Measures to increase differently-abled persons’ access to web urged

Common disadvantages faced by people with disabilities

• Do not have access to keyboard.
• Cannot read Bengali in PDF format.
• Cannot enter security, captcha codes, timer based web pages. 
• Cannot read tables and charts.
• No alternative texts for the images. 

Recommendation for improving differently-abled people's web accessibility 

• Using screen-reading software, screen magnifiers, Braille displays
• Websites need to provide alternative texts for diagrams, flow charts, images.
• Webpages should provide all texts in Bangla Unicode
• Every organisation must run an audit to check if their webpages are disability friendly

Experts have demanded that the authorities concerned develop special technologies and methods to help differently-abled people's access to various organisations' websites.

Bhaskar Bhattacharya, a consultant, visited many organisations' websites and prepared a report titled "Web Accessibility Report by Identifying Gaps and Barriers with Recommendations and Guidelines," which was revealed on Tuesday in a webinar on "Increasing Access to Websites for People with Disabilities." 

Speakers at the webinar proposed that organisations implement methods and use technologies so that differently-abled people can communicate and exchange ideas more through the web.

Access to the web means that anyone, especially visually impaired people, can view and understand the webpages.

Currently, there are active web portals of different ministries and upazilas of the country because of the government's various initiatives. However, Bhaskar Bhattacharya thinks that there is still scope to work on increasing the accessibility of people with disabilities.

Web portals and webpages of most companies in the country are not friendly toward differently-abled people. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities state that information and communication technology, electronic facilities and emergency services should be made easier for people with disabilities. 

The World Wide Web Consortium has also developed some technical guidelines, through which it is possible to create universally accessible and acceptable websites.

The report highlights the common disadvantages faced by the people with disabilities. For example, they do not have access to the keyboard, they cannot read the Bengali in PDF format, cannot enter security and captcha codes and timer based web pages, cannot read tables and charts, and there is no alternative texts for the images. 

Speaker at the webinar mentioned a number of technologies to help persons with disabilities, such as screen-reading software, screen magnifiers, Braille displays, and apps specific to smartphones.

They also said the organisations' websites need to provide alternative texts for diagrams, flow charts and images so the differently-able people understand them.

Besides, the webpages need to provide all texts in Bangla Unicode, so that the differently-abled people can understand them without downloading any other font. They also need to provide easily understandable subtitles and transcripts, layouts. However, the most important thing is that every organisation runs an audit to check if their webpages are disability friendly.

NM Ziaul Alam, senior secretary, Information and Communication Technology Division was present as the chief guest at the webinar organised by the Manusher Jonno Foundation in collaboration with Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) and Bangladesh Visually Impaired People's Society.

Shaheen Anam, executive director of the Manusher Jonno Foundation, delivered the welcome address at the webinar. Maksudur Rahman Bhuiyan, additional director of the University Grants Commission, Arifur Rahman, chief executive Officer of YPSA, AHM Noman Khan, executive director of the Centre for Disability in Development, Hamidul Haque, director of JPEF and Dr Dewan Mohammad Kabir, joint secretary of the Cabinet Division also spokec at the programme.