Centre for Internet & Society

Banking and Accessibility in India: A Study on Banking Accessibility in India — Call for Comments

by Vrinda Maheshwari

The adoption of accessible features and technologies by banks in India is low despite there being legislative and executive push for it. It is important for the banks to understand not just their obligations but also the benefits that will accrue to them if they follow the suggested guidelines.

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The Hathitrust Judgment and its impact on TVI negotiations at WIPO

by Rahul Cherian

Those of you who have been following my earlier posts on the WIPO negotiations on the Treaty for the Visually Impaired will remember that one of the biggest concerns of the World Blind Union on the draft wording of the Treaty was with the definition of an “authorized entity” that can undertake conversion and distribution of accessible format copies.

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WIPO General Assemblies Approve Road Map on Treaty for the Visually Impaired

by Rahul Cherian

In a significant development the 50th session of Assemblies of WIPO member states reached a breakthrough decision on how to complete negotiations on a pact to improve access to copyrighted works for the many visually impaired or print disabled people around the world.

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Indian Government Websites Not Accessible Enough for the Disabled

by Srinivasu Chakravarthula

Innumerable websites! All are citizen centric. But are they accessible to you? Srinivasu Chakravarthula examines this and stresses that website owners need to follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 to enable persons with disabilities and the elderly to surf portals more effectively.

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Stakeholders Meeting of the USOF on Facilitating ICT Access to Persons with Disabilities in Rural Areas

by Prasad Krishna

The Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), a fund set up to provide universal access to telegraph services to rural and remote areas in India organized a stakeholders meeting on 7th September in New Delhi to launch a new scheme for supporting pilot projects for facilitating access to persons with disabilities in rural areas. Nirmita Narasimhan participated in this meeting and made a presentation.

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Accessibility Policy Making: An International Perspective (Revised Edition 2011)

by Prasad Krishna

A G3ict White Paper researched and edited by the Center for Internet and Society, Bangalore, India. Editor: Nirmita Narasimhan, Revised edition: May 2011

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Policy Spotlight: 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act

by Prasad Krishna

The means and modes of communication have changed drastically in today’s age and the earlier bright lines, if they ever did exist have become increasingly blurred. The mainstreaming of social media has brought forth some new questions to the forefront, the issue of accessibility being one of them. Jenifer Simpson, Senior Director for Government Affairs and head of the Telecommunications & Technology Policy Initiative at the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), elaborates more on the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act in this interview.

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ICT Accessibility in Sri Lanka

by Prasad Krishna

During a recent visit to Lirne Asia in Colombo, thanks to the efforts of the Lirne Asia team, I had an opportunity to meet the Sri Lankan regulator-TRC, the ICT Agency-ICTA and the Jinnasena Trust to discuss their initiatives for providing ICT and Telecommunications access for persons with disabilities in Sri Lanka.

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Universal Service — An Instrument for Accessibility

by Prasad Krishna

Every year, billions of dollars are earmarked for fulfilling universal service obligations across the globe. These funds represent a prime opportunity for governments to initiate telecommunication policies and programmes for persons with disabilities, writes Deepti Bharthur.

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Websites Accessibility Evaluation Methodologies: Conference Report

by Prasad Krishna

G3ict, W3C and CIS co-organised a panel on 30 March 2011 from 4.30p.m to 6.00 p.m., in the W3C track at the Twentieth International World Wide Web Conference in Hyderabad. The panel discussed web accessibility evaluation methodologies and their challenges and practical technical survey methodologies alternatives. The panel was moderated by Nirmita Narasimhan and featured four speakers — Shadi Abou Zahra (W3C/WAI), Neeta Verma (Senior Technical Director, NIC), Srinivasu Chakravartula (Accessibility Manager, Yahoo India) and Glenda Sims (Senior Accessibility Consultant, DeQue Systems).

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