ICT plays major role in enabling the differently abled

Ashan Kumar met Dr. Ajith C. S. Perera Chief Executive / Secretary-General of Idiriya to understand how ICT can enable persons with physical and sensory restrictions. Connect with the writer at www.prwire.blog.com

Imagine hardware and software products providing essential accessibility to facilities, services and goods in daily life for those with significant vision, hearing, learning, language, dexterity or mobility needs.

We see a rapidly growing proportion of our population approaching 20 percent composed of senior citizens. Those with restricted mobility, vision and hearing, including youth, make up an estimated 15 percent of our population - ie 3 million.

In a 2002 survey it was reported that: 54 percent of Disabled People saw internet access as essential to their quality of life; compared to only 6 percent of individuals in the general population. 48 percent of Disabled respondents to the same survey stated that the internet significantly increased their quality of life. This compares to only 27 percent of non-disabled respondents.

Producing accessible computers doesn't mean expensive hardware or software. Frank Bowe, a leading academic in the field, writes that ICT can now help the blind to see, the speech-impaired to speak and the hearing-impaired to listen.

I met Dr. Ajith C. S. Perera at the 'Passport for Digital Learning Webinar' series organized by the U.S Embassy which provided insights on how social media is used for a group of beginners, including the disabled.

Dr. Perera comes across as a passionate, positive, eminent individual, both academically and professionally well qualified in several unrelated fields where his achievements and contributions have gained him national recognition and international admiration.

A life blossoming with two international careers in cricket and in chemistry was thwarted in 1992 with the fall of a tree on his moving car in Colombo that left Perera, a wheelchair user for life.

A chartered chemist by profession, he is currently the Chief Executive and Secretary-General of Idiriya, serving on a voluntary basis.

Idiriya is a not-for-profit registered organization of professionals actively promoting 'accessible buildings' and the use of ICT to enable people who are disadvantaged in a society based on restricted ability to improve their quality of daily life.

The organization believes that designing for inclusion of all people is a cost-effective indispensable wise investment paying rich dividends, and an 'act of justice, not charity', towards the society for which we all have a 'moral duty'.

Idiriya offers professional guidance backed by practical experience and proven competence, as to how best to do this right first time.

Modern technology and ICT, have enabled him today to play simultaneously several productive roles utilising his remaining assets and skills in the form of higher education, wide knowledge and practical experience together with his commitment as a disability activist, a writer, author, speaker, presenter and an 'accessibility advisor' on designing building to enable everyone. His childhood dream was obvious by now. To excel in whatever he does - small things done extraordinarily well with great love - and thereby serving his country better as a truly productive citizen.

"Now, by reason of personal adversity, I have acquired new skills and a wealth of practical knowledge, first to face the bouncers and googlies life delivers on uneven playing fields to remain Not Out and second to play a more productive innings with a wider range of strokes to serve better humanity and Sri Lanka" he says.

ICT changes lifestyle

Seventeen years ago, at the time of the accident, the use of computers and telecommunications to retrieve and store and transmit information was never a reality.

He discovered the severe restrictions of mobility, recognized the disabling environments in the society and realized denial of opportunities to cherish his vision.

However, two years later, during his rehabilitation in England, it was inspirational for him to witness, how Computers and ICT have 'Enabled' not only paraplegics worse than him but even quadriplegics with significantly improved quality of daily life.

In 1996 he was gifted a used laptop and soon, with enthusiasm, he self-taught the basics of hardware and software such as MS Office, e-mail and laptop faxing.

The Internet and the search engines became invaluable as real-time encyclopaedias.

He saw a ray of hope to fulfil his vision as ICT began to dispel disability, diminish frustration and transform thought processes and lifestyle.

Impact of ICT

Today a wide range of services utilising ICT have surfaced to add value to quality of life laying the foundation to his current voluntary mission of national importance 'Enabling the dis-abled'.

He comments, "All the significant achievements of mine for the betterment of the society in particular over the last ten years could not have come but for ICT."

"Thanks to the technology boom in Sri Lanka, things like the cordless telephone, Webinars, e-Channelling, e-learning, e-Banking in spite of my own financial and other limitations, have already enhanced quality of my day-to-day life and that of tens of thousand others with physical and/or sensory limitations in human ability.

With the innovative mFAX service, he is enabled to receive, send and forward faxes from anywhere, anytime. With e-photo, he can get photos printed to any size and delivered home.

e-Registration program and networking, on completion, will enable rapid exchange of documents and eliminate the costly need to take and attach copies of birth, death and marriage certificates with applications and enhance the efficiency of public service.

Amazing amounts of time and resources when communicating with a friend, family or business clients abroad are saved through communication modes as Skype.

Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter along with professional networks such as LinkedIn have already worked in several ways to my immediate advantage bringing inspiration and adding value".

ICT can benefit Sri Lanka

According to Perera there are two pre-requisites towards a formidable and sustainable national economy. These are optimizing the human potential and arresting its waste and minimizing unwanted dependants and enhancing productive opportunities.

"Even new public buildings and facilities continue to be disabling for significant sectors of our population as their constructions violate the laws and a recent Supreme Court order.

This causes colossal wastes of our limited resources and affects our national economy. Yet, ICT has the potential to promote these two pre-requisites," he said.

In the current business environment, being proficient in the use of computers and software is necessary for those who want to compete in the workplace. But, there is a vital need to enable physical access for learning especially to those with restricted physical and sensory abilities, at an affordable price.

ICT should augment ways to provide urgent medical assistance, routine check-ups and care; facilitate periodic monitoring and the management of medications, especially for those living alone; enable adult children to provide camcorders in parents' homes to monitor and act quickly when unforeseen accidents occur.

However, it is imperative to think about optimal use of ICT and our resources with innovativeness and entrepreneurship on the lines of delivering low cost but high quality ICT based value-added services.

Concerns about the safe and easy access for these services to reach unhindered by the widest possible range of people in their daily use, especially the disabled and elderly, is an indispensable national need.

However it is yet a dream and here are two classic examples. ATM machines by Banks are mushrooming. However, due to poor designs of sites and vital facilities, an estimated 30 percent of the potential customers are unable to use them.

"Telecommunications is a rapidly growing industry in the Sri Lankan market. ICT facilities, especially those vital for the disabled customers such as e-channelling, should soon be made available equally to all - especially to fixed land lines.

It will be a cost-effective investment for leaders to outsource identified ICT related non-core functions to its businesses. Such action will promote BPO type industries and thereby create more ICT related job opportunities.

Today's youth are tomorrow's leaders and decision makers. They play different roles and form the most potent groups who could influence and persuade business leaders, service providers and policy makers.

They should take up the challenge to ensure these groups address expeditiously the barriers that prevent Disabled People and Elderly from making the most of ICT to arrest the grave social hazard of marginalization according to Perera.

He added the cherry on top. "Nothing can ever change unless and until we turn sweet words into action producing results."

Conclusion

At the same time as opening up productive new opportunities, ICT also has the possibility of deepening the social exclusion of people. With the dramatic increase in computer usage in every-day life since the 1980s, according to Aidis Trust Beyond Web-Accessibility by Marc L Bush, disabled People are vulnerable to becoming further excluded from full participation in society.

Implementation of the views expressed here could pave the way to embrace ICT as a force for social inclusion.

It would benefit hugely the ICT industry, humanity and the country which is also a lucrative market to tap.