Draft ECOWAS ICT Accessibility Policy (2018) v1 post Burkina Faso and Gambia Workshops
(d) Universal design ;
(e) Sustainability.
7.3.3
Objectives and Measures
ECOWAS Member States will put in place measures to provide an enabling framework
to support the development of a culture and practice of ICT accessibility; in particular
mobile communications accessibility. Access to mobile services, whether basic voice
and SMS, or more advanced broadband services delivered over a smartphone, is central
to people’s active participation in society. This will be achieved through each Member
State:
(a) Conducting baseline research on PWD’s access to ICTs in their countries
(b) Identifying and mitigating the identified leading barriers to a fully accessible
mobile ecosystem in their countries;
(c) Putting in place measures to ensure that PwD have access, on an equal basis
with others, to mobile networks, devices, services, applications, and content
provided to the public in urban, suburban and rural areas;
(d) Promoting accessible ICTs and universal design, development, production and
distribution of accessible mobile devices and services at an early stage of
development, so that they become available with accessibility features at a low
cost;
(e) Promoting affordability of accessible mobile devices and services through
requirements for non-discrimination, subsidies and incentives, where possible;
and through encouraging the design of tariff plans that meet the needs of PwD
(f) Promoting the availability and awareness of accessible devices by ensuring that
mobile operators include accessible handsets in their offers and train their staff to
demonstrate accessible features to consumers.
(g) Promoting the development of assistive technologies that can be used with
mobile devices
(h) Identifying relevant standards applicable in their countries, periodically.
(i) Promote awareness on the availability of assistive functionalities in mainstream
smartphones and tablets
7.3.4
Implementation
Recognizing that the mobile industry has in depth knowledge of its own products,
services and strategies, in particular the commercial availability of handsets and other
mobile devices with embedded accessibility features, Member States will encourage the
mobile industry to take measures to promote mobile accessibility, and will encourage the
mobile industry to develop a self or co-regulatory Code of Conduct on Mobile
Communications Accessibility for PwD in line with the objectives and measures identified
in 7.3.3 above. Where no such code is developed, the National Regulatory Authority will
make regulations to give effect to this policy.
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