Although Arab countries are increasingly committed to realizing the rights of persons with disabilities, those in the Arab region are still among the most marginalized population groups, facing multiple barriers which hinder their ability to participate in society on an equal basis with others. Technologies can aid in building more inclusive societies; however, this requires access. Even though the Arab region has made great advances in the development of the ICT sector, also here persons with disabilities face significant barriers in accessing information and communication technologies, including online media, websites and even TV.  

 

The advancement of e-accessibility, which focuses on technology access and use for all, at national level through policy is necessary to ensure that the surrounding environment deploys technology and innovation efficiently to ease their access. ESCWA, under the Arab Digital Inclusion Platform (ADIP) project, have developed two templates to support Arab countries in the development of e-accessibility policies. the templates are:

 

During the online consultative meeting participants discussed and reviewed these two templates and made recommendations that ESCWA will use to improve both templates.