My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen, good afternoon. First I want to thank Jeremy Hunt for hosting this event here at Parliament today and for supporting the concept of full inclusion of disabled and older people in the Information Society. It is great to see so many of you here.
Technology is changing our lives, and changing it profoundly. But while most people recognise that the world we live in is more and more permeated by information and communication products and services, not everyone realises the impact this has on our ability, as individuals, to be fully enabled citizens.
The digital age has created a very different world indeed. And this rapid evolution of science and technology has without doubt made life easier and more efficient for many of us, allowing us to lead more fulfilling, safer, more healthy and better-educated lives.
At the same time, however, there is another side to this technology coin: it can create new barriers. In fact, it has already created a divide between those who can use it and those who are excluded from it: the digital divide is an undeniable reality.
Contrary to what some people suggest, the digital divide is not an inherent characteristic of technology itself. Or, in other words, it does not follow that technological and scientific evolution leads inevitably to a two-tier society. Technology is neutral. It is what people do with it that determines its positive or negative impact.
And precisely because of this point, the Charter that we are launching here today is so important. It is vital that all those who design, build, sell and use information and communication technology understand what impact these products and services can have on disabled and older people. The challenge therefore is to create ICT in such a way that it is more accessible and more usable by a wider range of citizens. The Charter is intended as a tool to engage all stakeholders in this process. We hope that it can bring business, government and the third sector together and help catalyse positive and constructive partnerships.
Let's remember that it is not people's "disability" that makes it impossible for them to use certain technologies. It is the fact that whoever created the products and services did not take into account the notion that people are individuals, with differing abilities and preferences. At some point or another, almost every one of us finds themselves in a situation where they are being disenfranchised by the lack of accessibility and usability in every day products and services.
Walking over a busy street, I am often not any more able to make a voice phone call than a deaf person. And I don't need to be blind to be unable to read the far too small text on some badly designed website on my laptop with its high-resolution graphics mode. And when people with prams enter buildings, they will happily go over the same ramps that a wheelchair user would draw on to enter the same premises.
As a society we are getting older and an inevitable part of that process is that we lose our cognitive and sensory agility. Our hearing diminishes; our eyesight deteriorates; our hands might find it harder and harder to use a mouse and arthritic or other pains might make using the keyboard a painful experience.
So, in reality, the need to create more accessible and usable products and services is not, as some people still seem to think, a minority issue. It is not just an issue of equal opportunities for disabled and older people. It is a challenge that will affect, in some way or another, the majority of citizens in our modern world.
If you want to fully participate in the Information Society, access to information and communication is a basic requirement. Our access to education, to employment and, also, to a satisfying social life, depends on our ability to use information and communication technology. Products and services like mobile phones, digital television, the Internet and the World Wide Web are not just fancy gadgets or luxuries. They are vital tools to fulfilment and full participation in our modern world.
In the past, the strategy to meet these challenges has been largely reactive. What we need is for services and products to be designed inclusively so that they are to be more usable by a wider audience. The combination of this forward-thinking strategy with the ongoing need for reactive work will make a difference.
Inclusive design is a very misunderstood concept. It is still too often viewed as a lofty but impractical principle which is costly and difficult. In reality it is none of these. Inclusive design is a pragmatic way to create more accessible and usable products and services at lower cost when compared to retrofitting accessibility and usability features into existing ones.
Whether or not you believe that we should pursue this agenda of inclusive design, of improved accessibility and usability on ethical and moral grounds, for economic reasons or simply because the law tells you to, it makes sense to pursue it.
The work undertaken by ADI, RNID, DLF and Scientific Generics is intended to help establish a dialogue. And clearly, government and the charitable sector have clear-cut roles to play in pursuing this vision of a more inclusive society. But business and industry must be brought into the partnership as well. Not just through legislative and regulatory pressure, but through the more positive way of helping them understand how it makes perfectly good business sense to do this. It's through constructive dialogue and collaboration that we are going to make a real difference.
Signing up to the Charter is your way, either as an individual or as an organisation, to express support for this vision. A vision of a world where everyone has equal opportunity to participate fully and where because of that, we will all be better off. We have a book of signatories here where you can sign and we also have an online form on the website where people can sign up. Please do so. And more importantly: when you leave here, please give some thought about how you and your organisation can help to pursue these objectives. Let's make the Information Society a fully Inclusive Society.
Thank you very much.
Speech given by Guido Gybels, RNID Director of New Technologies, on the occasion of the launch of the eInclusion charter at the Houses of Parliament, London, UK, on 15 May 2006.