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Signs of Hope Trust have made its input in the International ICT Policy for the East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) in an effort to defend the rights of people with disabilities.
This came out at a one day meeting held in the capital this week.
The organisation noted that Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) is the core of human existence, and persons with disabilities continue to be sidelined.
A framework to monitor ICT policies produced by CIPESA which are public access, legal and regulatory framework, mobile communication accessibility, Television and video programming accessibility, and web accessibility.
The organisation has been pushing to make sure all people with disabilities have access, to gadgets, specialized design, and the environment to be adaptable to them.
Postal & Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) has been part of such discussions and they have participated in the accessibility framework for the public held in Mexico. It also regulated mobile communication accessibility. The organisation noted that Potraz Act 12:05 is not also explicitly on ICT accessibility by persons with disabilities.
They encouraged for service providers to be accountable and to provide software that suits people with disabilities.
The policies need to be revised so that they will be citizen-centric and user-friendly because every citizen pays taxes.
One of the participants said, “The constitution is hard on people with disabilities it looks like a foreign thing because there is ICT limitation to people with disabilities”.
The challenges being faced by disabled persons can be solved when there is a collaboration with Potraz and Disability Trust and service providers to cater to persons with disability.
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