Centre for Internet and Society

Inclusive Disaster and Emergency Management for Persons with Disabilities

nirmita — 2013-10-04T14:46:21Z

This report is a review of the needs, challenges, effective policies, and practices for inclusive disaster management practices. It was submitted to the National Disaster Management Authority of India (NDMA) on September 17, 2013 for their action.

Note: The report is co-authored by Deepti Samant Raja and Nirmita Narasimhan.

Persons with disabilities face unique challenges during every stage of emergency and disaster management due to inaccessible warnings, evacuation, response (including shelters, camps, and food distribution), and long-term recovery efforts. Additionally, disruption to physical, social, economic, and environmental networks and support systems affect people with disabilities in greater proportions.

Common experiences reveal that people with disabilities are more likely to be left behind or abandoned during evacuation in disasters and conflicts. They may be separated from their family members and caregivers, as well as their assistive devices (e.g. wheelchairs, prosthetics) or may be unable to operate them in a disaster (e.g. aids that run on electricity or batteries).

Shelters and relief camps are frequently inaccessible to persons with disabilities, and they may be unable to easily access food and water distribution centres. The paucity of statistical data on persons with disabilities and limited knowledge on how to respond to their needs is another factor that heightens their vulnerability in a disaster or emergency situation (Smith, Jolley & Schmidt, 2012). Resources and necessities may become scarce during a disaster situation, and there is a potential for discrimination on the basis of disability in such scarcity. Common perception is that inclusion and accessibility only matter to a small percentage of the population and thus are not cost effective. Leaving aside the fact that persons with disabilities are not a small and irrelevant percentage, accessible and disability inclusive approaches in fact benefit many others.

Elderly persons are one of the most affected groups in a disaster or emergency situation. Aging and disability are linked with each other, and many persons develop disabling conditions as they age including limited mobility, low vision, and hearing difficulties. They will significantly benefit from physical and communication accessibility in disaster preparedness, evacuation, relief, and recovery. Similarly, providing information in multiple formats beyond text such as graphical and oral formats can make this important information available and accessible to people with low or no literacy as well as children.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is the first international human rights treaty that specifically addresses the rights and freedoms of persons with disabilities (Lord, Samant Raja & Blanck, 2012). The CRPD was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2006 and opened for signatures on March 30, 2007. The CRPD had one of the shortest periods to come into force as the required twenty ratifications were achieved barely a month after it opened for signatures. The entire CRPD and its eight operating principles raise the need to make all disaster and emergency planning accessible and inclusive, failing which States Parties will not be able to meet their obligations under the CRPD. Additionally, the CRPD is specific about the need to make emergency and disaster management operations inclusive of persons with disabilities. Article 11 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) (UN Enable, 2006) on "Situations of Risk and Humanitarian Emergencies" states that: States Parties shall take, in accordance with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, all necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including situations of armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and the occurrence of natural disasters.

The CRPD's direct mention of disasters and emergencies represented the first major global treaty to focus attention on the needs of persons with disabilities in disaster events. In addition, Article 9 on Accessibility requires States Parties to ensure that people can access, on an equal basis with others the physical environment, transportation services, information and communications technologies and systems and all public facilities and services which include emergency services and facilities. Article 9 specifically mentions the need to make "information, communications and other services, including.emergency services accessible." Declarations and initiatives before that such as the Hyogo Framework for Action, which is the widely accepted blueprint for Disaster Risk Reduction in countries, failed to mention and take into account the importance of addressing disability issues.

As of September 16, 2013, 134 countries have ratified and 156 have signed the CRPD (UN Enable, 2013). States parties to the CRPD have to work towards making disaster risk reduction and all stages of the disaster and emergency management process accessible and inclusive of persons with disabilities. Article 32 on International Cooperation focuses on the need to ensure that international cooperation initiatives, including development programs, are accessible and inclusive of people with disabilities. States are encouraged to support capacity building and the exchange of knowledge and best practices, strengthen research collaborations and access to scientific knowledge, and offer technical and economic assistance to help meet a state's obligations under the convention. This provision is very relevant to the aid and humanitarian relief operations conducted by development and aid agencies and international NGOs. It promoted increased technical cooperation on disability and reiterates the need to include disability in all development and aid programming.

Many of the articles of the Convention intersect with different aspects of the disaster management cycle such as education and employment which are relevant in recovery and reconstruction. A few relevant articles are given below.

Article 9 on Accessibility requires States Parties to ensure that people can access, on an equal basis with people without disabilities, physical environments, transportation services, information and communications content, technologies, and systems and all public facilities and services which certainly apply to emergency services and facilities. Article 9 specifically mentioned the need to make "information, communications and other services, including.emergency services" accessible.
Article 31 on Statistics and Data Collection encourages States Parties to collect statistical and research data that can help in formulating and implementing effective policies to give effect to the different articles of the Convention.
Article 26 on Habilitation and Rehabilitation focuses on organizing, strengthening and extending comprehensive habilitation and rehabilitation services and programmes which are important during the response and immediate recovery following serious injuries in disasters and emergencies, as well as for long-term recovery and rebuilding. Other major declarations that raise the need for inclusive disaster and emergency management include the Yogyakarta declaration on disaster risk reduction in Asia and the Pacific 2012, the Phuket Declaration on Disaster Preparedness for Persons with Disabilities in 2009, and the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action 2003-2012. The Hyogo Framework for Action, adopted in 2005 at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction, is considered to be a blueprint to guide nations in their disaster risk reduction efforts until 2015. The framework which was signed by 168 countries does not address disability specifically, resulting in continuing exclusion of persons with disabilities in most DRR plans (Scherrer, 2013).

However, efforts are underway to promote the inclusion of disability in the next iteration of the Hyogo Framework. The goal of this report is to serve as a primer on the needs of persons with disabilities in disasters and emergencies, and to provide a comprehensive compilation of effective policies, practices and strategies for inclusive disaster and emergency management. This report utilizes a literature review of policy, practice, and research documentation on the different dimensions of inclusive disaster and emergency management.

A diverse set of sources were compiled for this review including:

research articles, reports, and evaluations of responses in past disasters
country policies and initiatives for disaster management
best practice manuals and handbooks, and
reports from advisory groups and discussion forums

Click to read the full report here.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/inclusive-disaster-and-emergency-management-for-persons-with-disabilities

CIS Gets ITU-D Sector Membership

nirmita — 2013-07-11T10:11:54Z

The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) has become a sector member of ITU-D, the development sector of the International Telecommunication Union, the specialized UN Agency dealing with telecommunications and information communications (ICTs).

Over the past years, CIS has had the opportunity to work with ITU on specific accessibility related projects. With this membership, CIS will be able to participate more regularly in ITU activities and contribute to key policy and regulatory debates surrounding telecommunications and ICTs at the global level. CIS is one of six civil society organizations registered as ITU members from the Asia-Pacific region.

CIS profile on ITU membership can be viewed here. Click to view the ITU Membership Certificate

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/cis-itu-d-sector-membership

Proposed WIPO Treaty for Improved Access for the Visually Impaired and Reading Disabled

nirmita — 2011-08-26T05:44:07Z

The Centre for Internet and Society is organising a signature campaign in India to lobby Indian government support for the proposed WIPO Treaty for Improved Access for the Visually Impaired and Reading Disabled. Signatories so far include Vidyavriksha, National Association for the Blind (Delhi), Saksham, National Federation for the Blind, Samarthanam (Bangalore), Mitrajyoti (Bangalore), Accessibility, Score Foundation, Alternative Law Forum (Bangalore), Acrodelon Technologies, Barrier Break Technologies and Enable India. This is a call for all Indian organisations and individuals to become part of this global movement to secure the rights to full and complete access and participation of the visually and reading disabled community of the world.

On 23 October, 2008, the World Blind Union (WBU), an organisation representing 180 million blind and visually impaired persons from 158 countries, submitted a proposal to the World Intellectual Property Organisation for a Treaty for Improved Access for Blind, Visually Impaired and other Reading Disabled Persons. WIPO´s 3-7 November 2008 meeting of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) meeting November 3-7, 2008, where this topic might be discussed under the limitations and exceptions agenda.

The purpose of this Treaty is to ensure full and complete access for persons with visual and reading disabilities to avenues for participation in society. This will be achieved by providing for a harmonization of the minimum flexibilities in copyright laws of different countries. It is envisaged that this Treaty will help to create a global platform for the publication and international distribution of books in accessible formats and will help to utilize the “creative, artistic and intellectual potential” of these persons, “not only for their own benefit, but also for the enrichment of society” (Article 1).

The Treaty focuses mainly on measures required to publish and distribute works in formats that are accessible for persons who are blind, have low vision, or have other disabilities in reading text which might prevent their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. The Treaty also seeks to do away with the barriers to exporting and importing copyright works published in accessible formats.

Article 4 dispenses with the necessity of obtaining permission from the copyright holders in order to convert their work into accessible formats. It provides for limitations and exceptions under copyright at two levels.
(a) by providing for publication and distribution of copyrighted material by non profit organizations upon fulfilment of four conditions--that the work has been lawfully obtained, it will be converted into an accessible format and only changes required to make the work accessible will be made, the work will be distributed only to visually/reading disabled persons, and the publication and distribution will be on a non-profit basis.
(b) by laying down the conditions under which a for profit organization may publish and distribute copyrighted work in accessible formats.

Further, Article 6 gives permission for circumvension of technological protection measures; such circumvension may be required to make the work accessible. Article 7 nullifies all contracts which expressly exclude the exceptions and limitations set out under Article 4. Article 8 permits export and import of copyrighted material which has fulfilled the conditions of Article 4 without obtaining permission from copyright holders.

Technology advancement has liberated visually disabled persons from complete reliance on available audio material as a source of information. The ease, efficacy and cost effectiveness of transmitting, storing and reading digital books has made it possible for visually and print disabled persons to access information globally. However, according to the WBU, even in high income countries barely five percent of all published books are available in accessible formats. In developing countries, the situation is even worse. The lack of awareness and resources coupled with insensitive and backward copyright legislation which prevents import of content in accessible and globally available formats result in very scanty and restricted access to information and communication for visually and print disabled persons living in these countries. The Treaty aims to work around such legislation to improve the conditions for enabling access.

If you wish to add your name to the list of supporters or otherwise write in with suggestions, etc, please send email to nirmita@cis-india.org. (Mobile: 9845868078)

Downloads

Download a letter endorsing the treaty:

MS Word (.doc)

OpenOffice (.odt)

Adobe Acrobat Reader (.pdf)

Media coverage

Deccan Herald (November 3, 2008):

Visually impaired seek access to print materials

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/wbu-proposal-for-a-wipo-treaty-for-the-visually-impaired-and-reading-disabled

Statement of CIS on the Work of the Committee in the 21st SCCR

nirmita — 2014-05-29T06:57:29Z

The twenty-first session of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights was held in Geneva from 8 to 12 November 2010. Nirmita Narasimhan attended the conference and represented the Centre for Internet and Society.

The Centre for Internet and Society is pleased to note the collective intent on the part of member states to find a solution to the lack of accessible reading materials for persons with print disabilities around the world, as evidenced by the number of proposals which have been put forward since the past SCCR. It is clear that member states have been applying their minds to this problem and have presented us with several possible options, which they believe would adequately address this issue. We would however like to take this opportunity to remind them, that disability groups, from both developed and developing countries, who have been grappling with this issue for decades, have been unitedly stressing the urgent need for a legally binding international instrument as the only effective solution to achieve results at a global level.

I would like to very quickly put forward a few thoughts for the consideration of this committee:

We believe, that there should be an international treaty harmonising exceptions and limitations for access to reading materials for persons with print disabilities, and that achieving this should be the first priority for work in this committee
Limitations and exceptions are important for promoting access to knowledge, encouraging creativity and furthering the overall development of humankind and hence, should be the subject matter of serious discussions at WIPO; WIPO should play an important role in the development of international copyright law to facilitate greater access to knowledge and information, especially in the context of digital technologies

Limitations and exceptions on all issues which further the development Agenda of WIPO, including exceptions for the print disabled, education, libraries and other issues, must be discussed amongst member states without delay in the forthcoming meetings of this committee
We feel that there may be some merit in reserving separate sessions for discussing each issue, since this would facilitate more focused and comprehensive deliberations in an expeditious manner

Hence, we would like to urge member states to begin work on all these issues, ordering them on the basis of their maturity, with a view to achieving concrete outcomes, which should be informed by the collective wisdom of stakeholders affected by these instruments as to what are the ground realities prevailing in their countries.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/sccr-cis-statement

Copyright Amendment Bill in Parliament

nirmita — 2011-08-30T09:26:44Z

The Copyright Amendment Bill is expected to be presented in the Rajya Sabha by the Minister for Human Resource and Development, Kapil Sibal today afternoon. The much awaited Bill (since it has been in the offing since 2006) has undergone significant changes since its initial appearance.

Given below is a very quick first cut highlight of the Bill from a public interest perspective. A more detailed analysis will follow after the session discussions.

Parallel imports: The parallel imports clause which had been put in as sec 2(m) has now been dropped from the present draft. This is a big setback because educational institutions, libraries and archives, second hand book, etc., were looking to this provision to bring down the prices and hasten the availability of books. This also affects persons with disabilities since they will be unable to import books in accessible formats.
Persons with disabilities: There are two provisions relating to persons with disabilities which have been introduced. Section 52 (1) (zb) relates to the conversion, reproduction, issues of copies or communication to the public of any work in any accessible format, provided that these activities are meant to enable access to persons with disabilities and sufficient safeguards are taken to ensure that these materials do not enter the mainstream market. This section in a sense is broader and more encompassing than some provisions found in other countries, which relate exclusively to the blind or visually impaired. This section would adequately cover persons with other disabilities who cannot read print. A new section 31B also provides for compulsory licensing for profit entities wishing to convert and distribute works in accessible formats, provided that they are primarily working for persons with disabilities and are registered under sec 12A of the Income Tax Act or under chapter X of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995.
Many exceptions under 52 (1) (i) relating to fair dealing have been extended to all works except computer programmes. New sections 52 (1) (b) and (c) protect transient and incidental storage from being classified as infringing copies, which offers protection to entities such as online intermediaries.
The scope of compulsory licensing under sec 31 has been expanded from ‘any Indian work’ to ‘any work’. Three new sections 31 B, 31C and 31 D have been introduced. Section 31 B has already been described in the paragraph on persons with disabilities. Section 31 C lays down strict measures relating to statutory licensing in case of cover version, being a sound recording of a literary, dramatic or musical work. Section 31 D relates to statutory licenses for broadcasting organizations wishing to broadcast a literary or musical work or sound recording.
Non commercial public libraries can now store electronic copies of any non digital works they own (52(n)).
The new Bill introduces Technological protection measures (65A and 65B) and makes circumvention and distribution of works in which rights managements systems have been removed an offence which is punishable with imprisonment upto two years as well as fine. In addition the copyright owner can also avail of civil remedies. As such India is not really required to have these provisions in the copyright legislation since we are not yet a signatory to the WCT or the WPPT and such provisions will hamper consumer interests.
Terms of copyright have been increased significantly without reason, thus preventing works from falling into the public domain. For instance, the term of photographs has been increased from 60 years to life of the photographer plus 60 years. This is far in excess of the minimum term stipulated by international treaties.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/copyright-bill-parliament

GST - A Barrier to Human Rights for Persons with Disabilities

nirmita — 2017-06-25T14:15:05Z

The Centre of Internet & Society made a submission on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) which will be coming into play from July 2017 onwards. In this blog post Nirmita Narasimhan assesses the impact of GST on persons with disabilities.


Logo of Shuttleworth Foundation above

The GST Acts - Central Goods and Services Tax Act, Integrated Goods and Services Tax Act and the Union Territory Goods and Services Tax Act passed on 12 April 2017 and the subsequent notification of the Revised GST Rate for Certain Goods on 11th June 2017 have serious and severe implications on basic rights and freedoms for persons with disabilities, hindering them from living independently and pursuing education, and employment. This note outlines the impact of the GST measures as well as recommendations to ensure that the rights of persons with disabilities are not compromised.

Problem Statement

As per the 2011 census, India has over 21 million people with disabilities which is around 2.17% of the population. Persons with disabilities face many hurdles in education and employment which is reflected in the low effective literacy rate of 59%, far below the national level of 74.04% as well as a low work participation rate at 36.3%.[1]

Lower levels of literacy and employment in turn imply lower income levels for this group. Thus, additional support through policy, financial and operational measures is required to help persons with disabilities participate fully in the economy. The new GST rules however, seek to impose tax on assistive technologies and goods and services which are essential for the advancement of persons with disabilities, hampering their mobility and ability to participate in education and employment thus further compounding the disadvantages already faced by this group.

Main Concerns

The specific GST provisions that negatively impact persons with disabilities include:

5% GST on Braille typewriters, Braille paper, Braille watches and Braillers (originally set to 18% for typewriters and 12% for Braille paper and watches and reduced after protests from organizations like the National Centre for Promotion of Employment of Disabled People (NCPEDP), the Disability Rights Organisations Forum (DROF), and various regional groups)[2]
12% GST on Orthopaedic appliances, including crutches, surgical belts and trusses; splints and other fracture appliances; artificial parts of the body; hearing aids and other appliances which are worn or carried, or implanted in the body, to compensate for a defect or disability. Hearing aids have also been listed under the list of goods with nil taxes, which is contradictory.
18% GST on motor vehicles for persons with disabilities.
Braille books are exempt from the tax while other Braille implements are not.
IT software, consulting and support services, online text, audio and video, software downloads etc. have all been classified but no GST rate has been quoted, which implies that they are taxed at 18%. This means software like screen readers, assistive software for persons with cognitive disabilities, online text etc. which are essential aspects of communications and information access for persons with disabilities will also be taxed at 18%, which will severely hamper their ability to communicate and even carry out daily tasks.

GST – Hampering Accessibility and Inclusion

Under the existing tax regime, many of these goods have traditionally been exempt from indirect taxes such as VAT, excise and customs. Even with the exemptions, assistive technologies have not been affordable. However, with the addition of GST, the situation becomes even more dire. For instance, according to India Today, the current market price for a Braille typewriter is about INR 34,000[3], or over 20 times higher than the monthly income of an impoverished urban Indian. Even with the new 5 percent GST (a reduction from the previous 18 percent), this would work out to INR 35,700. Given that 29.5 percent of the total population of India remained below the poverty line in 2011-12 and had a monthly per capita consumption of less than INR 972 in rural areas and INR 1407 in urban areas, [4] assistive technology would be prohibitively expensive even for the average Indian, let alone persons with disabilities.

GST – Discriminatory against Persons with Disabilities

The proposed GST on assistive technology is not only detrimental to the use of assistive technology, it discriminates against the right to equality of persons with disabilities.

Tools necessary for people pursuing their livelihood, such as agricultural implements and hand tools such as spades, shovels, mattocks, etc. used in agriculture, horticulture and forestry are exempt from any tax. However, assistive technologies which are just as vital for the education and livelihood of persons with disabilities, have been included in the list of items taxed under GST. While the Government of India’s move to protect the livelihood of agricultural workers is commendable, it needs to equally protect the right to livelihood of persons with disabilities who are working - 31% of whom are in the agricultural sector and will suffer from the imposition of GST.

GST – Impacting Mobility

The proposed GST on motor vehicles for persons with disabilities also impacts their right to mobility as per Article 41(2) of the Persons with Disabilities Act which calls for the government of India to “promote the personal mobility of persons with disabilities at affordable cost” through measures including incentives and concessions. The imposition of such a high tax on car purchases by persons with disabilities is in direct contravention of this.

Legal Framework

The proposed GST implementation and tax on products and services that are critical for persons with disabilities to pursue independence, literacy and employment with dignity runs counter to both national and international law to which India is a signatory.

Article 38 of the Constitution of India also requires the government to minimize inequalities in income, status, facilities and opportunities among individuals and groups of people.

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, enjoin the government to utilise the capacity of persons with disabilities by providing appropriate environment (Art 3(2) ) and take necessary steps to ensure reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities (Art 3(5)).

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which India has signed and ratified, calls on nations to promote the development and adoption of assistive technologies and devices for persons with disabilities, again “giving priority to technologies at an affordable cost.” (Article 4 (g)). Additional provisions include:

Art 4 – General Obligations asks states parties to take into account the protection and promotion of the human rights of persons with disabilities in all policies and programmes;
Art 5 (3) - asks States Parties to take all appropriate steps to ensure that reasonable accommodation is provided
Article 20 also requires nations to facilitate access to mobility aids, assistive technologies and other intermediaries, and requires that they be made available at affordable cost.
Art 24 on Education enjoins States parties to ensure persons with disabilities have access to inclusive education, that reasonable accommodation is provided and use of Braille, alternative modes and formats is facilitated
Art 27 on Work and employment required nations to protect the rights of persons with disabilities, on an equal basis with others, to just and favourable conditions of work
Art 29 on participation in political and public life advocates the creation of an environment that enables persons with disabilities to participate fully and effectively in the conduct of public affairs

International Practices

While developed countries do levy some tax on assistive technology and devices used by persons with disabilities, these are typically lower than the general rates. Countries in the EU levy lower VAT rates on medical equipment for persons with disabilities [5] for instance 6% in Belgium and 3% in Luxembourg. However, a point to be noted here is that the literacy and employment rates for persons with disabilities in these countries are much higher than in India, where the low literacy and work participation mean that even low levels of taxation on assistive technology make items prohibitively expensive.

An alternative approach more suitable in the Indian context, is that followed by developing countries such as Brazil and the Philippines. In Brazil, which has around 16 million [6] persons with disabilities, the import and sale of assistive technologies such as wheelchairs, Braille machines, calculators with voice synthesizers and hearing aids are exempt from major federal taxes. In addition, persons with disabilities wishing to buy a car also enjoy exemptions from several federal and municipal taxes. [7] In the Philippines, where 1.57 % of the population [8] have some form of disability, the Republic Act 9442[9] guarantees a 20 per cent discount for persons with disabilities and also provides assistance for education. Discounted goods and services include:

Restaurants, hotels and other recreation centers
Theaters, concert halls, carnivals, and other cultural and leisure centers
The purchase of medicines from drugstores
Medical, diagnostic and laboratory fees
Medical and dental service, including doctors’ fees
Domestic air and sea travel
Public railways, skyways, and bus fare

In addition to this, Republic Act 10754 [10] adds an exemption from the 12 percent VAT for persons with disabilities as well. Both of these represent a significant discount.

Conclusion

We fully concur with the representations made by different organisations working for persons with disabilities in India seeking a complete roll back of GST for persons with disabilities. India has in the past, refrained from taxing the disabled deliberately, keeping in mind their particular needs and circumstances and nothing has changed in the past few years to warrant this move. Persons with disabilities remain below the poverty line, without access to information, resources and the ability to enjoy even their basic human rights to live a life of freedom, independence, dignity, inclusion and participation. It is unconscionable to place such articles of basic need such as crutches and wheel chairs without which a person cannot even move on the same level as other goods. Certainly these are more basic than other items such as glass bangles or kajal which are not subject to GST or semi-precious stones which are taxed at a very minimum.
Rolling back GST would be in accordance with national and international legal commitment. India cannot place itself on the same level as countries in the EU for taxing the disabled; we do not have the same infrastructure and resources which these countries have made available for their disabled citizens, nor the social security measures which they offer. They are better placed in terms of development and progress of the disabled, with regard to education, employment and daily living. We cannot impose 18% tax on vehicles for the disabled while we are not providing them with a completely functional accessible transport network, accessible roads and a barrier-free environment. A very small percentage of persons with disabilities in India is actually living a full and complete life with access to resources and aids, an imposition of tax will further minimise chances of progress in the years to come of empowerment and emancipation of persons with disabilities. India has been a thought leader in the field of disability internationally in terms of its policies and served as an inspiration to countries around us. We were one of the earliest countries to sign and ratify the UNCRPD, as well as the first country to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty more recently in 2014. We do not lack in spirit, however do not always follow up with action. The roll back on GST would be an appropriate move in line with our commitment to enable human rights for persons with disabilities and empower them with the use of technology and other tools and resources.
Specified exemptions for use of assistive technologies- Technology has proven a source of tremendous empowerment to persons with disabilities. Given that most ICTs are to be taxed at 18%, we strongly urge the government to specifically exclude all ICTs and downloaded software and content which are intended for persons with disabilities from tax. By imposing tax on an enabling technology, it would be tantamount to imposing tax on a sensory organ, i.e., by imposing tax on a hearing aid or screen reader, which would enable a deaf person to hear/ a blind person to read, it would be like imposing tax on ears or eyes. We hence strongly urge the government to reconsider the present move and set right the error which has been committed by subjecting goods and services for persons with disabilities to tax. We recommend review, complete roll back and explicit exemption on all goods and services for persons with disabilities from the purview of GST.

23 June, 2017

[1]. http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/population_enumeration.html

[2]. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-otherstates/drag-seeks-rollback-of-gst-ondisability-aids/article19123085.ece

[3]. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/gst-goods-and-services-tax-arun-jaitley-narendra-modi-disabledbraille/1/967920.html

[4]. http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/genrep/pov_rep0707.pdf

[5]. http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/sites/taxation/files/resources/documents/taxation/vat/how_vat_ works/rates/vat_rates_en.pdf

[6]. https://www.disabled-world.com/news/south-america/

[7]. http://thebrazilbusiness.com/article/tax-reduction-for-people-with-disabilities

[8]. https://psa.gov.ph/content/persons-disability-philippines-results-2010-census

[9]. http://www.ncda.gov.ph/disability-laws/republic-acts/republic-act-9442/

[10]. http://www.ncda.gov.ph/disability-laws/implementing-rules-and-regulations-irr/irr-of-ra-10754-anact-expanding-the-benefits-and-privileges-of-persons-with-disability-pwd/

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/gst-a-barrier-to-human-rights-for-persons-with-disabilities

Why GST Is A Step Backward For The Disabled

nirmita — 2017-07-03T02:39:18Z

Imposing taxes on assistive devices is unfair. The countdown has begun to the implementation of the GST in India. Over the past month, discussions about the GST have dominated the scene with several groups protesting in strong measure about the impact on their business.

The article by Nirmita Narasimhan was published by Huffington Post on July 1, 2017.

This post is concerned with the impact of an underrepresented group—that of persons with disabilities, who are facing severe impediments to their rights to independent living, mobility and participation if the GST is implemented as proposed in the present notification.

It is unconscionable that disability aids and assistive technology are considered a luxury and taxed at a higher rate than rough semi-precious stones or cashew nuts.

The new GST rules seek to impose tax on assistive technologies and goods and services which are essential for the advancement of persons with disabilities and will consequently, hamper their mobility as well as ability to participate in education and employment.

Some noteworthy points are:

5% GST on Braille typewriters, Braille paper, Braille watches and Braillers (originally set to 18% for typewriters and 12% for Braille paper and watches and reduced after protests from organisations like the National Centre for Promotion of Employment of Disabled People (NCPEDP), the Disability Rights Organisations Forum (DROF), and various regional groups. Only Braille books are exempt from the tax.

12% GST on orthopaedic appliances, including crutches, surgical belts and trusses; splints and other fracture appliances; artificial parts of the body; hearing aids and other appliances which are worn or carried, or implanted in the body, to compensate for a defect or disability. Hearing aids have also been listed under the list of goods with nil taxes, which is contradictory.

18% GST on motor vehicles for persons with disabilities.

IT software, consulting and support services, online text, audio and video, software downloads etc. have all been classified but no GST rate has been quoted, which implies that they are taxed at 18%. This means software like screen readers, assistive software for persons with cognitive disabilities, online text etc. which are essential aspects of communications and information access for persons with disabilities will also be taxed at 18%, which will severely hamper their ability to communicate and even carry out daily tasks.

It is incomprehensible that the government should choose to impose a tax on the ability to walk, talk and deliberate using crutches, prosthetic limbs, hearing aids and communicating using assistive reading software for persons who have disabilities. It is unconscionable that disability aids and assistive technology are considered a luxury and taxed at a higher rate than rough semi-precious stones or cashew nuts. On the other hand, items such as kajal and glass bangles are not being taxed at all. Is ornamentation more important than the ability of persons with disabilities to lead their lives with dignity and independence? The current GST structure is discriminatory, making it even more difficult for persons with disabilities to participate in society, and contradicts the vision of an Accessible India.

Until we are able to assure the level of independence, accessibility and resources to the disabled to live a life of dignity like other countries do, we should not levy tax like them.

India is measuring herself against other developed countries where a reduced percentage of tax is levied on goods and services for persons with disabilities. Unfortunately however, the comparison ends there and does not extend to providing world-class services and facilities for the disabled, such as accessible roads, transportation, information. It would be wiser to follow our own lead from the past decade when we had not levied any tax on such items. The progress of this group has been painfully slow thus far anyway, so what will happen if GST rates up to 18% are levied?

As a country, we are not yet ready for this. We are still in a state where thousands of children with disabilities drop out of school even at the pre-primary level because they do not have the resources—technology, books, training and help—to pursue education. We still have a long way to go in terms of achieving basic rights for persons with disabilities, which is no longer the case in the developed countries that we seek to follow. The argument is hence not a blanket opposition to tax for persons with disabilities, just because they are disabled, but on the basis that until and unless we are able to assure the level of independence, accessibility and resources to the disabled to live a life of dignity and inclusion like other countries do, we should not consider levying tax like them. A person using a wheelchair in Germany can travel using public transport, but the same is impossible in India.

Once we are able to achieve the level of inclusion and accessibility of developed countries, we may consider taxing for certain items, although perhaps still not for all on the list. However, that time is not now. To build an inclusive society, we need to support persons with disabilities in all possible ways and imposing taxes on assistive devices will take us many steps backward.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/why-gst-is-a-step-backward-for-the-disabled

eSpeak Training in Hindi Language

nirmita — 2015-10-04T08:43:22Z

National Association for the Blind, Kullu hosted a 2 day training in the use of eSpeak in Hindi language with NVDA for its special educators, in-service blind, and blind students. The programme was attended by 20 participants who came from all parts of Himachal Pradesh.

The event started with a round of introductions and expectations. Most of the participants expressed their desire to learn Hindi typing in order to either use it in their workplace or use it during their studies.

This was followed by an introduction to NVDA. NVDA was new to most of the participants, and they were amazed to know the benefits of NVDA compared to other commercial screen readers.

The next session was dedicated to installation of NVDA, introducing different menus and configurations options.

This was followed by a comprehension of Hindi text. Barring just 2 candidates, all others were able to understand the text immediately.

The day 2 started with Hindi keyboard. Participants were taught the use of Inscript keyboard. They were also taught configuring hindi keyboard in Windows.

Writing words and short sentences was the next item in the training, in which most of the participants excelled beyond expectations. Most of them started writing sentences with ease.

The post noon session was reserved for spreading awareness about different sources for obtaining accessible reading material, including Bookshare; android and its advantages, different sources for obtaining easy finance for purchase of computers and laptops, information about ADIP schemes.

The workshop was covered by E-TV HP and they filmed the participants typing in Hindi.

The event ended with a vote of thanks from the President NAB Kullu- Mrs. Shalini Vats.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/espeak-training-in-hindi-language-1

Report on 5 day TOT for Training in Use of Espeak Kannada with NVDA

nirmita — 2015-10-04T10:34:33Z

A unique programme was organized in partnership with Mitra Jyothi – Bangalore, Enable India – Bangalore and NFB Karnataka. The aim of the programme was to empower the Computer Teacherrs for the blind in the use of Espeak Kannada and apprise them with Modern Teaching Techniques for the Blind.

The training programme was held from September 21 - 25, 2015 at Mithra Jyoti in Bangalore. Fourteen delegates attended the programme. Suresh, Sandesh and Moses from Enable India were the trainers. NFB Karnataka helped in sourcing the participants, Mitra Jyothi hosted the event and the female participants and the trainers were from Enable India.

The workshop started with a round of introductions and expectations from the participants. All the participants expressed various needs, which include the following:

Need to learn to read and write in Kannada.
Need to learn new teaching Techniques.
Need to learn how to make accessible materials for teaching computers.
Need for learning EYE tool and /spelling tools.

The participants were a blend of Sighted and Blind Trainers. The Sighted trainers were very keen in knowing all they could about the new Teaching Techniques and the Screen Readers. They were also excited to know more about Assistive Technology for partially sighted students.

The Blind trainers showed special interest in NVDA and Assistive Technology.

The Session began with an introduction to NVDA and its advantages followed by a detailed presentation by Suresh.

The validation function was conducted by Major A. Singh – CEO Mitra Jyothi.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/report-on-5-day-tot-for-training-in-use-of-espeak-kannada-with-nvda

August 2015 NVDA Report

nirmita — 2015-09-03T14:55:28Z

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/august-2015-nvda-report.pdf

An Overview of Accessibility Work (2008 - 2016)

nirmita — 2016-09-24T16:09:53Z

India has an estimated 70 million disabled persons who are unable to read printed materials due to some form of physical, sensory, cognitive or other disability. The disabled need accessible content, devices and interfaces facilitated via copyright law and accessibility policies. CIS campaigns for change in this area.

The progress made over the years can be accessed below:

Publications

E-Accessibility Policy Handbook for Persons with Disabilities (Nirmita Narasimhan, G3ict and ITU; November 23, 2010): The handbook was compiled and edited by Nirmita Narasimhan. Nirmita also contributed to the original toolkit.
Universal Service for Persons with Disabilities (CIS, G3ict and Hans Foundation; December 27, 2011). Nirmita Narasimhan was a co-author.
Web Accessibility Policy Making (CIS, G3ict and Hans Foundation; February 28, 2012). Nirmita Narasimhan was a contributor.
Making Mobile Phones and Services Accessible for Persons with Disabilities (ITU and G3ict; August 2012). Nirmita Narasimhan was a co-author.
Accessibility of Government Websites in India: A Report (CIS and Hans Foundation; September 26, 2012). Nirmita Narasimhan was a co-author.
Opening New Avenues for Empowerment (UNESCO; February 2013). Nirmita Narasimhan was the project coordinator from Asia Pacific.
Inclusive Financial Services for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities: Global Trends in Accessibility Requirements (G3ict and CIS; February 2015). Nirmita Narasimhan was a co-author.
National Compendium of Laws, Policies and Programmes for Persons with Disabilities (CIS and Office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Department of Disability Affairs, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India; January 3, 2016). Nirmita Narasimhan was one of the contributors.

Reports

NIVH Annual Report 2011-12 (NIVH; 2012)
Inclusive Disaster and Emergency Management for Persons with Disabilities (Nirmita Narasimhan and Deepti Samant Raja; September 17, 2013). The report was submitted to the National Disaster Management Authority of India for their action.
Banking and Accessibility in India: A Report (Nirmita Narasimhan; August 12, 2013)
Accessibility of Political Parties Websites in India (Nirmita Narasimhan; March 24, 2014).
Enabling Elections (Nirmita Narasimhan and Centre for Law and Policy Research; March 2014).

Policy Submissions and Feedback

CIS worked with the Department of Electronics and Information Technology and civil society and industry partners such as the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), Microsoft Corporation, National informatics Centre (NIC), etc., to formulate and implement a National Electronic Accessibility Policy to ensure that all Indian information and communication technologies and electronic infrastructure (including the Internet) and research which is publically funded, is accessible to persons with disabilities. Nirmita Narasimhan was part of the policy drafting committee.
Accessibility in the New Telecom Policy 2011: CIS made a submission to the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, Government of India on December 9, 2011. CIS was one of the 27 organisations that sent a joint letter requesting that accessibility for persons with disabilities be included specifically within the goals and objectives of the policy.
Pilot Project Scheme - Access to ICTs and ICT Enabled Services for Persons with Disabilities in Rural India: CIS worked with USOF of India to design a scheme to launch projects for persons with disabilities. CIS prepared a background paper for the USOF, compiled a comprehensive global report which was later published in cooperation with G3ict and helped to convene a stakeholders meeting in September 2011 to launch the scheme and invite project applications.
Comments to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014 (Nirmita Narasimhan and Anandhi Viswanathan; October 30, 2014). The comments were submitted to the Parliamentary Standing Committee in October 2014.
CIS joined hands with Daisy Forum of India member Arushi in Bhopal to submit a request for a notification mandating that all communication by the Government of Madhya Pradesh should be accessible to persons with disabilities. The state government issued a notification in Hindi requesting all departments to comply with WCAG 2.0 and use Unicode font. Nirmita Narasimhan drafted this submission.
Accessible ICT Procurement: CIS along with 20 other organisations petitioned the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Information Technology, Govt. of India to bring in accessibility considerations within the draft Procurement Bill.
Comments to the GIGW (Nirmita Narasimhan; April 30, 2015): CIS submitted its comments to the National Informatics Centre for making Indian government websites conform to the notified standards of the Guidelines for Indian Government Websites.
Recommendations on Accessible ICT Procurement (Pranesh Prakash; May 9, 2016). CIS along with 20 other organisations petitioned the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Information Technology to bring in accessibility considerations within the draft Procurement Bill.

WIPO

CIS is accredited as an observer at WIPO and regularly participates in the meetings of the Standing Committee for Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) held in Geneva. CIS is actively involved in matters being discussed there such as the TVI. As part of its work, CIS provides comments at the SCCR and advises the Indian government on these matters through policy briefs, research and interactive discussions and meetings. CIS has given several statements on Treaty for the Visually Impaired and prepared an analysis of the consensus document on an international instrument on limitations and exceptions for persons with disabilities with the Third World Network which was widely circulated amongst the negotiators at the SCCR. CIS’ statements at the SCCR in June 2013, July 2012, December 2011, June 2011, and November 2010 are available on the CIS website.

CIS took part in the WIPO Diplomatic Conference to Conclude a Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works by Visually Impaired Persons and Persons with Print Disabilities in Marrakesh, Morocco, June 17 to 28, 2013. The conference concluded with the adoption of the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons who are Blind, Visually Impaired, or otherwise Print Disabled. CIS's Closing Statement at Marrakesh on the Treaty for the Blind can be seen here.

At the national level CIS has been campaigning for right to read, attending meetings with ministries such as the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Electronics and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, and giving feedback on the Copyright Amendment Bills. Earlier this year, CIS gave a detailed analysis of the Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2012 examining the positive changes and the negative ones.

Events

National Workshop on Web Accessibility (Organized by CIS and Society for Promotion of Alternative Computing and Employment; September 25-26, 2009).
National Conference on ICTs for Differently Abled / Under privileged Communities in Education, Employment & Entrepreneurship — NCIDEEE 2009 (Loyola College, Chennai, December 1 – 3, 2009): The event was co-organised by Dr. A. Albert Muthumalai S. J, Principal, Loyola College, & Prof. J. Jerald Inico, Faculty In-charge, Resource Centre for the Differently Abled (RCDA), Loyola College, in association with NASSCOM, Computer Society of India and CIS.
CIS organized Right to Read campaigns in the 4 metro cities of Chennai Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai. The campaign has gathered thousands of supporters and has succeeded in bringing the problems of the print disabled to the notice of policy makers and the general public.
EdICT 2010 (New Delhi, October 27 to 30, 2010): CIS in collaboration with G3ict, UNESCO, ITU, WIPO, The Deafway Foundation, DEF and SPACE and with the support from Hans Foundation and the Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Information and Communication Technology organised this event. Twenty-nine experts made presentations on a variety of topics, ranging from discussing challenges and solutions in educational institutions, to technology development and policy formulation and implementation. A total of 77 participants attended this event.
Websites Accessibility Evaluation Methodologies at Twentieth International World Wide Web Conference (Hyderabad, March 30 – 31, 2011): CIS co-organised this with G3ict and W3C. The panel discussed web accessibility evaluation methodologies and their challenges and technical survey methodologies alternatives. The panel was moderated by Nirmita Narasimhan and featured four speakers — Shadi Abou Zahra, Neeta Verma, Srinivasu Chakravartula and Glenda Sims.
ITU Tutorial on Audiovisual Media Accessibility (India International Centre, New Delhi, March 14 – 15, 2012): In cooperation with the ITU-APT Foundation of India, CIS hosted a two-day Tutorial on Audio Visual Media Accessibility from March 14 to 15, 2012 at the India International Centre, New Delhi, India.
Girls in ICT Day (Organized by CIS and Mithra Jyothi; Bangalore; April 25, 2013).

Internet Governance Forum
CIS has been organising workshops and participating regularly at IGF events since 2008 on topics like accessibility, access to knowledge, openness, internet governance, freedom of expression, etc. Details given below: IGF 2008, Hyderabad, India: CIS joined the Dynamic Coalition on Open Standards and also contributed to the authoring of the Agreement on Procurement in Support of Interoperability and Open Standards. CIS is now a part of the DCOS secretariat. IGF 2009, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt: Nirmita Narasimhan presented on Accessibility Policy Making: An International Perspective at the Global Internet Access for Persons with Disabilities workshop organised by ITU and EBU on November 16. CIS also co-organised the workshop on ‘Content Regulation, Surveillance and Sexuality Rights – Privacy, Agency and Security’, together with the Association for Progressive Communications, Women’s Networking Support Programme and the Alternative Law Forum. IGF2010, Vilnius, Lithuania: At the UNESCO Open Forum, Anja Kovacs presented the research study ‘Exploring ICT-enabled Education Initiatives for Persons with Disabilities in the Asia-Pacific Region’. The study was undertaken by CIS in cooperation with G3ICT and UNESCO. Besides this, CIS co-organised these workshops: Freedom of Expression or Access to Knowledge: Are We Taking the Necessary Steps towards an Open and inclusive Internet? with the Center for Technology and Society, Brazil, ‘Sexual Rights, Openness and Regulatory Systems’, with the Association for Progressive Communications and the Alternative Law Forum, Open Standards: Ensuring Accessibility and Inclusiveness with the World Wide Web Consortium and the workshop on Data in the Cloud: Where Do Open Standards Fit In? IGF 2011, Nairobi, Kenya: Use of Digital Technologies for Civic Engagement and Political Change: Lessons Learned and Way Forward and Open Spectrum for Development in the Context of the Digital Migration. These workshops were organized by CIS.

Awards

Nirmita Narasimhan was awarded the National Award for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities from the Government of India on December 3, 2010 on the occasion of the World Disability Day. The award was presented by Smt. Pratibha Patil, President of India under the Role Model category. The award function took place at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi and was telecast live on Doordarshan.
Nirmita Narasimhan received the NIVH Excellence Award from Justice AS Anand (retd), former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, on International Day of Persons with Disabilities at the National Institute for the Visually Handicapped in Dehradun on December 3, 2011. The Tribune covered the award ceremony.
Girls in ICT Day 2013 (organized by ITU-APT Foundation of India with support from CMAI - Association of India Communication and Infrastructure, FICCI Auditorium, Tansen Marg, New Delhi, May 7, 2013). Dr. Nirmita Narasimhan got a felicitation for her contribution and achievements in the field of Information and Communication Technology. The honour was conferred during the celebration of this event.
Nirmita Narasimhan won the NCPEDP-Mphasis Universal Design Award in the "Persons with Disabilities" category. The awards aim to raise awareness about accessibility.

Articles and Interviews

Technology for Accessibility in Higher Education: Nirmita Narasimhan wrote an article in Enabling Access for Persons with Disabilities to Higher Education and Workplace - Role of ICT and Assistive Technologies. The IIMB Journal was brought out on the occasion of the conference ‘never-the-less’.
The Business Case for Web Accessibility: NASSCOM Foundation published "Understanding Web Accessibility — A Guide to create Accessible Work Environments". In this handbook on web accessibility, Nirmita Narasimhan authored a chapter titled “The Business Case for Web Accessibility”.
Barriers to Access in a Connected World: Hans Foundation published its Annual Review of 2011. Nirmita Narasimhan wrote an article in it. She wrote that accessibility is an imperative to achieve a truly inclusive and participatory society and every individual, corporation, organization and government has a crucial role to play in nurturing it.
Girls in ICT Portal (November 28, 2011): ITU interviewed Nirmita and published her profile on their website.
An India Where the Disabled have a Choice (Dataquest, August 5, 2016). Nirmita Narasimhan spoke to Dr. Archana Verma about the problems faced by the disabled while using technology.
We Tested 18 Government Apps, and Most are not Fully Accessible to the Disabled (Nirmita Narasimhan; Factor Daily, August 31, 2016).
Mobile Apps Are Excluding Millions Of Indians Who Want To Use Them (Nirmita Narasimhan; Huffington Post; September 22, 2016).

Media Coverage

Nirmita Narasimhan gave inputs to the following media coverage:

DFI and Cambridge University Press join hands for getting print access to the “print impaired” (The Bookseller; November 27, 2009).
WIPO Proposals Would Open Cross-Border Access To Materials For Print Disabled (IP Watch; May 28, 2010).
Disability groups in India welcome progress on treaty for blind persons (The Times of India; December 20, 2012).
Indian Users’ Perspective On WIPO Negotiations On Treaty For Visually Impaired (IP Watch; February 16, 2013).
How tech brings self-reliance to students with disabilities (The Times of India; May 29, 2016).
How India’s top firms fare in employing women and persons with disabilities (Livemit; August 9, 2016).
Using technology to address issues (The Hindu; August 14, 2016).
India has a long road ahead in becoming a disabled-friendly country (Your Story; August 31, 2016).

NVDA and eSpeak

Hans Foundation is funding CIS to do a project on developing a text-to-speech software in 15 Indian languages over a period of two-and-a-half years. Following are the monthly programmatic reports indicating the progress made in the project:

Monthly Reports

2014

		March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December

2015

January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December

2016

January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August

Training Programmes

Following are the reports of the training programmes that were conducted across several locations in India:

15 days Training in Basic Computing with use of NVDA and eSpeak in Hindi (April 10; 2015).
15 days Training in Basic Computing with use of NVDA and eSpeak in Gujarati (April 16, 2015).

15 days Training in Basic Computing with use of NVDA and eSpeak in Oriya (April 30, 2015).
eSpeak Tamil Computing with NVDA (May 4 – 8, 2015).
Training in Basic Computing with use of NVDA and eSpeak in Assamese (May 9 – 10, 2015).
Training in the Use of eSpeak for Indian Languages during TOT (May 11 – 20, 2015).
Tamil Language (May 25 – 29, 2015).
Training on the Use of eSpeak Hindi on Windows and Android Platforms (May 28, 2015).
Report on 30 Days Summer Course on Basic Computer Competencies and Language Proficiency (May 1 – 30, 2015).
Tamil Computing with NVDA Training Workshop (Organized by NVDA team: Anne Jane Ask with Higher Secondary School for the Visually Impaired, Palayamkottai, Tirunelveli; June 3 – 7, 2015).
Report on eSpeak Tamil Computing with NVDA Training Workshop in Tirunelveli (Organized by NVDA team; Anne Jane Askwith Higher Secondary School for the Visually Impaired, Palayamkottai, Tirunelveli; June 3 - 7, 2015).
Training in eSpeak Marathi (Organized by NVDA team; National Association for the Blind; Nashik; June 22 - 23, 2015).
Training in eSpeak Marathi (Organized by NVDA team; SIES College, Sion, Mumbai; June 28, 2015).
Training in eSpeak Marathi (Organized by CIS; Atmadepam Society; August 22 – 23, 2015).
Training in eSpeak Hindi (Organized by NVDA team; Jeevan Jyoti School for the Blind; Varanasi; August 26 - 28, 2015).
eSpeak Training in Hindi Language (Organized by CIS and National Association for the Blind; Kullu; September 3 – 4, 2015).
Training in use of eSpeak Bengali with NVDA (Organized by CIS; Turnstone Matruchaya, Siligudi, West Bengal; September 7 – 9, 2015).
5 day TOT for Training in Use of eSpeak Kannada with NVDA (Organized by CIS, Mithra Jyoti, Enable India and NFB, Bangalore; September 21 – 25, 2015; Bangalore).
Training in the use of eSpeak Hindi with NVDA (Organized by CIS and Lakshay for the Differently Abled; September 29 – 30, 2015; Ranchi). The event was conducted online by Dr. Homiyar with local support from Mritunjay Kumar and Zainab.
Report on eSpeak with NVDA Screen Reader and Assistive Technology for Visually Challenged (Organized by National Association for the Blind, New Delhi, Centre for Differently Abled Persons, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, and CIS; January 21, 2016; Tiruchirappalli).
Report on NVDA with E-Speak and BookShare Online Library (Organized by Karna Vidya Technology Centre, Computer and Internet Society, and CIS; February 27, 2016; Chennai).

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/resources/cis-accessibility-work-overview

Mobile Apps Are Excluding Millions Of Indians Who Want To Use Them

nirmita — 2016-09-24T16:01:45Z

If someone were to ask you how many apps you use in a day, you might need to stop and count. You use apps to book cabs, to order groceries, make payments online, buy diapers, connect with friends... the list goes on. In fact apps, are becoming so intrinsic to daily life that without one handy you may have to think twice about how to complete a transaction.

The article was published in the Huffington Post on September 22, 2016.

Apps are uncomplicated, easy to use, at your finger tips and quick. So logically, everyone who has a smartphone should be using them, right? Unfortunately, that is not the case. Much as they would like to, millions of persons living with disabilities are unable to use apps to fulfil their daily living needs. This is because most apps are not accessible to users with a visual disability.

With about 30% of the blind population of the world living in India, it's imperative for service providers to give more thought to universal design and accessibility standards.

In order for an app to be accessible for a blind user, it should be readable by a screen reader -- software which reads out whatever appears on the screen. For it to function effectively, elements on web pages and applications should be properly labelled, otherwise the software will be unable to decipher what it is, not having any cognitive abilities like human beings. It will merely read out the element out as "button" or "graphic".

Here I will look at five very popular apps relating to food, groceries, transportation and mobile bill payment and banking to see how accessible they are for people with disabilities. These apps were tested using Talk Back, an open source Android screen reader.

1. Swiggy

The first app we looked at was Swiggy, which is used to order food from nearby restaurants. Here, the first screen, which shows the discounts/offers available, uses a graphics banner without alternative text, which cannot be deciphered by a screen reader. Another issue is inaccessible navigation. For instance, though we can select a food category like "soup", choosing a particular type of soup is not possible as the focus simply stays on the main category. This means a screen reader cannot read the rest of the information, making it impossible for a visually challenged person to order food.

2. Big Basket

Then we tried Big Basket to order some groceries. One of the issues we found included unlabelled banners; also, the continuous scrolling of the banner, which makes the screen reader try to constantly read the next unlabelled graphic, renders the app practically unusable. When we navigated to the list of products available, only their names were readable and the focus could not be shifted to information like price and quantity. This means the user can add items to the basket, but has no way of knowing the price or deciding the quantity, which obviously makes the app a no-go.

3. Ola

The taxi-hailing app Ola is fairly accessible, with some scope for improvement. The button to pinpoint the location is not labelled, and while trying to select a cab category the focus moves away automatically if there is no action in a few seconds. Hence, a person with vision impairments may need some assistance to use the app.

4. MyAirTel

This app for Airtel customers was found to have limited usability, with several accessibility issues. Many buttons, including Settings and Information are not labelled and hence are not readable by screen readers. The offers and discounts banner is also not labelled and keeps on moving, sending the screen reader into a loop saying "graphic". However, viewing unbilled/billed amounts and paying bills is easy, as those screens are well labelled and use minimal graphic controls.

5. ICICI - Pockets

This digital wallet app from ICICI bank was tested using an ICICI bank internet banking login and unfortunately found to be completely inaccessible for a person using a screen reader. There is no screen reader support and consequently no auditory feedback when using slides or touching the screen. One can tap and access the menus/options but they are not focusable and are not announced by the screen reader.

Over the past few years we have seen how corporates have embraced technological innovations and helped better the lives of common Indians. However, a more inclusive approach will help people with disabilities to enjoy the best technology has to offer, and lead a more independent life. It would be pertinent to mention at this point that the inaccessibility of apps is not a phenomenon which is particular to the ones reviewed above, but a common feature across stakeholder groups, including private and government agencies. With about 30% of the blind population of the world living in India, it's imperative for service providers engaging consumers through information and communication technologies to give more thought to universal design and accessibility standards. It would truly make a difference in the lives of many Indians.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/huffington-post-september-22-2016-nirmita-narasimhan-mobile-apps-are-excluding-millions-of-indians-who-want-to-use-them

Where Are There So Few Books For The Print-Impaired?

nirmita — 2016-11-04T01:20:57Z

India publishes approximately 90,000 books each year in 24 different languages. We have over 16,000 publishers, and are one of the top nations for English book publishing in the world. Clearly we are a nation which values and fosters a culture of reading and passing on knowledge in different domains ranging from literature, to yoga, language, education, science, fiction and many others.

This article was published in the Huffington Post on November 3, 2016.

We are also the world's second most populous nation with an extremely large population with disabilities, including persons with print impairments. However, the total number of books accessible to the print impaired in India is only 19,000, a fraction of what is available yearly to the general public. How is it that despite our prowess in publishing and technology, persons with print impairments in India remain deprived of access to books and other forms of information which are key to an inclusive and fulfilling life?

There are presently approximately 19,000 books converted till date, a pathetic contrast to the 90,000 books published just in India every year.

Before going further into this question, let us understand the term "print disability". Very broadly, print-impaired persons are those who cannot access printed material due to some form of disability, such as blindness or low vision, dyslexia, autism etc. For these persons to be able to read, the material needs to be converted into some other format such as Braille or accessible electronic formats which can be read using some assistive device like a screen reader or e-book reader, fitted in a laptop, mobile or stand alone device. For assistive technology to be able to read the content, it needs to conform to universal standards such as Unicode for Indic font or EPUB 3.0.

The challenges

Until 2012, one of the biggest hurdles to access printed content for the print-disabled was the fact that they had to obtain permission from the copyright holder of the work, every time they wanted to convert a book into audio/ Braille/ other formats. This was often unsuccessful, time consuming and required resources beyond the means of most blindness organizations, who could convert only a bare minimum of books, mostly excerpts from school text books for their readers. After over a decade of sustained advocacy, the Government included section 52 (1)(zb) in the Indian Copyright Act, a fair use exception which permitted conversion of copyrighted works into any accessible format for the benefit of a person with a disability on a non-profit basis. For profit, conversion is permitted on certain terms. This considerably opened up the world of books for persons with print impairments in India. In September 2016, the Marrakesh Treaty for the Visually Impaired also came into force, which means that cross-border sharing of accessible books can happen between countries which have ratified the Treaty.

However, despite these measures, the availability of books remains abysmal. While the legal issues have been sorted out to a large extent, the practical situation is harder to deal with and there are significant hurdles in creation and dissemination as well as equipping users to read accessible books.

Firstly, organizations serving the print-impaired do not have the bandwidth to undertake large scale conversions of each and every book that gets published. At present, organizations have to spend considerable time and resources converting content into an accessible electronic format before they can make it available to end users. Consider this, the cost of typing out one page of a regional language like Telugu is approximately ₹30 So it would cost ₹3000 to type out a 100-page Telugu book, in addition to the price already paid to purchase the book. Apart from the unaffordability, the lack of equipment and personnel necessitates conversion being carried out in a very limited manner and mostly for books which are critical for studies and in high demand, since state boards do not provide accessible versions of school text books.

The simplest way to address accessible book creation would be for publishers to adopt EPUB 3.0 and ensure that books are "born accessible"...

While the Daisy Forum of India, along with the Government of India recently opened an online accessible digital library called the Sugamya Pustakalaya, it needs to be populated with accessible content. There are presently approximately 19,000 books converted till date, a pathetic contrast to the 90,000 books published just in India every year. Even international organizations such as Bookshare which have been expending millions to convert books in different countries have only succeeded in making 500,000 accessible books available in all, and these too are not equally available to persons in every country due to copyright issues.

The other challenge is to equip each and every print-impaired person with a device such as a laptop or mobile phone on which he/ she can read and work with the book. Of course, merely providing devices is pointless—appropriate training in how to use them is essential.

There are also issues of inadequate distribution networks to reach out to print impaired persons in urban and remote parts of India, which still need to be addressed.

Apart from the challenges specific to creating and disseminating accessible books, other digitization activities can also add to the problem. For instance, the Digital Library of India project, a spectacular effort to digitize books of all genres, is said to have a library of 550,603 books including several really old manuscripts and historical books. However, all of these are scanned and saved as inaccessible image files, rendering them of no use to the print-impaired.

Another problem is in the case of Indian language content which is often created in a nonUnicode font, making it unreadable for persons using screen readers.

How can we improve the situation?

The simplest way to address accessible book creation would be for publishers to adopt EPUB 3.0 and ensure that books are "born accessible" since they anyway produce a digital file of a book before bringing it out in print. This would obviate the entire cost, time and effort spent on conversion. Also, selling accessible e-versions to the print impaired could be a huge business opportunity for publishers, considering the large market for such books in India and globally. More information on this can be obtained from Accessible Book Consortium or by writing to BookShare.

We also need to ensure all digitization activities consider accessibility requirements and create resources that conform to accessibility standards.

We have the law, the technology, the books and the people, but need a concerted effort from multiple stakeholders... to bring all of these together.

On the technology front, an NGO-driven project over the past four years has now made text to speech available for several Indian languages using the open source text to speech engine e-Speak, which works with both laptops and Android phones. The government, with institutions like the IIT, is also driving initiatives to develop text to speech and optical character recognition (OCR) software for Indian languages. However, there is some way to go before these become available to end users.

To sum up, we have the law, we have the technology, the books and the people, but need a concerted effort from multiple stakeholders—the government, publishers, educational institutions and NGOs—to bring all of these together, so that every print-impaired person in India can enjoy the right to read.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/huffington-post-november-3-2016-nirmita-narasimhan-where-are-there-so-few-books-for-print-impaired

Mobile Accessibility Practices

nirmita — 2017-04-12T13:48:13Z

Over the past few months the Centre for Internet & Society along with some like minded organizations had been working on framing a feasible accessibility guidelines for mobile apps which they could recommend to the Government of India, since there is no single standard in existence at the moment.

Problem Statement

The shift to digital governance and availability of assistive technologies have been both empowering as well as frustrating for persons with disabilities, who comprise approximately 150 million of the Indian population. Government initiatives such as the Digital India campaign are increasingly delivering basic functions of governance through information technologies. In the past year, the government, private sector and the world at large have embraced mobile applications as a preferred medium for user interactions and transactions.

The Mobile Seva App Store hosts 790 government apps, which provide services including voter information, agricultural assistance, welfare scheme signups, and educational content provision. In addition, the overall app market in India has also grown rapidly, with almost 5 times as many apps downloaded in 2015 compared to the previous year. These include apps which let users access everyday services like transportation, communication and entertainment.

However, for persons with disabilities, many of these apps, and consequently the services they provide, are inaccessible and often impossible to use. Research in the past year that looked at several apps, both government and private, found that a majority of the apps are inaccessible and unusable, especially for persons with low vision and blindness.

Read the full submission

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/mobile-accessibility-practices

The ICT Opportunity for a Disability-Inclusive Development Framework

nirmita — 2013-09-30T07:25:26Z

This report has been prepared by the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, G3ict, International Disability Alliance, International Telecommunication Union, Microsoft, Telecentre.org Foundation, and UNESCO.

Click to read the original published by ITU here.

The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) was one of the organizations whose experiences, views, recommendations and proposals went into the making of this report. CIS name is mentioned in Annex 1 on page 57.

The report demonstrates how Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), have become a positive force of transformation and a crucial element of any personal development, empowerment and institutional framework for inclusive development.

While the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) represent a concerted effort to address global poverty, there is a striking gap in the current MDGs and their inclusion of persons with disabilities. The estimated 1 billion persons with disabilities are still excluded from equitable access to resources (education, healthcare, etc.) and as a result persons with disabilities experience disproportionately high rates of poverty. In spite of the conclusion of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2006, disability remains largely invisible in most mainstream development processes.

Click to download the full report here.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/ict-opportunity-for-disability-inclusive-development-framework