New ICT Standards For Digital Inclusion Are A Game Changer For Persons With Disabilities

Advocates representing Jamaica’s community of persons with disabilities have hailed the island’s new information and communications technology (ICT) accessibility standards as a digital game changer, marking a pivotal step towards inclusion for all Jamaicans in the modern tech landscape.

The eight standards were officially launched by Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) during a ceremony at the entity’s Multipurpose Facility in Kingston in late February.

They outline requirements and provide guidance for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving the accessibility of ICT systems across organisations.

Executive Director of the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD), Dr. Christine Hendricks, notes that the standards will give the Council a stronger platform when engaging ministries, agencies and private-sector entities.

“No longer will we have to rely on moral suasion. We now have a nationally recognised enforceable benchmark. It helps Jamaica to align to global best practices, helps us to push for implementation across sectors and it will help to hold organisations more accountable because it will strengthen the entire disability rights ecosystem,” she states.

The JCPD Executive Director says accessibility does not only benefit persons with disabilities but it also benefits the entire society.

Similarly, Chair of the Jamaica Society for the Blind and Chair of the Accessibility Standards Technical Committee, Damien McLean, emphasises that the introduction of the standards means advocates for persons with disabilities no longer have to draw on international standards or guidelines, as they now have their own.

He says organisations serving persons with disabilities must now play a part in ensuring the adoption of the standards.

“[We need] to monitor, be a watchdog and an advocate to ensure that where it is not being done, we use all the available tools to ensure that it is being done, and where it is being done, we ensure that compliance remains and that it continues. I think the second role has to be that of educating the respective publics that we serve, because if persons with disabilities are not aware, then they don’t know what the service standard would be,” Mr. McLean says.

For his part, Opposition Senator, Dr. Floyd Morris, says the launch represents a progressive step in fulfilling Article 9 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which mandates that governments establish standards and guidelines for ICTs for persons with disabilities.

“In my work in advocating for services for persons with disabilities, the accessibility standards will be used as a major tool,” Dr. Morris states.

He emphasises that the standards will constitute a seismic shift in terms of access to information, services and benefits for persons with disabilities.

He expresses hope that the standards will become a part of the country’s legislative and regulatory framework.

“It has to find its way to Parliament, whether it be via some form of regulation… so that everybody, all the stakeholders recognise that this is a creature of statute and, as such, they have to abide by it,” he stresses.

Meanwhile, regarding the implementation/adoption of the accessibility standards, Dr. Hendricks says government and private-sector entities must begin by conducting an accessibility audit of their systems.

“We have an Access Compliance and Investigation Unit at the JCPD. While we are building out, we have, so far, conducted accessibility audits on the website of four ministries. We recognise that there are gaps and we will continue the audits,” Dr. Hendricks states.

She adds that accessibility inclusion will take time and deliberate effort as entities implement the standards.