ADC presents its research on digital accessibility at the 10th National Conference on Disability and Rights
On May 11, ADC’s PUEDA – For an Accessible Digital Environment campaign team attended the X Jornadas Nacionales sobre Discapacidad y Derechos – I Congreso Internacional sobre Discapacidad y Derechos and presented Access to Information Services and People with Disabilities, a study carried out together with the Disability Observatory of the National University of Quilmes.
Gabriela Toledo and Dr. Hugo Gallardo, academic coordinator, and research collaborator of the project formed part of the panel and emphasized the topic of disability and Public International Law in their presentations.
After reviewing the report, Toledo referred to the concept of accessibility, a condition that digital environments, processes, trade in goods, and services must comply with. Portals and apps must be designed so that they are understandable and usable by people of all abilities, in safety and comfort, and as naturally and autonomously as possible.
“One of the drawbacks we are encountering is that there is no knowledge of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) accessibility guidelines, which are available, and similarly, there is no sanction for non-compliance with this right,” said the academic.
Toledo closed her participation with a proposal: “Accessibility guidelines should be included within the usability dimension, since not always does something which appears as accessible turn out to be usable when people get down to navigating.”
Gallardo, in turn, referred to the international norms on the rights of people with disabilities and the accessibility of online environments, as well as the legal frameworks in force in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay.
In this regard, he added “For the realization and enjoyment of the right to accessibility, which guarantees the exercise of all human rights, there are several legal means available in the three countries. In Argentina and Uruguay, for example, there is the popular legislative initiative, where society, with a minimum degree of representation, can foster proposals that Congress is then mandated to discuss.”
Finally, Gallardo stressed the importance of ensuring the right to digital accessibility as a means for the exercise of other human rights.
“In post-pandemic times, the right to digital accessibility is a door to, a medium for the enjoyment of all other human rights. For example, to affirm accessibility is to secure the right to access an online course, the digital census, news, and information, express one’s opinion”, he concluded.
Learn more about PUEDA – For an Accessible Digital Environment at accesibilidad-digital.adc.org.ar.
