The Information Society (dis)Abilities Challenge
(ISdAC)

Version 1.04; May 29th, 1997.

The Facts

Many European Commission and other reports show that the Information Society is arriving with an uneven pace for European Union citizens. As in many other circumstances, one of the social sectors which is falling behind is the disabled people's community.

In view of

• the fact that telematics enable members of the disabled community to become more fully integrated European citizens;
• a treasure of results from EU programmes like TIDE, HORIZON, TURA, HELIOS, and others indicate that being on-line supports the social and economic inclusion of disabled people and their closer integration;
• the fact that we (disabled people) have participated as target groups and reviewers of research and applications within those programmes, but have never been at the hub of the developments;

we issue ...

The challenge

We are at the beginnings of the Information Society, and it is now time to make it accessible to all European citizens, the same way as new buildings provide ways to overcome barriers in their design stage. ISdAC is a challenge put together by people with disabilities (PwD) who believe that full participation by PwD can and should be driven by PwD, with support from society through the European Union and the Governments of the Member States and from their non-disabled friends. We are

• challenging Europe and its nations to make the Information Society fully accessible to people with disabilities (PwD), and
   
• challenging people with disabilities to demonstrate their abilities in an Information Society context by playing an active role in building a fully accessible Information Society in Europe.

The principles of the proposed programme

Previous EC programmes have been run with a focus on PwD, but (with a few exceptions) have not been designed, coordinated, evaluated and followed by people with disabilities. Millions of ECUs have been spent on such a programmes contributing considerable value in experience and exemplars but without any striking result on the ground. PwD still have higher unemployment rates, still are less involved in mainstream education and vocational training, and still are not as socially active "online" as their non-disabled counterparts. The programmes and projects that have happened so far have demonstrated the possibilities. Now its time to move from experimentation and trials to action on a widespread scale.

Information Technologies provide a unique framework for PwD to be socially and economically involved in society and the community. This framework can and should be established by those in the PwD community who are already active members of the Information Society with the support of the European Union (Council, Commission and Parliament) and the EU nations.

The PwD community includes many European citizens who can make a valuable intellectual, social and economic contribution in the context of an Information Society and a Networked Economy, but instead are currently dependent on benefits and assistance.

The widespread integration of PwD into Europe's Information Society will not happen by accident, it has to be actively promoted and supported. Given the pace of developments, the need is for urgent action not "more research". There is plenty of goodwill that can be tapped in industry and across society, but action on the scale needed can only come about if there is strong support at the highest levels of Government.

ISdAC's aims and proposed programme

ISdAC's immediate aim is to establish a project programme office to coordinate and drive the effort needed to make integration of PwD a reality.

The project programme office should address the following tasks:

• Developing the economic and social case - this will bebased on consolidating the results of the many prior projects, we don't believe new research is needed;
• Raising awareness of the opportunity and the requirements - in policy circles and in industry;
• Developing a strong and inclusive network that includes PwD and non-disabled supporters;
• Gaining the support of the "conventional channels" that have supported PwD in the pre-Information Society era and assisting people and organisations in PwD support channels to become successfully active online so that they fully understand the opportunities;
• Identifying project opportunities - for PwD to participate in and contribute to existing EC and national programmes and projects, and for new project proposals to be developed with PwD active participation in proposal development and project management;
• Identifying barriers to progress and initiating or stimulating actions (including, where necessary, research) to address them;
• Establishing a "first and last stop shop" information source, in the form of a network of websites and related services (eg conferencing facilities) for PwDs and their support channels and supporters. This will link to the many existing local initiatives that provide relevant training and resources to assist the successful connection by PwD to the Information Society and will help to ensure that new initiatives gain from existing experience and learning. It will also be a direct source of information and advice to PwD about how to "integrate online" both socially and economically. The first and last stop shop will bring together and/or link with and make accessible the results of TIDE, HORIZON, TURA, HELIOS, LEONARDO and COST219 programmes, as well as the personal experience of PwD and the results of national programmes and projects.

Potential projects

An early priority is expected to be a project to identify existing centres of excellence that demonstrate what can be achieved and where there are gaps or weaknesses to assist in establishing such exemplars.

Gaining support and endorsement

The number one priority for the project programme office will be to gain support and endorsement at the highest levels of society, including political and industrial support and the engagement of the social partners. The promoters of ISdAC believe that the Challenge is capable of seizing the public imagination, but that the many barriers that exist can only be surmounted if there is very strong support from the highest levels of Government including the President and Members of the European Commission, Members of the Council and Members of the Parliament. Within the Commission for example the successful integration of PwD will require coherent responses from many Directorates-General - we need to make the Challenge a focus for the results of programmes such as ESPRIT, ACTS, TAP and Info2000, not just a focus for programmes specially targeting the socially or economically disadvantaged.

Barriers to progress

Among the barriers that can be identified are:

• Affordability of telematics & training - especially where a PwD needs access and equipment for a period of learning and experience gaining before he or she can hope to become self sufficient.
• Credibility and acceptance - until we develop a critical mass of successful exemplars there are those who will never believe that PwD can become socially and economically successful online.
• Regulatory and fiscal issues - where in many cases the benefit and other rules applying to PwD that were appropriate for the old society are inhibiting progress in the Information Society and the Networked Economy.

The cost

The initial cost for establishing a workplan within this year (1997) with three-four PwD highly involved should be around 40-50 kECU. This includes planning and developing an appropriate workplan, initial outreach to build the case and gain support, identification of appropriate sources for funding the main programme. The initial work will also identify the most appropriate framework for the main programme. We would also seek to identify members for an Advisory and Endorsement Committee made up of people of influence who share the vision and accept the Challenge.

We anticipate that main project programme costs for an initial three years programme will be of the order of 3 M ECUs. This will include a central team and national coordinators plus an outreach programme. We anticipate that from year two such a programme will have started to attract considerable complementary support.

Note that these are very "ball park" and illustrative figures, work needs to be done and advice obtained to create a realistic plan.

Existing support

The initial work of forming an Interest Group, establishing a common understanding of the vision and the Challenge, providing web pages and online discussion facilities has been supported by the European Telework Development Initiative (ETD - ACTS AC223), which has pledged to continue supporting the Challenge team during Summer 1997 with a view to obtaining funding for the initial workplan activities as early as possible.

The ETD project has also offered to manage the financial, accounting and contractual aspects of the initial work so as to speed up the start and minimise overheads and administrative burdens.

Additional Support is being given by disabled and other participants of the Periphera project (TURA UR1022), mobilising active members of virtual teleworkteams across Europe.

Expressions of support

People with Disabilities and others who support the aims of the Challenge are invited to:

• Join the online interest group at the European Telework Online website, see http://www.eto.org.uk/igs/etdlist/twdissub.htm;
  and/or
• Send a message of support to etd-isdac-support@eto.org.uk.

Constraints

Access online is not a panacaea that will solve all problems of people with disabilities. Its essential that efforts continue to be vigorously pursued to enhance access for PwD to the built environment as well as to the Information Society; to address the needs of those PwD whose intellectual gifts may not enable them to actively participate in today's text-intensive online activities; to address the needs of those whose physical or other disabilities require specialist equipment and services. The ISdAC Challenge can perhaps be of immediate value to about one third of Europe's people with disabilities. Within ten years it can be of value to perhaps two thirds or more. Continuing intensive effort will be needed to reach these exciting goals but we must not lose sight of or interest in those who will still be excluded and will need active support on a continuing basis.