Earlier this year the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) sought feedback about what a fully accessible communications sector would look like. They wanted to develop a roadmap of shared goals to illustrate what is needed to ensure all people with disability in Australia have full and equal access to communications technologies and services.
Vision 2020 Australia and a range of other organisations supporting people with disability provided responses to ACCAN. We told them about the current communications issues experienced by people who are blind or have low vision, such as the fact that equipment supplied by the NBN isn’t accessible, that phones and computers aren’t always affordable, and that many websites and applications aren’t accessible for all. We also gave them suggestions about what could be done to address these issues for people who are blind or have low vision.
ACCAN used our responses and the responses of other organisations and people with disability to develop the ‘Ideal Accessible Communications Roadmap’ which is now on the ACCAN website. ACCAN will use the roadmap to keep track of accessibility improvements within the communications sector and encourages others to do the same.
Vision 2020 Australia is continuing to work with ACCAN to discuss how we can use the roadmap to progress towards fully accessible communications for all.
If you would like more information about the roadmap you can contact Meredith Lea, ACCAN’s Disability Policy Adviser, at Meredith.Lea@accan.org.au.