Session
Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description:
This session will feature a round table format, promoting collaborative discussion and active participation from both onsite and online attendees. The room will be equipped with two screens to display both Real-Time Text Captioning (RTT) and International Sign Language Interpretation, ensuring an inclusive experience for all. The sign language interpreter will not be onsite, so access is needed to the Zoom Room.] will also be having our disability fellows at the session and some will also need access to both the captioning and/or sign language interpreters.
Key Features:
- The Roundtable layout fosters collaborative discussion and active participation
- 90-minute duration allows for in-depth exploration of the topic, diverse perspectives, and audience engagement
- Human Real-Time Text Captioning (RTT) for accurate and immediate transcription
- International Sign Language Interpretation via Zoom, ensuring inclusivity for all
- Remote access for sign language interpreters and disability fellows to both captioning and interpretation feeds. The sign language interpreter requires access to the Captioning stream text link.
The digital environment is a crucial aspect of daily life, and it's essential to ensure that all individuals, especially persons with disabilities, can fully participate and benefit from emerging technologies The session will explore the challenges persons with disabilities encounter when engaging with emerging technologies and will present transformative solutions through Open Educational Resources (OER). Discussions will focus on the barriers to accessing and effectively utilizing these technologies, emphasizing the critical need to integrate inclusive design principles in their development to foster truly barrier-free environments. Additionally, this session will highlight policy recommendations, technological innovations, and collaborative efforts aimed at fostering digital inclusion, sparking meaningful conversations, and identifying actionable strategies to ensure emerging technologies are accessible and beneficial for all.
The session will also look at the importance of incorporating inclusive design principles in technology development, adhering to accessibility standards like WCAG, and ensuring seamless integration of assistive technologies. The objectives include accelerating the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through digital inclusion, enhancing accessibility through technology, and promoting global standards for accessible digital content and platforms.
Topics to be covered will cover, but are not limited to, AI-enabled accessible OER, data privacy/protection issues, quality criteria for accessible OER, interoperability standards, and human rights/ in the digital realm. The outcome goals include developing actionable recommendations for stakeholders, fostering collaboration, and raising awareness about accessible and inclusive digital content and technologies.
By embracing accessibility, inclusivity, and the principle of "Nothing About Us Without Us," one can harness the Internet's transformative potential to create a more equitable and sustainable world for everyone. This session will spark meaningful conversations, identify actionable strategies, and promote collaborative efforts to ensure emerging technologies are accessible and beneficial for all.
- How will you facilitate interaction between onsite and online speakers and attendees?
To foster inclusive engagement, we will facilitate interaction through Q&A sessions, ensuring equal opportunities for both onsite and online participants to contribute. The onsite and online moderators will not only field questions but also relay chat comments aloud, acknowledging that individuals with cognitive disabilities may prefer to express themselves in writing rather than verbally.
- How will you design the session to ensure the best possible experience for online and onsite participants?
The session is committed to inclusivity, featuring live captioning for attendees who are deaf or hard of hearing, or whose native language is not English, as well as sign language interpretation by certified interpreters. To encourage audience participation, we will encourage questions from the audience both online and in person. Additionally, the Q&A pod will be set to allow participants to view all submitted questions and rank them by importance, ensuring that everyone's voice is heard.
- Please note any complementary online tools/platforms you plan to use to increase participation and interaction during the session.
To facilitate engagement for remote attendees, we will leverage virtual collaboration platforms and live-streaming tools, enabling immersive online participation and interaction. Additionally, the Q&A pod will be used to crowdsource questions, configuring the settings to allow participants to view and rank all questions by importance. To further enhance accessibility, live captions will be displayed on a dedicated screen, ensuring that viewers can easily catch up on any missed content. For online viewers, we will also provide stream text links, enabling them to follow along in real-time.
Ms Judith Hellerstein, Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability (WEOG), Civil Society
Ms Zeynep Varoglu, Senior Programme Specialist, UNESCO
- Lidia Best (WEOG)
- Dr Muhammad Shabbir, APAC, DCAD Coordinator
- Mr Tawfik Jelassi, ADG Communication and Information Sector, UNESCO
- Amela Odobasic, Director of Broadcasting, Communications Regulatory Agency of Bosnia-Herzegovina (Government)* Invited, EEG
- Dr Wondwossen Beyene, UNESCO Consultant and Digital Inclusion Specialist, Ethiopia (TBC)
- Dr Alison Posey, Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), United States of America (TBC)
Dr. Muhammad Shabbir, Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability (APAC)
Judith Hellerstein, Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability (WEOG), Eleni Boursinou, Dynamic Coalition on Open Educational Resources
Zeynep Varoglu, Senior Programme Specialist, UNESCO
4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequalities
11. Inclusive Cities
16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
17. Partnerships for the Goals
Targets:
This proposal directly aligns with SDG targets related to inclusive education, economic empowerment, innovation, reducing inequalities, promoting inclusive societies, and fostering global partnerships for sustainable development.
Scholars and advocates often emphasize a broader vision for the inclusion of persons with disabilities within the SDGs, advocating for a focus on vulnerable populations and an overarching commitment to development "for all." Digital inclusion, as defined by the UN Roundtable on Digital Inclusion, encompasses "equitable, meaningful, and safe access to, use of, and leadership in the design of digital technologies, services, and associated opportunities for everyone, everywhere."