Source ::: Wikipedia.org
Focus on Information and Communication Technology
(6) Access to information and communication including ICT
In the last 10 years, there has been much progress in Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) development, and it opens up many
opportunities for people with disabilities in networking, solidarity employment
and independent living. But it has also widened the gap between persons with
disabilities and the non-disabled. The Digital divide includes inaccessibility to
infrastructure for ICT, Internet, and ICT skills. These problems are acute in rural
areas. The multi-media environment is creating barriers for people with visual
disabilities. Three targets are set to improve the situation:
1) By 2005, persons with disabilities should have at least the same rate of access
to the Internet and related services as the rest of citizens in a country of the
region.
2) By 2004, international organizations should incorporate web accessibility
standards for persons with disabilities in their international ICT standards.
3) Governments should adopt, by 2005, ICT accessibility guidelines for persons
with disabilities in their national ICT policies.
[edit]Time Line
1993–2002 - UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(UNESCAP) proclaimed the “Declaration of Asia-Pacific Decade for Disabled
Persons”. Being a member, the Philippines adopted the declaration.
January 15, 1993 - Proclamation No. 125 was issued by then President Fidel
Ramos giving mandate to the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled
Persons (Philippines) to coordinate activities and to monitor the observance
of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons (1993–2002) in the
Philippines.
2003–2012 - UNESCAP proclaimed the extension of Declaration of Asia-Pacific
Decade for Disabled Persons.
May 2002 - UNESCAP adopted the resolution “Promoting an inclusive, barrierfree
and rights-based society for people with disabilities in the Asian and Pacific
region in the twenty-first century” naming it the “Biwako Millennium Framework”
May 3–7, 2003 - Interregional Seminar and Regional Demonstration Workshop
on Accessible Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) to Persons
with Disabilities was held at Bayview Park Hotel, Manila, Philippines where
11 countries from Asia - Pacific were represented. The Manila Accessible
Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) Design Recommendations
was drafted and adopted.
October 26 - 28, 2004 - First Regional Workshop on Accessible ICT for Persons
with Disabilities was held in Tagaytay City. Web accessibility was introduced to
25 webmasters from different government, non-government agencies and the
academe. Mr. Leo Valdes of Vision Office Support Services was the lecturer.
Webmasters from the Luzon and Metro Manila areas were invited to attend.
Follow up activities were formed. These are:
1. Search for Good Practices - The National Computer Center (NCC) and
NCWDP periodically review participants' websites for improvements and ideas.
Model websites by participants are introduced during succeeding workshops.
2. Disabled-Friendly Website Awards - These were given to those participating
websites who passed the accessibility recommendations set by NCC and
NCWDP.
3. Development of Standards and Training Manuals - NCC takes a lead role
in coordinating the development of technical recommendations in preparation
for a national policy, and in the development of training manuals for these
recommendations.
May 24 - 26, 2005 - Second Regional Workshop on Accessible ICT for PWDs
was held in Marco Polo Hotel, Davao City. Mindanao webmasters and advocates
attended this workshop.
June 2, 2005 - Philippine House of Representatives Official Website
www.congress.gov.ph was the first recipient of “Disabled Friendly Website
Award” given by NCWDP, National Computer Center, Commission on
Information and Communications Technology (CICT), Department of Social
Welfare and Development (Philippines) (DSWD) and Vision Office. Ms. Dahlia
Villacorte, participant in Tagaytay City workshop, was the web designer.
October 18–20, 2005 - Third Regional Workshop on Accessible ICT for PWDs
was held at Golden Peak Hotel, Cebu City. This event is aimed for Visayas
webmasters and advocates.
December 12, 2005 - Second “Disabled Friendly Website Award” was given to
Adaptive Technology for Rehabilitation, Integration and Empowerment of Visually
Impaired (ATRIEV) www.atriev.org.ph with Ms. Lourdes Borgonia, a blind person,
as web designer. She was also one of the participants during the Tagaytay
Cityworkshop.
March 18 and 25, 2006 - Manila Christian Computer Institute for the Deaf
(MCCID) developed four accessible websites for GOs and NGOs needing
technical assistance and continues to do so. They also held two-Saturday
seminar on Accessible ICT for deaf web designers. Mr. Ervin Reyes, deaf bronze
medalist in the web design category during the 6th International Abilympics
Skills Competition held in New Delhi, India was the lecturer. He is also one
of the participants in the first workshop. The web sites can be viewed at
MCCIDONLINE.NET
May 16–19, 2006 - Following three successful workshops organized by DSWD
and NCWDP the Webmasters' Interface on Accessible ICT for PWDS held a
national event in Mango Park Hotel, Cebu City. It brings together the country's
webmasters, policy-makers, disability advocates and ICT practitioners to forge a
vision for accessible web content.
June 2, 2006 - Remberto I. Esposa Jr. of MCCID became the first Philippine
web designer accepted as a member of the UK based international Guild of
Accessible Web Designers.
June 29, 2006 - Post evaluation and appreciation meeting about the Cebu
activity was held at Max’s Restaurant, Quezon City. Also, the third “Disabled
Friendly Website” award was given to Manila Christian Computer Institute for the
Deaf www.mccid.edu.ph with Mr. Remberto I. Esposa Jr. as the web designer.
He was also the participant in the Tagaytay City workshop.
Initial discussion on the forming of “Association of Accessible Web Designers”
were made.
July 27, 2006 - After the proposal presented by Esposa and Reynaldo Mendoza,
former web designer of De La Salle University Website, the NCWDP board
approved the recommendation of forming an adhoc or core group of webmasters
that will implement the consensus made by Cebu City participants.
August 11, 2006 - First initial and informal meeting of the core group held at the
NCWDP Office. It was named Philippine Web Accessibility Group (PWAG).
August 27, 2006 - After five years of negotiations, countries meeting at United
Nations Headquarters in New York have agreed on a new treaty to protect the
rights of persons with disabilities. Paragraphs g and h of Article 9 pushing for
accessible ICT for PWDs were largely based on “Manila Declaration and Manila
Recommendations on Accessible ICT”, two outcome documents passed by 13
countries in the UN-funded “Interregional Workshop on Accessible ICT” hosted
by the Philippines and submitted to the UN in 2003.
October 16, 2006 - The official www.pwag.org web site was launched.
December 3, 2006 - In observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons,
the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons has relaunched their
official web site www.ncwdp.gov.ph and was subjected for PWAG's validation.
December 17, 2006 - Additional five Philippine designed web sites were
subjected to PWAG's evaluation and passed the accessibility compliance. The
group also agreed on the following recommendations:
1. Access key Assignments
2. Visual Validation Checklist
January 7, 2007 - A few months after it was established, a total of 30 web
developers and advocates from the Philippines and in other countries have
joined PWAG.
February 14, 2007 - PWAG officially announces its Recommended Web Design
Accessibility Checkpoints. The primary basis is still the adoption of the Manila
ICT Design Recommendations. The term used in defining the priority checkpoints
are Maturity Stage. A Maturity Stage 1 means the web site needs to meet the
requirements set by the Manila ICT Design Recommendations A Maturity Stage
2 means the web site should meet the criteria set by PWAG.
February 19–23, 2007 - "Workshop on Accessible ICT" was held at Baguio City
attended by both the IT personnel and focal persons from the Department of
Social Welfare and Development.
February 22, 2007 - Fourth "Disabled Friendly Website Award" was given to
Official Web Site of the De La Salle University (DLSU) www.dlsu.edu.ph with Mr.
Lemuel Cabia as part of its web development team. DLSU participated during the
Tagaytay City workshop.
February 22, 2007 - In order to encourage Filipinos to design accessible
websites, five more institutions/web designers received the "Disabled Friendly
Website Awards" under the initiative of PWAG. These are BLE-Department of
Labor and Employment, Cebu Doctors' University, Emilio Aguinaldo Colleges,
Nova Foundation for the Differently Abled and personal website of Mr. Arielle
Cruz.
May 9, 2007 - Accessites.org, the website honoring web designers
that "meticulously and lovingly build artful yet accessible websites", presents the
First Edition Official Website of Philippine Web Accessibility Group the "Notable
Universal Design Award".
July 19, 2007 - The 102 page book "Web Accessibility Guide for Filipinos" is
now officially published and copyrighted. The book contains definition of web
accessibility, types of assistive devices available, laws affecting disability in the
Philippines, statistics of Filipino PWDs and Filipino Internet user statistics. It also
details the history of web accessibility initiatives in the Philippines from 2003 up
to the present.
July 20, 2007 - As an offshoot of the successful staging of Baguio City Workshop
on Accessible ICT held last February, focal persons for Persons with Disabilities
of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Region 1 held an "EAccessibility
Forum" last July 20 at Zigzag Hotel, San Fernando City, La Union.
The activity coincides with the Philippine celebration of National Disability
Prevention and Rehabilitation Week (July 19–23, 2007).
May 12, 2008 - After six years of deliberation and almost a year after its
signing, the Philippines became the 23rd country that ratified the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Prayer and Walk for
Unity for UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN-CRPD)
Ratification was held on May 12 at SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.[1]
August 25, 2008 - The National Council on Disability Affairs approved Board
Resolution No. 13 requesting the National Computer Center - CICT to deputize
Philippine Web Accessibility Group to undertake web accessibility assessments
of government websites.[2]
July 10, 2009 - The Philippine Web Designers Organization collaborated with
NCDA and the Philippine Web Accessibility Group in giving out Disabled Friendly
Website Awards to four more websites. [3]
September 2009 - The Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability in
collaboration with National Council on Disability Affairs, Resources for the
Blind Inc.,Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Social Welfare
and Development, National Computer Center, Adaptive Technology for
Rehabilitation, Integration and Empowerment of the Visually Impaired (ATRIEV),
MCCID College of Technology, NOVA Foundation for Differently Abled Persons
and Philippine Web Accessibility Group developed a Documentary DVD
entitled "From Why to How through ICT: A story about ICT Accessibility by
persons with disabilities in the Philippines" [4][5]
December 10, 2009 - The inclusion of unhampered access to Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) became part of the action plan of the second
National Human Rights Action Plan of the Philippine government. [6]
July 20, 2010 - As part of the National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation
Week, the NCDA in partnership with the Department of Transportation
and Communications held a Web Accessibility Forum which invited web
designers and key government stakeholders. [7] Highlight of the activity is the
announcement of Joint NCDA-National Council on Disability Affairs Memo
Circular No. 1 Series of 2010, enjoining all government instrumentalities
concerned, to implement accessible website design using the technical
guidelines recommended by the Web Design Accessibility Recommendation
(WDAR) Checkpoints of the PWAG.[8]
Philippine Web Accessibility Group
Philippine Web Accessibility Group Logo
Philippine Web Accessibility Group (PWAG) is a privately led association of
Filipino web designers and advocates. It is supervised by the PWAG's main
objectives are:
1. To educate and encourage the general public on the benefits of including
accessibility on their web sites by providing information and assistance through
workshops, seminars, e-groups and other forums;
2. To adopt the Manila Accessible ICT Design Recommendations and
recommend the web accessibility guidelines and standards in the Philippine
setting;
***Muhammad Ishaque Memon***
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