This presentation for the Disabled Childrens Association in Riyadh looks again at the ecosystem required to support the access ecosystem for people with a disability. Most especially it explores some of the issues around building capacity, engaging people with a disability in policy making and some of the key functions that the policy should incorporate
2. Defining Our Vision of Access
• People with a disability will ……..
• By 2020 people with a disability will …..
• At this school/workplace/region/state by 2020
people with a disability will ……..
3. Defining Our Purpose - Technology
• We will connect people with disabilities to Information and
communication Technology to make life easier, smarter and better.
• We will ensure that people with disabilities have access to the
technology they require to fulfil their potential and aspirations
• We will play a leadership role in providing Assistive Technology (AT)
solutions, including information on the latest technology and
approaches to the inclusion of people with disabilities through
technology.
• We will provide impartial expert advice and assessment on best
practices in access to and through technology.
• We will promote innovation in the field of Accessible Technologies.
4. Defining Our Scope
ICT Transport Buildings
Education Employment Community
Justice Health Finance
6. Establishing Policy
• The role of Policy is critical to clearly state the
expectations and requirements of public and
private bodies in ensuring access
• Policy should be clear and should offer
incentives for compliance and sanctions for
non compliance
• A clear route of redress for people impacted
by non compliance should be identified
7. Establishing Authority
• A responsible authority can be effective in
ensuring a co-ordinated approach to access
and inclusion across domains
• Such a body can
– Make recommendations and identify standards
– Monitor implementation
– Evaluate Impact
– Provide the route of redress
– Co-ordinate national awareness and training
A brief introduction to our mission and vision – this beins to outline the scope and breadth of our mission upon which services are to be based
These initial slides are used to demonstrate the breadth of Madas remit – covering a full spectrum of needs across settings and ages etc
The key issue here is that we were seeking to avoid fragmentation of services to allow a more consistent approach to meeting the needs of people with a disability within a relatively small community
These slides outline the areas within which Mada operates
Awareness incorporates awareness of AT, Mada services (marketing) and more generally changing attitudes towards people with a disability
This identifies some of the PR techniques we have used – social media is especially relevant in Qatar where currently WhatsApp, SnapChat and Instagram are the channels of choice for the public
This identifies some of the PR techniques we have used – social media is especially relevant in Qatar where currently WhatsApp, SnapChat and Instagram are the channels of choice for the public
Advice includes assessments of needs, factsheets and self help guides
Mada has sought to encourage people to help themselves especially using the tools that are already available within Operating systems
Assessment is critical for more complex needs, the matching and configuration of technology to needs is at the heart of effective services
Models of capacity building and tele advice have been looked at and have some moderate use, especially supporting services elsewhere within the Gulf
Examples of the range of ways in which we seek to deliver advice and guidance
Examples of the range of ways in which we seek to deliver advice and guidance
Training has adjusted a great deal over the 5 years – we offer bespoke training to organizations, open enrollable courses, a 9 day course on foundations in assistive technology (validated by Qatar University) and a free to use elearnign platform at elearning.mada.org.qa
Note that training for PWD includes AT training and digital literacy
Note that training for PWD includes AT training and digital literacy
Mada has worked extensively to develop and distribute assistive technologies, especially those in Arabic.
Since we opened we have supported the development of over 30 applications in Arabic (see later slides)
Mada has also secured funding to purchase the solutions that are recommended – this is an efficient and effective means of securing and importing technology at best value and allows for the purchase of a diversity of solutions
Our solutions include support for commercial development and free to use and open source products such as NVDA, ATBar and FX Suite
Our solutions include support for commercial development and free to use and open source products such as NVDA, ATBar and FX Suite
Mada provides first line technical support for products we provide – our universal loan scheme means that we retain ownership of the techniology we distribute and hence support any problems that go wrong, it also allows us to negotiate tech support from companies and manufaturers and togain extended warranties etc
Further notes on areas we have provided support within
Mada has worked to develop eAccessibility within Qatar, we partnered with Bookshare to create and curate a collection of accessible Arabic ebooks at bookshare.org. This is being extended and will be owned in the future by Qatar National Library
In addition we created a consultant team on digital accessibility to support the implementation of the National eAccessibility strategy prepared by the Ministry for Information Technology (ictQatar)
Examples of areas we have worked in to provide accessibility tools and content
Examples of areas we have worked in to provide accessibility tools and content
R and D is an important part of our activity and includes both innovative technologies such as eyegaze, BCI and cloud based technologies. In addition we have sought to develop Arabic AT building blocks such as symbol sets, word prediction and Text to Speech – further work in these areas is ongoing
Examples of the drivers behind our research and innovation department
Examples of the drivers behind our research and innovation department
Mada as of 2015
It is possible to use these segments of the required ecosystem to map with organisations within countries to identify what is required of a focused AT service