The Accessibility Imperative

"The Accessibility Imperative" is the first attempt made to present in one comprehensive volume the challenges and opportunities of implementing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in matters of accessibility to Information and Communication Technologies. The Convention at large - and more specifically its Article 9 - creates the first universal framework specifically addressing these issues which affect over 600,000,000 persons living with disabilities worldwide.

This book was developed based upon the proceedings of the first Global Forum of the G3ict, the Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs, held at the United Nations headquarters in New York on March 26, 2007. It presents the perspective of multiple stakeholders from all regions of the world and from a variety of backgrounds: industry, policy makers, international institutions, academia, and non-governmental organizations representing persons living with disabilities. Additional editorial content was contributed to G3ict and included in this first edition from meetings held in Russia, Korea, and the United States during the Spring of 2007.

With 129 countries having signed the Convention as of May 2008, the scope of legislative and regulatory work which will take place over the next few years in matters of ICT accessibility is considerable. This first edition will be the first reference made available to policy makers and their many constituents to facilitate the process of identifying the best path towards effective implementation of the Convention.

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