The Challenge

You can read this document off-line by downloading a PDF version of it in:

challenge.pdf

(Click here if you want information about downloading Adobe Acrobat Documents.)

An European Telework Week Awards Winner
(Most innovative contribution to telework in Europe, 1997)

Version 3; March 1999.

The Facts

Many reports from the European Commission and from other sources show that the Information Society is arriving with an uneven pace for European Union citizens. As in many other circumstances, one of the social sectors which is falling behind is the disabled people's community.

In view of

• the fact that telematics enable members of the disabled people’s community to become fully integrated European citizens;
• the fact that a treasure of results from EU programmes like TIDE, HORIZON, TURA, HELIOS, and others indicate that being online supports the social and economic inclusion of disabled people and their closer integration;
• the fact that we (disabled people) have participated as target groups and reviewers of research and applications within those programmes, but have never been at the hub of the developments;

We issue...

The Challenge

We are at the beginnings of the Information Society, and it is now time to make it accessible to all European citizens, the same way as new buildings provide ways to overcome barriers in their design stage. ISdAC is a challenge put together by people with disabilities (PwD) who believe that full participation by PwD can and should be driven by PwD, with support from society through the European Union and the Governments of the Member States and from their non–disabled friends.

We are

• challenging Europe and its nations to make the Information Society fully accessible to people with disabilities (PwD), and
• challenging people with disabilities to demonstrate their abilities in an Information Society context by playing an active role in building a fully accessible Information Society in Europe.

The principles of the proposed programme

Previous EC programmes have been run with a focus on PwD, but (with a few exceptions) have not been designed, coordinated, evaluated and followed by people with disabilities. Millions of Euros have been spent on those programmes with a substantial added value in experience and exemplars but without any striking result on the ground. PwD still have higher unemployment rates, still are less involved in mainstream education and vocational training, and still are not as socially active online as their non–disabled counterparts. The programmes and projects developed so far have demonstrated the possibilities. Now its time to move from experimentation and trials to action on a widespread scale.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) provide a unique framework for PwD to be socially and economically involved in the society and the community. This framework can and should be established by those in the PwD community who are already active members of the Information Society with the support of the European Union (Council, Commission and Parliament) and the EU nations.

The PwD community includes many European citizens who can make a valuable intellectual, social and economic contribution in the context of an Information Society and a Networked Economy, but instead are currently dependent on benefits and assistance.

The widespread integration of PwD into Europe's Information Society will not happen by accident, it has to be actively promoted and supported. Given the pace of developments, the need is for urgent action not for "more research." There is plenty of goodwill that can be tapped in industry and across the society, but action on the scale needed can only come about if there is strong support at the highest levels of Government.

ISdAC's aims and proposed programme

ISdAC's immediate aim is to establish a Project Programme Office to coordinate and drive the effort needed to make the integration of PwD a reality. This office is now represented by a Board chaired by Tony Verelst, with representatives from the Periphera project.

The project programme office is addressing the following tasks:

• Developing the economic and social case – this will be based on consolidating the results of former projects, we don't believe new research is needed;
• Raising awareness of the opportunity and the requirements – in policy circles and in industry;
• Developing a strong and inclusive network that includes PwD and non–disabled supporters;
• Gaining the support of the "conventional channels" that have supported PwD in the pre–Information Society era and assisting individuals and organisations of PwD to become successfully active online so that they fully understand the opportunities;
• Identifying project opportunities – for PwD to participate in and contribute to existing EC and national programmes and projects, and for new project proposals to be developed with the active participation of PwD in proposal drafting and project management;
• Identifying barriers to progress and initiating or stimulating actions (including, where necessary, research) to address them;
• Establishing a "first and last stop shop" information source, ISdAC Service Centres (ISC), in the form of a network of top–quality service and training centres where added–value services should be provided for PwD, their support channels and their supporters. This will link to the many existing local initiatives that provide relevant training and resources to assist the successful connection of PwD to the Information Society and will help to ensure that new initiatives gain from existing experience and knowledge. It will also be a direct source of information and advice to PwD about how to "integrate online" both socially and economically. ISCs will bring together, link with and make accessible the results of TIDE, HORIZON, TURA, HELIOS, LEONARDO and COST219 programmes, as well as the personal experience of PwD and the results of national programmes and projects;
• ISdAC participation in the development of an accessible Information Society means as well that the research, development and implementation work in Europe should obtain real expertise from the ISdAC team. Users themselves, be they elderly, disabled, or any other type of users should influence the development of devices and services meant for everybody. ISdAC must be a very valuable instrument for developing an accessible Information Society. ISdAC can participate in all phases, from the design work to the evaluation of the pilot products.

Potential Projects

An early priority is to identify existing centres of excellence that demonstrate what can be achieved and where there are gaps or weaknesses to assist in establishing such exemplars.

The actual members of the team are developing as well an intensive activity to recruit more members to join the ISdAC team, and to set up ISdAC’s website, http://www.isdac.org/.

Gaining support and endorsement

The number one priority for the Project Programme Office will be to gain support and endorsement at the highest levels of society, including political and industrial support and the engagement of the social partners. The promoters of ISdAC believe that the Challenge is capable of seizing the public imagination, but the existing barriers could only be surmounted if there is a very strong support from the highest levels of Government including the President and Members of the European Commission, Members of the Council and Members of the Parliament. Within the Commission for example, the successful integration of PwD will require coherent responses from many Directorates–General – we need to make the Challenge a focus for the results of programmes such as ESPRIT, ACTS, TAP and Info2000, not just a focus for programmes specially targeting the socially or economically disadvantaged.

Among all the endorsements received, we want to remark our recent success in the European Telework Week Awards 1997 Ceremony (Brussels, November 7, 1997) where ISdAC obtained the Award as the most innovative contribution to the development of telework in Europe.

Barriers to progress

Among the barriers that can be identified are:

• Affordability of telematics & training – especially where PwD need access and equipment for a period of learning and training before they can hope to become self–sufficient. The need to keep the equipment after the training period is over must deserve attention as well.
• Credibility and acceptance – until we develop a critical mass of successful exemplars, there always will be people who will never believe that PwD can become socially and economically successful online.
• Regulatory and fiscal issues – where in many cases the benefit and other rules applying to PwD that were appropriate for the old society are inhibiting progress in the Information Society and the Networked Economy.

The cost

The ISdAC team is analysing several financial opportunities for a start–up launch in 1998 and to identify the most appropriate framework for the main programme. All the work done up to now is mainly due to the personal efforts of the team members and the support of the promoters. This includes planning and developing an appropriate workplan, initial outreach to build the case and gain support, and identification of appropriate sources for the funding of the main programme. We would also seek to identify members for an Advisory and Endorsement Committee made up of people of influence who share the vision and accept the Challenge.

A start–up phase was launched last year thanks to the support of the Periphera project (TURA UR–1022, http://www.i-d.co.uk/perip/). This phase comprised several actions in 1998.

Existing support

The initial work of forming an Interest Group, establishing a common understanding of the vision and the Challenge, and providing online discussion facilities was supported by the European Telework Development Initiative (ETD – ACTS AC223).

We already remarked the support received by disabled and other participants of the Periphera project (TURA UR1022), mobilising active members of virtual telework–teams across Europe.

Expressions of support

People with Disabilities and others who support the aims of the Challenge are invited to:

• Visit our website, http://www.isdac.org/, and join our interest group, and/or
• Send a message of support to expressionssupport@isdac.org.

Constraints

Access online is not a panacea that will solve all problems of people with disabilities. It is essential that efforts continue to be vigorously pursued to enhance access for PwD to the built environment as well as to the Information Society; to address the needs of those PwD whose intellectual gifts may not enable them to actively participate in today's text–intensive online activities; to address the needs of those whose physical or other disabilities require special equipment and services.

The Information Society disAbilities Challenge can perhaps be of immediate value to about one third of Europe's people with disabilities. Within ten years, it can be of value to perhaps two thirds or more. An intensive effort will be needed to reach these exciting goals but we must not lose sight of or interest in those who will still be excluded and will need active support on a continuing basis.