and adoption of redundant or conflicting ICT accessibility
standards and policies across multiple markets and jurisdictions. The panel
will discuss specific opportunities to work towards the global harmonization of
ICT accessibility standards and to ensure increasingly high quality accessible
ICT for all people.
The Panelists: The panel members will
represent the range of interests participating in this global harmonization
effort. The panel members also will represent the US and other global regions
participating in this international effort. The panel will be moderated by
James Thurston, Director Technology Policy at the Information Technology
Industry Council (ITI).
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