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UNESCO Champions Accessibility at the 2024 Technology Accessibility Development Conference
Beijing, 16 May 2024 – The 2024 Technology Accessibility Development Conference (TADC), hosted by Accessibility Joint Conference, co-organized by the Information Accessibility Research Association and Beijing Union University, with UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia as a guiding unit, successfully took place in Beijing on 16 May 2024. The theme of the Conference, “Protecting with Law, Sharing a Diverse and Beautiful New Life,” focused on technology-assisted rehabilitation and digital aging-friendly solutions.
More than 300 government officials, renowned enterprise executives, domestic and international accessibility experts, and advocates for technology accessibility, gathered to foster integration and innovation in this critical field. In addition, the entire Conference was broadcast live, with a total of 100,000 people watching on online platforms. The event issued a Call to Action, urging society to pay attention to the needs of persons with disabilities and older persons, encouraging investment in accessibility initiatives.
The morning session featured a forum on technology accessibility development, with a focus on policy research, industry trend, and the unveiling of new products and projects. Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director and Representative of UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, delivered a keynote speech, alongside leaders from the Beijing Union University, National People's Congress, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
UNESCO actively leads the disability agenda in China and advocates for disability issues through the UN Theme Group on Disability (UNTGD), a multi-stakeholder platform for dialogue and advocacy on the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities which it chairs, with a membership of over 120 entities in China.
In his speech, Prof. Khan praised the Information Accessibility Research Association, a UNTGD member, for its dedication to inclusion. He recognized the TADC as a beacon of progress and reaffirmed UNESCO's commitment to promoting accessibility and digital inclusion for persons with disabilities. He emphasized that “China has made remarkable achievements in the realm of accessibility and aging-friendly construction, …However, enforcement of accessibility standards, meaningful engagement of persons with disabilities in designing accessibility solutions, and addressing the digital divide remain critical areas for continued focus and action.”
Prof. Khan also highlighted UNESCO's support for research on digital literacy for persons with disabilities in China. Initiatives such as the "Baseline Analysis on the Current Situation of Digital Literacy of College Students with Disabilities in China (2022)" and "Digital Literacy for Visually Impaired Adolescents in Special Schools in China (2023)" provide valuable data to inform and tailor solutions. Building on this, UNESCO plans to develop accessible digital literacy courses specifically for college students and women with disabilities in 2024-2025 and welcomes collaborations among stakeholders in this regard.
The afternoon offered separate forums for enterprises and universities, addressing accessibility in cultural tourism and hotel industry, corporate practice case studies, AI language models, sign language linguistics, the Chinese dysarthria speech database, research on tactile display and interaction design for visually impaired users, using skin to hear sounds, speaking with hands to aid communication for the hearing impaired, and accessible design research.
The TADC successfully highlighted the importance of accessibility and the need for continuous investment and innovation in this field. It called for collective efforts to ensure that technology serves all members of society, promoting inclusivity and diversity in our digital future.
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