Evolve - Digital Accessibility Bootcamp

The rise of the internet and the proliferation of digital devices and services within the last three decades have changed the way in which people work and communicate. These developments have led to the digital economy and present new opportunities and challenges. The world is becoming progressively digital and access to essential information is being posted on the internet; however, internet access has not been not evenly distributed. There is a growing digital divide among persons with disabilities who have been largely excluded from the digital economy due to inaccessible design. Consequently, persons with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to unemployment and poverty. We are solving this challenge with our Digital Accessibility Bootcamp which creates a learning environment where designers, developers, educators, policy makers, persons with disabilities and other stakeholders can interact, learn and collaborate with each other to create an open and inclusive digital economy.

Persons with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to unemployment and poverty. Disability has a significant economic and social impact on persons with disabilities and their families, as well as on their communities and society. 15% of the world’s population has some form of impairment, which equates to 470 million people of working age.  Less than 20% of people with disabilities are currently in work and 82% live beneath the poverty line on less than one USD dollar a day. Employment rates are lower for persons with disabilities who are often paid less, hired without a formal job description, forced to take jobs that don’t fit their interests or aspirations, and may even be engaged in undignified or dangerous work. In Latin America & the Caribbean, there are at least 50 million persons with disabilities of which about 80-90 percent are unemployed or outside the workforce and most of those who have jobs receive little or no monetary remuneration. Digital accessibility is therefore essential for persons with disabilities to exercise their right to access information services, employment and education. This bootcamp will seek to improve the digital accessibility and encourage the equal participation of persons with disabilities in society.

With more than one billion people in the world living with disabilities, it’s vital that technology reflects the diversity of the users to foster digital inclusion for all. Persons with disabilities continue to face stigma, discrimination, exclusion and poverty despite their ability to function within enabling environments. In addition, a lack of access to quality education and training deny persons with disabilities the opportunity to participate meaningfully in the workforce. Further, even when employed, the disabled may experience lower occupational levels, income, employment benefits and job security. Assistive technologies and accessible ICTs can enable persons with disabilities to become entrepreneurs, gain employment in conventional job sectors, and find work in the technology sector. Digital accessibility is thus essential for persons with disabilities to exercise their right to access information services, employment, education and other opportunities. The Digital Accessibility Bootcamp can improve the accessibility of our digital products and services, promote independent living and encourage the equal participation of persons with disabilities in society, contributing positively to SDG indicators 1.3.1, 4.5.1, 4.a.1, 8.5.1, 8.5.2 and 10.2.1.

Ipsum Technologies Limited has developed and implemented the Digital Accessibility Bootcamp in partnership with the National Centre for Persons with Disabilities and the Caribbean Telecommunications Union. In October 2019, we launched our first cohort which enrolled 45 participants, with 10-15 persons engaging weekly in our live Zoom discussions which addressed accessibility issues affecting in the lives of persons with disabilities. These online sessions were recorded and upload to our YouTube channel.

We reached out to our contacts from international organisations such as Sprint Accessibility, Deque and UMASSMED to be guests and speakers in our discussions on accessible digital products and services. In addition, we leveraged our relationships with other local disability support organisations such as the Trinidad and Tobago Hearing Impaired Association (TTAHI), Persons Associated with Visual Impairment (PAVI), Trinidad and Tobago Blind Welfare Association and the Trinidad and Tobago Chapter of Disabled People's International (TT/DPI). This collaboration and exchange of information was very important. 

According to the 2018 ITU Regional Assessment Report, the most frequently cited barrier to the implementation of ICT accessibility policies was a lack of knowledge about accessible resources and the needs of persons with disabilities. The Digital Accessibility Bootcamp therefore sought to serve as a mechanism to alleviate the difficulty policy makers face when engaged in decision-making by providing a continuous process for gathering data and information on the population of persons with disabilities and their needs.

Assistive technologies and accessible ICTs can enable persons with disabilities to become entrepreneurs, gain employment in conventional job sectors, and find work in the technology sector. Ipsum Technologies Limited in partnership with the National Centre for Persons with Disabilities and the Caribbean Telecommunications Union have taken an ecosystems approach to addressing the barriers impeding the attainment of digital accessibility. The challenges for accessibility and inclusion are very great and require a series of actions that depend on the articulation of different agents in government and society. 

The Digital Accessibility Bootcamp is an innovative way of solving this problem as it creates an environment where key stakeholders such as designers, developers, educators, policy makers and persons with disabilities can interact, learn, discuss, collaborate and co-create while working on projects that solve accessibility problems in the workplace. It applies a blended approach to learning with live online sessions, an e-learning platform and in-classroom training at the National Centre for Persons with Disabilities.

According to the 2018 ITU Regional Assessment Report, it was recommended that a repository be created to store and make available courses and training on topics that are fundamental for the implementation of accessible and inclusive public policy, which was identified during their consultation as a great deficiency for the majority of countries. 

Further, the Caribbean Development Bank's Disability Assessment of Borrowing Member Countries stated: "The availability of data to effectively support evidence-based programming in keeping with the treaty, legislative and policy commitments remains challenging. Data paucity is particularly chronic for PWDs who represent 20% of the world’s poorest, and 80% of whom reside in developing countries."

Reliable data is therefore important to inform inclusive legislation, policies and programmes that are responsive to the needs of persons with disabilities and enable their fulsome participation in society and economy. The Digital Accessibility Bootcamp is therefore a mechanism that can be utilized to gather data and information which can support the implementation of ICT accessibility policies.

The first cohort of the Digital Accessibility Bootcamp was held in October 2019. 45 applicants were enrolled exceeding our target of 40 applicants. The applicants represented a diverse group of stakeholders including designers, developers, testers, educators, policy makers and persons with disabilities. There were 11 persons with disabilities enrolled: 7 visually impaired, 2 speech impaired, 1 physically impaired and 1 dyslexic. Of the 45 applicants enrolled, 10-15 persons engaged actively during the 8 online sessions which were held over a period of 4 weeks. Each session was presented by a guest speaker who discussed a topic based on the area of expertise utilizing the Zoom presentation platform. This year we intend to target 100 applicants to participant in the 2020 Cohort of the Digital Accessibility Bootcamp and in the next 5 years we would like to serve over 1000 applicants from other Caribbean countries.

There are at least 50 million persons with disabilities in Latin America and the Caribbean or approximately, 10 percent of the region’s population. About 80-90 percent of disabled people in LAC are unemployed or outside the workforce. The bootcamp model can be replicated in other Latin American and the Caribbean that are seeking to address the ICT accessibility challenges facing persons with disabilities. The bootcamp model can be packaged and distributed via an accessible website with certification training being offered virtually via live webinars. In addition, facilitators can be trained to run face-to-face bootcamp sessions at hubs in other Latin American and Caribbean territories. Further refinement of the bootcamp can be done to adapt the material to accommodate differences in geography, culture and language.

An assessment of the impeding factors to the implementation of this initiative includes a lack of policies which foster widespread availability of accessible ICTs, limited access to technology, high cost of assistive technology, and a general lack awareness by persons with disabilities of what ICTs can do to facilitate their socioeconomic inclusion.

It should be noted that addressing these barriers requires advocacy and collaboration of stakeholders involved in government, education and industry, as well as the definition of cross-sectorial policies and strategies so that the investments in improving access and accessibility of ICTs in one sector can impact positively on other sectors.  

The main drivers for the implementation of accessible ICTs and the digital inclusion of persons with disabilities are the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Sustainable Development Goals. We have sought to align our social impact objectives to the SDGs so that we can contribute positively to SDG indicators 1.3.1, 4.5.1, 4.a.1, 8.5.1, 8.5.2 and 10.2.1. Ipsum Technologies is currently working with the Caribbean Telecommunications Union and other stakeholders to promote the development and implementation of policies to support the digital inclusion of persons with disabilities through compliance with Section 508 and the WCAG 2.0-2.1 guidelines for document accessibility, multimedia accessibility, accessible website development and testing, and education/training in accessibility principles. In addition, we have partnered with other organisations such as UN ECLAC to host workshops and seminars sensitizing the general public about the accessibility needs of persons with disabilities and the importance of digital inclusion.

Based on the information we have gathered using Google Analytics, the United States has consistently been the #1 country in the list of Top 10 Countries that visit our website. According to the statistics, there are 11 times more visitors to our website who are from the United States than our current market in Trinidad and Tobago which is the #2 country. In addition, we have recorded 228 user site interactions from December 2019 to date and have generated heatmaps which reveal what type of services visitors are looking for. We are therefore seeking to explore opportunities in the United States market by offering our Digital Accessibility Bootcamp as a service that educates organisation about the need for compliance with ADA, Section 508 and the WCAG 2.0-2.1 guidelines. In addition, we intend to offer services that assist organisations with the creation of accessible documents, multimedia and websites. This would help these companies avoid litigation and create job opportunities requiring digital skills.

Ipsum Technologies has 1 full-time staff and 7 part-staff. 

We have contracted the following organisations: 

• UWI Engineering Institute  
• Game Changer Concepts 
• The Scribble Pad 
• Dream Maker Studios

Ipsum Technologies is comprised of eight (8) diverse, passionate and
knowledgeable team members who concentrate their efforts on the achievement of digital inclusion for persons with disabilities so that they can thrive in the growing digital economy. Marlon Parieaho (Blind), Asenath McEwen (Low Vision) and Candice John (Low Vision) contribute tremendous insight into the needs of the visually impaired community. They are strong advocates for the rights of persons with visual impairment and have extended that passion towards the inclusion of persons with other types of disabilities. Shawn Melville is the Managing Director and team leader who is passionate about social entrepreneurship, social innovation and development engineering. Winston Blackwood, Chinara Griffith, Niesha Nicholas and  Samuel Nicholas are equally passionate individuals and make invaluable contributions in their respective disciplines of engineering, IT, HR and accounts.

We have key partnerships with the following organizations:

NCPD - National Centre for Persons with Disabilities PAVI - Persons Associated with Visual Impairment TTBWA - Trinidad and Tobago Blind Welfare Association TTAHI - Trinidad and Tobago Association for the Hearing Impaired  CTU - Caribbean Telecommunications Union G3ict - Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs

We are partnering with the Caribbean Telecommunications Union and other stakeholders to promote the development and implementation of policies to support the digital inclusion of persons with disabilities through compliance with Section 508 and the WCAG 2.0-2.1 guidelines for document accessibility, multimedia accessibility, accessible website development and testing, and education/training in accessibility principles.

Ipsum Technologies has initially focused on developing the Latin American and Caribbean market starting with Trinidad and Tobago. We engage in public awareness and outreach campaigns at various businesses and disability focused organizations.

We partner with employers and businesses to assess their human resource needs and identify employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. In 2019, we conducted a survey of 35 businesses to assess their willingness to hire persons with disabilities. 67.7% companies responded that they would hire persons with disabilities for job vacancies if they were capable of working remotely, 65.7% would do business with another company if they created employment for persons with disabilities and 73.5% would contract a company that employs persons with disabilities for those products and services.

Employers and businesses become aware of our services through networking events and public speaking engagements and we are able to connect with business owners via our Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn Pages. 

In addition, we use collaborative spaces such as public libraries and community centers to engage persons with disabilities in discussions about their needs and desires. They become aware of our services through their disability support organisations and clinics. Lastly, we use SMS messaging to target the people with disabilities who may not have smart phones and invite them to consultations and workshops. 

The Digital Accessibility Bootcamp can be offered as a corporate training programme at the cost of USD $1000 per participant in groups of 10-15 persons. These workshops can be utilized to sensitize organisations about how persons with disability use digital technology and the inherent need for compliance with ADA, Section 508 and the WCAG 2.0-2.1 guidelines.

In addition, the Digital Accessibility Bootcamp can be utilized to gather data on the state of accessibility in the workplace. According to the Caribbean Development Bank's "Disability Assessment in Borrowing Member Countries", data paucity is one of the key barriers to the implementation of accessible ICT policy. The Digital Accessibility Bootcamp is a mechanism that can bridge this data gap by collecting and analyzing the data generated from the responses of its participants who are also key stakeholders in the policy consultation process.

An online repository can be created to store datasets and the digital accessibility publications can be made available to policy makers, business executives, educators, accessibility experts, designers, developers, persons with disabilities and other key stakeholders in the form of a subscription at the cost of US$15/month/user or US$165/year/user.

The Digital Workforce Challenge will help us to build awareness of the need for greater digital inclusion of persons with disabilities. Professionals in the Information, Communication and Technology fields should take a serious and conscious approach to making their applications inclusive to all. Leaving out an entire section of the global community, simply because of a disability, is both socially and economically wrong and ignores a huge customer segment. We intend to network with investors, other entrepreneurs and innovators who can fund, support or inspire us along our journey. We also hope that our initiatives will benefit from being exposed to a larger market of investors and customers.

Ipsum Technologies would like to work with the Caribbean Telecommunications Union and other stakeholders listed below to promote the development and implementation of policies to support the digital inclusion of persons with disabilities through compliance with Section 508 and the WCAG 2.0-2.1 guidelines for document accessibility, multimedia accessibility, accessible website development and testing, and education/training in accessibility principles. In addition, we would like to host workshops and seminars sensitizing the general public about the accessibility needs of persons with disabilities and the importance of digital inclusion. 

The following is a list of organisations we would like to partner with:

Accessibility Oz, Deque, Level Access, Equal Web, Accenture, Google Accessibility, Microsoft Accessibility, IBM Accessibility, Apple Accessibility, Perkins School for the Blind, American Printing House, World Institute Disability, Consumer Technology Association, IAAP, Essential Accessibility, Sprint Accessibility, The Viscardi Center.