Information Technology (IT) underpins the operation of most organisations in the private, public and voluntary sectors in delivering services to customers and in supporting internal business processes such as email, finance and personnel. For a growing number of organisations good IT can be a source of competitive advantage.
But for some time large companies have been aware that there are a sizeable number of customers and employees who have difficulty or discomfort using off-the-peg hardware or software and have been trying to do something about it. Making IT systems flexible enough to be as useable by as many people as possible is at the heart of accessible IT - the subject of this Guide.
IT has enormous potential to enable disabled people to better integrate within society and the economy through overcoming some of the barriers of communication and physical travel that can prevent them accessing goods and services or getting into or remaining in employment. There are 11 million disabled adults in the UK, 20% of the population, but disabled adults of working age are only 50% as likely to be in work as non-disabled people. Similar statistics of disadvantage are seen in further and higher education.
This represents not only a significant source of untapped potential for workforce talent but also a market for services, estimated by the Institute of Employment Studies to be of the order of £80 bn-a-year. Organisations have been required by law since 1995 to make reasonable adjustments under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) to ensure that disabled employees and customers are not disadvantaged. In the public sector the Disability Equality Duty, introduced December 2006, has strengthened this requirement. The recent Age Discrimination legislation has meant that organisations now need to think about age in combination with disability, as the majority of impairments which are classed as disability under the DDA will be acquired or worsen with age.
Most organisations of significant size have developed diversity policies, recognising the benefits of having a diverse workforce that reflects the diversity of their customer base. The introduction of the new Commission on Equality and Human Rights later in 2007 will mean an increasing focus upon understanding the needs and rights of the individual.
IT Directors and Chief Information Officers play an increasingly pivotal role in the transformation of business through IT. Working with colleagues in marketing, operations, finance and HR, they have the best overview of how IT needs to be integrated with those functions to deliver business benefit. Integrating disability within the organisations IT policy and strategy is part of this. Arguably, few organisations have done this well mainly because of a lack of information or concern over costs or complexity which usually proves unfounded. They are therefore both missing out on business opportunities and also running the risk of non compliance with legislation.
The purpose of this Guide is to enable IT directors to understand and communicate to colleagues the necessity of taking an integrated approach to disability within IT and to provide some practical guidance on the best way to go about it. In the following pages the Guide looks at the available technology, sources of advice and how to measure and report progress.
There are many ways in which the IT department can help disabled employees and customers access company systems. Sometimes this will involve providing special purpose software or hardware, but in the majority of cases accessibility will be a matter of adjusting mainstream systems so that they are more comfortable to use. Often professional help from the IT department will be required to set up systems, but in many cases users should be able to make changes themselves through accessibility features built into their systems.
The degree of assistance that people need to use IT varies enormously. Users who have difficulties seeing or whose body movements are limited probably need most help. Talking computers that use screen reader software and programs that magnify text or allow users to adjust the appearance of information are invaluable to people with sight problems or who suffer from dyslexia. Solutions need not be complicated - some visually impaired people may just need a bigger screen.
Those with physical difficulties may require other ways of entering data and controlling a system than via a conventional keyboard or a mouse. A variety of alternative devices are available to plug into desktop systems including trackballs, switches, onscreen keyboards and adapted keyboards.
IT departments do not have to make decisions about exactly what adaptive equipment to buy there are specialist assessors who can be hired to advise on what is most suitable for each individual. The important thing is to consider disabled users when systems are commissioned so that accessibility is built into the fabric of enterprise computing rather than bolted on as an afterthought.
An effective policy for accessible IT enables a company to increase its available pool of employees, make the most of the talents of those already working for the organisation and demonstrate its concern for all employees. The testimony of many disabled people in the case studies in the appendix at the back of this Guide is that accessible IT makes it possible for disabled people to have a job and opens the door to more rewarding work.
Employees who are not disabled also stand to gain from an approach to IT that acknowledges the differences between people and makes alternatives to standard systems available.
Enter the 2007 e-Government National Awards
If you're proud of your organisation's web & e-Government services, its ICT project success, the make sure you are nominated, for free, in the e-Government National Awards 2007. Nominations run from 2nd July to 5th October, in 11 categories recognising this year's "best of the best strategies, achievements, teams and individuals in UK e-Government.
Platinum sponsor is KPMG, and also a sponsor is O2.
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