Disability and the World Telecommunications Day

By Brenda Zulu
A huge digital divide exists between the able and disabled people in terms of access to information communication technology (ICT) which must be closed if less disabled people are to escape poverty and engage in the global economy. The current Information communication technologies (ICT) revolution has enormous social and economic implications for all people.
The World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, which raises awareness on the catalytic role of ICT in meeting long-term development goals, focused this year on connecting persons with disabilities to opportunities offered by ICTs.
The focus was mainly “to help change attitudes and approaches to persons with disabilities, ensuring that all fundamental rights and freedoms are honoured, including the right to fully participate in the information society, and bring forth input, ideas and effort from the disability community.”
It is important that people with disabilities were also a focus on the World Telecommunications Day as technology was always changing. This change has come with a lot of innovations among people as there is need for people with disabilities to also have access to ICTs.
It is true that ICTs can empower even the disabled to realize their full potential and take their place as active members of the information society.
The Zambia ICT policy has however recognized the need to mainstream the successful penetration of ICTs within the existing social and economic structures on its people. The policy also recognizes that the vulnerable and physically challenged are heavily marginalized just like the women and youth.
The policy however sees the need to address ICT issues of vulnerable and physically challenged people so that they can positively contribute to the growth of ICTs as well as the use of ICTs as empowerment tools in their daily activities.
In the ICT policy government has committed itself in making it mandatory for telephone (fixed or wireless) service providers to provide toll free service to support special not for profit organizations targeting their services at vulnerable and physically challenged groups.
There is however need for people who are physically challenged to use adaptive technologies which can fit each kind of disability.
What kind of adaptive technologies are being used by disabled people in Zambia? What kind of projects are going on that favour people with disabilities?