Technical e-accessibility guidelines for older persons

Location

Amman, Jordan

The population of older persons in the Arab region has significantly increased and will continue to do so, causing a demographic shift towards population aging in Arab countries. In a world where digital accessibility has become an enabler of comprehensive development, protection, social justice, poverty reduction and living in dignity, it is important to ensure that older persons have access to the digital world and the skills to navigate through it.

The main objective of this meeting is to present and discuss the draft technical paper entitled “Technical guidelines on e-accessibility for older persons”, which offers guidance on the design of accessible digital products for older persons. The paper provides guidelines for policymakers to address the digital needs of older persons, promote equal access, encourage innovation, improve quality of life, and deliver on the inclusion and participation of older persons in all aspects of daily life.

Live streaming: https://youtube.com/live/G9VHVbbLFIw?feature=share

Outcome document

Meeting outcome

35 people participated in the event of which 20 joined the organizers in Amman and a further 15 joined remotely via Zoom.

Participants represented 11 Arab countries.

The key takeaways are:

Include e-accessibility in the national policies for older persons and then build activities and programmes to highlight and advance digital accessibility among older persons.
Adopt technical guidelines for all public websites, electronic services, communications and information technology tools and devices, and various media and social media channels, evaluating their results and conducting periodic reviews of them.
Implement new policies to eradicate digital illiteracy among older adults through tailored approaches, such as skills programmes and clubs.

Discussion

Opening session

In her opening speech Ms. Nibal Idelbi – Acting Director of the Statistics, Information Society and Technology Cluster at ESCWA – stated in the era of digital transformation it is important to consider the needs of vulnerable and marginalized groups and persons with disabilities. She highlighted the work of ADIP in developing tools improve access for all and encouraged participants to provide feedback to improve the ESCWA drafted e-accessibility guidelines for older persons.

Session 1: Digital Accessibility and Older Persons

e-Accessibility is still challenge in the Arab region, but digital transformation strategies offer an opportunity to expand e-accessibility.

The Arab region is witnessing a fast-paced ageing transition with older persons exceeding 71 million in 2050. Older persons, especially women, remain vulnerable with little financial security and dependence on family.

The lack of digital literacy makes older persons vulnerable to fraud and cyberattacks, while internet addiction is a growing concern. Nevertheless, digital exclusion could risk the overall wellbeing of growing numbers of older persons.

Programmes to build digital skills and policies that deliver digital accessibility for older persons are a must.

Session 2: Proposed Technical Guidelines to Empower Older Persons

ESCWA national technical guideline for persons of disabilities is the bases on which the proposed guidelines for older persons are build. It is these proposed technical guidelines were presented during the session.

Services must be inclusive from design. Feedback from older persons can come from focus groups, in-persons visits and discussions to better understand their interaction with technology.

In Palestine a digital access strategy was developed with ESCWA experts and focus falls on the health, private and banking sectors.

Participant list

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