Accessible Technology and the Developing World

Most research on information and communications technology (ICT) accessibility and innovation for persons with disabilities, whether in the fields of law, tech, or development, has focused on developed regions (“Global North”) rather than developing parts of the world (“Global South”). The goal of this book is to increase awareness of ICT accessibility in developing areas, under three common themes. First, innovations created in developing states often get little attention, even though they are frequently less resource-intensive, and therefore more sustainable, than corresponding Global North solutions. Second, when Global South countries evolve their technology infrastructures (as many are doing now), it is important to avoid barriers to equal access for people with disabilities. Third, Global North design, development, and implementation techniques often will not transfer well to the Global South, and should not be applied without thought. Three international legal and policy initiatives ensuring accessibility and equal availability of ICT in developing areas are discussed: the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, The Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled, and the Sustainable Development Goals. This book brings together a unique combination of authors with diverse disciplinary backgrounds (technology, law, development, and education), from non-governmental organizations that are part of the public zeitgeist (the World Wide Web Consortium and Benetech), significant United Nations entities (the World Bank and G3ict), universities in the developing world (Pakistan and Uganda) and the developed world (the United States and Norway), and Global North industrial labs innovating in the Global South (Microsoft Research, India), among others. Foreword • Judith Heumann 6 Contents 8 Introduction • Jonathan Lazar and Michael Ashley Stein 10 GLOBAL AND REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES 18 1. Development for All: How Human Rights Break Down Barriers to Technology • Marianne Schulze 20 2. Addressing the Drivers of Digital Technology for Disability-Inclusive Development • Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo and Deepti Samant Raja 41 3. Global Trends for Accessible Technologies in the Developing World: An Analysis of the Results of the Digital Accessibility Rights Evaluation Index • H. E. Luis Gallegos, Martin Gould, and Axel Leblois 67 4. Digital Accessibility Innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean • Francesca Cesa Bianchi 90 5. Digital Accessibility in the Asia-Pacific Region • Nirmita Narasimhan 115 6. The Role of Technical Standards in Improving Digital Accessibility in Under-Resourced Regions and Communities • Judy Brewer and Shadi Abou-Zahra 137 7. Digital Inclusion in the Global South: Work Globally, Act Locally • Betsy Beaumon 161 8. Digital Accessibility and Intersectional Discrimination • G. Anthony Giannoumis and Rannveig A. Skjerve 183 LEGAL FRAMEWORKS, DESIGN APPROACHES, AND APPLICATIONS 200 9. The Relevance of the CRPD and the Marrakesh Treaty to the Global South’s Book Famine • Paul Harpur and Michael Ashley Stein 202 10. The Patent System, Assistive Technologies, and the Developing World • Amy L. Landers 224 11. Accessible ICT as a Ray of Hope for Disability Rights in Pakistan • Marva Khan, Muhammad Atif Sheikh, and Abia Akram 239 12. Design Approaches for Creating Person-Centered, Context Sensitive, and Sustainable Assistive Technology with the Global South • Mario Andrés Chavarria, Klaus Schönenberger, Anthony Mugeere, Samia Hurst and Minerva Rivas Velarde 257 13. Ludic Design for Accessibility in the Global South • Manohar Swaminathan and Joyojeet Pal 278 14. A Multi-Country Comparison of ICT and Educational Accessibility for Blind Students • Sachin Pavithran and Maria Hernandez Legorreta 297 15. Ride-Hailing as Accessible Transit: A Case Study of Blind Users in India • Vaishnav Kameswaran and Joyojeet Pal 314 16. The Role of Ugandan Public Universities in Promoting Accessible Information and Communications Technology • Patrick Ojok 331 17. Accessible Mobile Banking in India • Raja Kushalnagar 350 Index 366 When digital content and technologies are designed in a way that is inaccessible for persons with disabilities, they are locked out of commerce, education, employment, and access to government information. In developing areas of the world, as new technical infrastructures are being built, it is especially important to ensure that accessibility is a key design goal. Unfortunately, nearly all research on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) accessibility and innovation for persons with disabilities-whether from the legal, technical, or development fields-has focused on developed countries, with very little being written about developing world initiatives. Accessible Technology and the Developing World aims to change this, by bringing increased attention to ICT accessibility in developing areas. This book brings together a unique combination of contributors with diverse disciplinary backgrounds, including authors from well-known non-governmental organizations, significant United Nations entities, and universities in both the developing and developed world. Together, they present a unique and much needed review of this critical and growing area of work, and primarily address three core themes - the lack of attention given to innovations taking place in the developing world, the need to ensure that infrastructures in the Global South do not present barriers to people with disabilities, and the need to exercise caution when applying techniques from the Global North to the Global South that won't transfer effectively. This book will be of use to researchers in the fields of civil rights, development studies, disability rights, disability studies, human-computer interaction and accessibility, human rights, international law, political science, and universal design. This text brings together a unique combination of contributors with diverse disciplinary backgrounds from both the developing and developed world. Together, they present a unique and much needed review of this critical and growing area of work