SEMINAR: Accessible ICT Procurement

The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design in conjunction with the NCBI Centre for Inclusive Technology (CFIT) hosted a seminar on accessible ICT Procurement on the 24th September 2009. A keynote address was given by Cynthia Waddell, Executive Director and Law, Policy and Technology Subject Matter Expert, International Center for Disability Resources on the Internet (ICDRI), USA

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems should be chosen and designed with accessibility in mind. The choice of technologies, and in many cases their design and functionality, is determined by the procurement process.

During this process you have an opportunity to define accessibility criteria for the procurement; assess potential suppliers and solutions to see that they meet those criteria; oversee the successful implementation of the accessibility features and build the skills you and your team will require to manage the accessibility of the resulting systems and user interfaces during their lifetime of use. These may be internal or external facing systems such as websites, intranets, smart card systems or kiosks.

Agenda

9:30 – 9.40am Welcome and opening by Dónal Rice, Senior ICT Advisor with the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design

9.40 – 10.40am Keynote by Cynthia Waddell

10.40 – 11.15am EU and Irish policy, Alan Dalton, Accessibility Development Advisor for the Excellence through Accessibility Awards, Dónal Rice

11.15 – 11.30am Coffee break

11.30 – 12.00pm ICT Procurement Toolkit and strategies for accessible procurement, Dr Mark Magennis, Director of the NCBI Centre for Inclusive Technology (CFIT)

12.00am – 1.00pm Panel Discussion: Case studies and experiences. Facilitated by Dr Mark Magennis. Discussants from both industry and public bodies will examine the challenges and opportunities of accessible procurement. Speakers to include Mary Jean Smith from SSB Bart Group (USA), Henry Poskitt from Frontend, and a number of speakers from public bodies (to be confirmed).

Cynthia Waddell - brief bio

Executive Director and Law, Policy and Technology Subject Matter Expert, International Center for Disability Resources on the Internet (ICDRI)
In the world of accessibility, Cynthia Waddell is an internationally recognized expert in electronic and information technology, employment and construction. She has served as an expert for governments overseas as well as for the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations. Most recently, she served on the 2009 US Department of State Delegation for the World Telecommunication Policy Forum.

As a former Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance Officer, she is the author of the first accessible web design standard in the United States in 1995 that led to recognition as a best practice and contributed to the passage of legislation for Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards (Section 508).

She also was the built environment and accessible technology expert for the UN Ad Hoc Committee that drafted the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Since 2007, she has served as a senior accessibility consultant on cross-disability issues for the International Telecommunication Union, the lead UN technology agency. A frequent writer and keynote speaker, she most recently spoke on Accessible ICT and the Convention at the Houses of Parliament in London.

For a transcript of the days proceedings please see the attached file below