Disco-tech 2018 on disability and accessibility to the internet

Breaking through the walls of an inaccessible internet

You may also RSVP to discotech@apc.org

177 countries have ratified the global Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which makes it obligatory for states to "promote access for persons with disabilities to new information and communications technologies and systems, including the Internet. Yet more than 12 years since this convention came into being, web accessibility remains a distant reality for people with disabilities.”

In light of this, Disco-tech 2018 will focus on disability and accessibility to the internet. The event will provide different opportunities to foreground the experiences, realities, needs and concerns of internet users who are disabled. It will begin with an informal evening event on 11 November, prior to the first day of the IGF, and end with a workshop addressing the issues in a more formal setting through IGF workshop 216 “I can’t use this App. Closing the Web”.

Disco-tech is a learning exchange. It will increase responsiveness to and awareness of disability and accessibility to the internet, as well as provide concrete examples of ways in which civil society can support actions to reduce barriers to accessibility at different levels. Disco-tech also provides a safe space for sharing stories and experiences, in personal and powerful ways, facilitates cross-regional collaboration and seeks to connect with key actors who can link local struggles and global action. Participants will share advocacy strategies, tools, policies and best practices.

Speakers:

• Anna Karefelt, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sweden)

• Arun Madhavan Pillai, SPACE (India)

• Bishakha Datta, Point of View (India)

• Cathleen Berger, Mozilla (Germany)

• Derrick L. Cogburn, School of International Service and Kogod School of Business at American University, AU Institute on Disability and Public Policy, Internet Governance Lab (United States)

• Fernando Botelho, F123 Consulting (Brasil)

• Gerry Ellis, Feel The BenefIT (Ireland)

• Judy Okite, Association for Accessibility and Equality (Kenya)

• Julián Casasbuenas, Colnodo (Colombia)

• Nidhi Goyal, Point of View (India)

Come early, bring a friend along and stay late for food and a cash bar!