Key speakers at the SADC Pamoja 2005 conference being held at Emperors Palace, Gauteng this week highlighted the issue of accessibility to ICT by people with disabilities (PWD).
"Within the ICT sector the major challenge facing PWDs is their need for accessing ICT opportunities in a manner that is different from others. It is being ignored by society," said deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
The need for accessibility was echoed by Benny Pardine, a representative of the Office on the Status of Disabled Persons, who also highlighted the need for access to ICT training programmes and multimedia, including e-mail and the Internet, within the social model.
Pardine suggested that "alternative communication methods" be found to provide PWDs with methods of communication.
The methods in which PWDs can become consumers within the ICT sector and how the disabled are able to participate in the development of new technology are also matters to be discussed at the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS), said Pardine.
"The WSIS action plan states that ICT should allow instantaneous access to information and knowledge by all people including PWDs," said communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri.
The action plan includes targets for the provision of ICT to the global society, which includes PWDs.
Included in the plan is the connection of villages with ICT and establishment of community access points, learning institutions, from primary to tertiary level, government departments and healthcare facilities as well as cultural sites.
The development of content is encouraged and all the world`s languages will be considered. Within the framework of ensuring that more than half the world`s inhabitants have access to ICT within their reach, PWDs play an important role in the ongoing development of ICT.
"Pamoja will develop a definition of accessibility so that no disabled person is excluded from the knowledge-based society and new ICT," said Matsepe-Casaburri.
Mlambo-Ngcuka recognises ICT as a science that has had a deep impact on the development of civilisation. "Without doubt, ICT has been the greatest agent of change in the 20th century," she said.
With regard to government`s contribution to the provision for the attainment of an inclusive information society as mandated through the WSIS process, it will spearhead the liberalisation of the sector to allow more growth and therefore more access by providing the necessary policy and regulatory environment.
"We need regional ICT collaboration in Africa on a number of areas. The availability of adequate bandwidth and peering with other African countries would strengthen our efforts at creating new ICT initiatives which continually take cognisance of the special needs of PWDs," she said.
There is, however, not only a need for regional co-operation, but global understanding and digitalisation have reduced the world to a global village, said Tunisian ambassador to SA, Ali Goutali.
WSIS will be hosted by Tunisia and Switzerland from 16 to 18 November, with parallel events taking place from 14 to 19 November which will constitute meetings, exhibitions and a partnership platform to foster co-operation between stakeholders.
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