G3ict and Government of Brazil Agree to Cooperate on ICT Accessibility Policies and Programs

BRASILIA, Brazil (June 20, 2018) —

The Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies (G3ict) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with The Federative Republic of Brazil to further leverage resources and expertise to support the country’s digital transformation initiatives and promote the increased accessibility of Information Communication and Telecommunications (ICT) technologies in Brazil. G3ict Vice President for Global Strategy and Development James Thurston and the National Secretary for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Ministry of Human Rights of Brazil Carolina Angelica Moreira Sanchez Gomes signed the agreement at a ceremony in Brasilia.

The new agreement will support increased cooperation between G3ict and the Federative Republic of Brazil to support the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). New bilateral collaborations will have an explicit focus on the accessibility of websites for persons with disabilities and the procurement of accessible ICTs by government agencies in Brazil. The partnership harnesses G3ict’s deep experience in ICT accessibility policy and program development worldwide and the commitment of the National Secretariat for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to supporting digital inclusion for all Brazilians.

The National Secretary of the Rights of the Persons with Disabilities Acting Deputy, Carolina Angelica Moreira Sanchez Gomes considers this partnership to be “of the utmost importance, in order to equalize the conditions and obtain guarantees, in order to align the conditions of citizens through laws and to eliminate as much as possible the disadvantages existing for people with disabilities in various aspects of society, especially with regard to transportation , labor, Exemptions of taxes and duties, education, priorities and assistive technologies. In addition, this bilateral cooperation for the implementation, development, strengthening and sharing of dialogues, information, experiences, training programs, technical assistance projects for the exchange of good practices in the area of information and communication technologies - ICTs accessible for promotion and defense of the rights of persons with disabilities leads the way to its implementation in Brazil.”

The new agreement recognizes that people with disabilities constitute a significant part of Brazilian society and are more susceptible to poverty, violence, abuse and social exclusion. It points to the importance of accessible ICTs in reducing inequalities and to promoting more inclusive and fair societies.

“We look forward to growing our already strong partnership with the government of Brazil,” said James Thurston, Vice President of G3ict. “We know that ICT accessibility policies and programs can continue to increase inclusion in many areas here in Brazil, including in education, employment, access to justice, and in the country’s leading smart cities.”

Since 2014, G3ict and the Federative Republic of Brazil have collaborated on initiatives and events that include the country’s 2017 national conference on disability and accessibility. In 2017, the government of Brazil sent a delegation of policy makers to the m-Enabling Summit, G3ict’s annual international conference in Washington, D.C. that is dedicated to promoting accessible and assistive technology for senior citizens and users of all abilities.

"The Brazilian Law for Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, which is a kind of regulation of the Convention, is in force since 2016. One of its articles makes accessibility mandatory on websites maintained by government agencies or by companies with headquarters or commercial representation in the country. Next year, I will have the honor to be the first Brazilian member in the CRPD Committee and I shall share our successful experiences in digital accessibility with other countries that are signatories to the Convention. Brazil has 45 million people with disabilities and we are very glad to have G3ict support," Congressperson Mara Gabrilli said.