E-Inclusion in Europe: Access for People with Disabilities

This speech highlights the goals of the e-Europe 2005 Action Plan which seeks to create an information society "for all" citizens throughout Europe. The primary goal is to assist people with disabilities so that they can participate in the Information Society.

The e-Europe 2005 Action Plan "aims to stimulate content, services and applications, such as eGovernment, eHealth and eLearning, on the basis of secure multi-platform broadband infrastructures." Mr. Liikanen provides several examples of disadvantages faced by people with disabilities when they encounter a "multi-platform world":

• It is not easy for a deaf person to make a phone call from one country to another in the European Union. The reasons vary and range from different regulations, to different subsidies or different technologies.
• People with disabilities find themselves at a disadvantage in terms of the number of accessible services available, the quality and the price.
• A person with reduced upper limb mobility who uses a computer to communicate or send e-mail very often needs considerably more time online than other citizens so a dial-up connection means a larger telephone bill. Finding special terminals that can be connected to assistive technologies (where they exist) are usually expensive.
• People with disabilities and older citizens have difficulty accessing online services because of their user interfaces which require visual and auditory abilities as well as dexterity.

The e-Europe 2002 Action Plan started to work towards the goal of better ICT accessibility which will continue under e-Europe 2005. Their targets include (in brief):

• "Participation for All in the Knowledge-based Economy" which was a review of relevant legislation to assess conformity regarding accessibility principles.
• Adoption of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) guidelines for public websites received considerable attention and work in this area needs to be continued and deepened.
• Design for All and Assistive Technology Standards with a view to improving employability and social inclusion. Backed by the principle of "mainstreaming accessibility" the needs of older persons and people with disabilities were considered.
• The establishment and networking of the National Centres of Excellence in Design for All and recommendations for a European Curriculum for designers and engineers.

The author mentions as well that access to public websites is a "key element of e-Government, e-Health and e-Learning. Accessible websites are essential if we want to bring these services to all citizens including of course to citizens with disabilities. A multi-platform approach is a key element in this."

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