An Inclusive Future for All: AMI's Highlights from HLMDD 2013

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Accessible Media Inc Attends the 68th Session of High-level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on Disability and Development held in New York City on September 23, 2013.

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Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) was honoured to be invited to attend the High-level Meeting on Disability and Development of the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on September 23, 2013. AMI President and CEO David Errington, along with Robert Pearson, Director of Accessible Digital Media, represented AMI as civil society organization representatives from Canada, on the day of the event.

The day began with opening remarks from H.E. Mr. John William Ashe, President of the 68th session of the General Assembly and H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations. The speakers that followed provided insight into the purpose of the day, including Mr. Stevie Wonder, United Nations Messenger of Peace and internationally recognized advocate of the audience that we serve.   

Throughout the day, countries from around the world brought forward their specific policies related to disability inclusive development, working towards the continued adoption and recognition of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities globally. Focused as we are at AMI on the provision of accessible media across multiple platforms, these discussions helped us examine the relevance of a unique broadcast service such as ours in countries that continue to develop policies to meet the needs of users of all abilities. You can learn more about what we do by reading the G3ict White Paper, ‘Making Television Accessible to Everyone: Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) & The Canadian Experience’.

One of the key takeaway from the day was a report on disability-inclusive development that had been prepared for the meeting, ‘Towards an Inclusive and Accessible Future for All: Voices of Persons with Disabilities on the Post-2015 Development Framework’. One of the most impressive aspects to the report, from AMI’s perspective, was the format in which it was provided. Added to a USB flash drive (pen drive or memory sticks as they are also known as) within a credit card-sized container, the report was made available in every conceivable format, including sign language, Daisy, EPUB, and others. This multi-format approach to the report gave insight into the recognition of the objectives of the day.

The conference reinforced the highest level recognition of the need to achieve equality for a global population that is underserved in many ways. Disabilities and the means through which inclusion can be achieved are diverse. However, it is through initiatives and meetings such as this that there can be a synchronized and global accountability and response.

Publications featured in this post:

Making Television Accessible to Everyone: Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) and The Canadian Experience.
Published by G3ict.
Authors: G3ict, researched in cooperation with AMI – Accessible Media, Inc. Corporation.
Publication date: June 2013.
No. of pages: 28.
Download the PDF.

Towards an Inclusive and Accessible Future for All. 
Published by United Nations Partnership to Promote the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Publication place, date: New York, September 2013.
No. of pages: 56.
Download the PDF.  

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