Institutional Advocacy
G3ict’s Institutional Relations and Advocacy Division supports international organizations, in-country advocates and private and public-sector organizations in promoting digital accessibility for persons with disabilities and the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Its activities consist in helping raise awareness about digital accessibility through conferences, seminars and media relations, benchmarking progress in implementation and deploying capacity building programs for governments and advocates.
The Digital Accessibility Policy, Guidelines, and Standard Harmonization (DASH) – Work Group
Towards ensuring the promotion, availability, affordability, and adoption of existing and upcoming technology innovations for the digital inclusion of 1.2 billion persons with disabilities including youth, women, and older persons. G3ict launches the DASH Work Group to ensure that the rights of persons with disabilities to digital inclusion, recognized in the CRPD’s disposition on ICT accessibility, are meaningfully integrated into the final text of the Global Digital Compact annexed to the compact of the future adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2024.
Promoting ICT Accessibility Awareness in Cooperation with International Organizations
Since inception in 2006, G3ict has participated or jointly organized more than 200 awareness raising programs for States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and key stakeholders with UNDESA, the ITU, the World Bank, UNESCO, UNESCAP, UNICEF, UNITAR, WIPO, WHO, ILO, OHCHR, the CTU, OAS, ALECSO, the European Commission, W3C, ISO and the UN Global Compact. G3ict works with the United Nations through its Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and accreditation to the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It maintains membership with a permanent delegation at the ITU in Geneva allowing accessibility experts and persons with disabilities to participate in the work of the ITU. G3ict participates in the Civil Society Steering Committee which contributes to the development of the agenda of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention. G3ict frequently provides speakers, technical information, background research or advice for awareness raising programs about digital accessibility around the world.
Learn more about International Organizations working in the field of ICT accessibility.
Learn more about G3ict participation in the 16th Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP16), United Nations Headquarters, New York, 13-15 June 2023.
Benchmarking and Support of In-Country Advocates
Advocacy in support of digital accessibility, be it for television, websites, mobile telephony, software, electronic kiosks or areas of application such as e-government, workplace accessibility or education can be greatly enhanced if benchmarking data is available to demonstrate gaps and opportunities for improvement in comparison to other countries. G3ict, in cooperation since 2008 with Disabled People’s International, provides data on the progress made by States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. G3ict upgraded access to its ICT accessibility data for advocates by launching in 2018 the Digital Accessibility Rights Evaluation Index – DARE Index – which provides essential country information and comparisons in core areas of country policy making, capacity to implement and actual ICT accessibility outcomes for persons with disabilities. With 137 countries referenced with individual country profiles, the DARE Index 2020 (2nd edition) is the most comprehensive source of data available worldwide on the status of ICT accessibility around the world.
In October 2021, G3ict released the latest accompanying report to the DARE Index 2020, "Supporting Qualitative Data Country Shared by Respondents" that provides unedited raw data shared by local advocates in support of their evaluations of local digital accessibility rights as of the end of 2019 or early 2020.
Learn more about the DARE Index.
Capacity Building Programs
Article 9 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, by incorporating ICTs in its definition of Accessibility on par with the built environment and transportation, creates many new obligations for its States Parties which can only be met with the cooperation of multiple stakeholders and by leveraging the latest innovations and standards in ICT accessibility. G3ict facilitates the development of such cooperation at country level by providing interactive capacity building seminars based on its specially designed curriculum allowing governments, advocates and the private sector to align their knowledge and understanding of ICT accessibility and engage in constructive dialogues to define priorities and action steps to implement solutions. Capacity building programs have been held, over the years, in India, South Africa, Mexico, Colombia, Turkey and the Dominican Republic.
Learn more about G3ict events and programs.
Advisory Support to Governments
G3ict has provided resources or direct policy making assistance to governments around the world. G3ict cooperates with regional and national governments such as the Government of Brazil, Egypt, India, Japan, Mexico. For example, G3ict worked together with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), Arab Republic of Egypt and UNESCO to develop a model policy for ICT accessibility in education, that would also serve as a model of implementation for other countries.
The results of G3ict’s DARE Index report of 2020 reveal the increasing commitment of CRPD Member States to digital accessibility on the institutional and regulatory levels. In order to strengthen this commitment of Member States, G3ict launched the DARE Academy Scholarship Fund and Webinar Series and the G3ict Global Network of Digital Accessibility Champions of Persons with Disabilities at UN COSP14 with its partners.
Digital Accessibility Rights Education (DARE) Academy
The Digital Accessibility Rights Education (DARE) Academy reflects G3ict’s mission to “Promoting the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Digital Age.” Its objective is to ensure that the principle of “leaving no one behind” is fully applied in the process of sustainable development from a technology and digital perspective by fostering capacity building and knowledge sharing activities for advocates by advocates in those areas.
The overall goals and objectives of the DARE Academy is to:
- Ensure the authentic representation of voices of Persons with Disabilities in its global and multilateral efforts for promoting the disposition of the CRPD on inclusive ICTs,
- Address critical digital accessibility implementation gaps identified and measured by the DARE Index in collaboration with advocates in 137 countries,
- Create channels of mutual collaboration with potential partners for ensuring effective advocacy around inclusive ICTs related laws and policies on the national, regional, and global levels, and
- Promote equal opportunities of knowledge sharing and capacity building around issues of digital accessibility rights, particularly for Persons with Disabilities at the grassroots levels.
The DARE Academy is in-charge of coordinating and operating G3ict’s following initiatives:
Learn more on the Digital Accessibility Rights Education (DARE) Academy.
Technical & Policy Resources
e-Accessibility Toolkit for Persons with Disabilities
The e-Accessibility Toolkit is designed to support member states in raising awareness and capacity building to address ICT needs for Persons with Disabilities. The toolkit facilitates the development of successful policies and strategies; and serves as a global electronic repository and platform for sharing experiences on best practices addressing disability issues in the ICT sector.
NOTE: The Toolkit contents are currently under revision. A newly redesigned website is scheduled to be launched in the Summer 2023.
Model Policies
G3ict, in collaboration with the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) Special Initiatives Division, has published a set of Model Policies on ICT accessibility that covers the web to mobile to television. These model policies have been designed as a tool for national policymakers and regulators to create their own ICT accessibility policy frameworks and prioritize implementation. Learn more on the G3ict Model ICT Policies.
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NeuroAbilities
NeuroAbilities is G3ict’s dedicated program to explore the current state of assistive solutions based on advanced Neurotechnologies, Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabling persons with disabilities and older persons to better interact with their environment.
The NeuroAbilities initial research program is made possible by a grant from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, scientific and programmatic support offered by the National Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies, and the technical support contributed by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals.
The NeuroAbilities website has been launched with the following objectives:
- A searchable Resource Center of vetted information
- A platform to engage multiple stakeholders and promote discussion
- To promote a comprehensive series of lectures and webinars
In addition to a think-tank section allowing for multiple types of contributions and content formats, the website will include the following sections:
- “Who’s Who” Directory
- Explore publications, case studies, etc.
- Explore by Functional Disability Areas
- Explore Technology Solutions Explore A to Z