Clear message from Arctic Circle:
Mainstream e-Inclusion and Design for All to create an economic
and social win-win
The International Design for All Conference on 13-15 September
in Rovaniemi, Finland gathered close to 150 international experts
on e-Inclusion, e-Accessibility and Design for All strategies to
discuss policies and practice round Information Society. A key
message from the event is: e-Inclusion is one of the corner stones
in the EU's Information Society Programme i2010. The challenge is
now to involve all value chain partners - also the non-converted -
to mainstream e-inclusion. Design for All (DfA) is a valuable asset
in this.
Mobilise all stakeholders - challenge set
Addressing needs of ageing people and developing ICT for active
ageing, reducing geographical digital divide, and enhancing
e-accessibility and usability are among the agreed priorities
within e-Inclusion in Europe. Priorities further include improving
digital literacy and competences, promotion of cultural diversity
and promotion of inclusive e-Government services, said Minister Ina
Gudele from Latvia in her keynote speech at the conference. Her
ministry, Ministry for Special Assignments for Electronic
Government Affairs hosted the Riga ministerial conference on ICT
for an Inclusive Society in June in Riga. A key challenge in
implementing Riga ministerial declaration is to effectively
mobilise all stakeholders: national and local governments,
industry, NGOs and users.
Stop stereotyping older persons
Dr. Alexandre Sidorenko is the chief of the United Nation's
Focal Point for Ageing. Ageing of populations is a globally
recognised challenge, with clear implications on access and
inclusion to the Information Society, said Dr. Sidorenko in his
keynote in Rovaniemi. Dr. Sidorenko also paid special attention to
ageing as a seriously undervalued asset to society. The realistic
image of older persons is often replaced by stereotypes. The most
serious implication of stereotyping is exclusion of older persons
from activities and social groups. The aim is clear: ensure that
older persons everywhere are able to age with security and dignity
and to continue to participate in their societies as citizens with
full rights.
The tail can wag the dog
30-40% of people are left behind from an inclusive Information
Society and the gap is growing due to ageing and globalisation,
confirmed Mr. Paul Timmers, Director of the e-Inclusion Unit at the
European Commission's DG Information Society and Media. The
political goal in Europe is clear: a barrier-free and inclusive
information society. Design for All has a growing relevance in this
context: change of demographics and saturation of information
society makes DfA commercially more interesting. The tail can wag
the dog and e-inclusion can learn much from DfA. Research,
professional training and curricula development, centres and
networks of excellence and user involvement are key means.
Pro-active and voluntary industry commitments need encouragement -
two thirds of innovations come originally from users in any field,
hence associating users at the early stages of the technology
development process becomes a key.
Nordic way to Design for All
The Nordic Council of Ministers promotes Nordic cooperation and
detects possible synergy effects between the Nordic countries.
Council's action plan on Design for All 2005-2007 is planned to
lead to implementation of DfA throughout the organisation and its
numerous projects in the Nordic countries. Central to the plan is
mainstreaming. All sectors in the Council - from labour market,
education and economy to culture or science - must consider how to
implement the plan. This includes updates in policy to include a
permanent commitment towards DfA and a requirement that the change
becomes implemented through terms of investments in the budget.
Nordic Council on Disability plays an advisory role. The Nordic way
to Design for All will eventually lead us to a better Nordic
Society - said Inge Ovesen, the director of the Nordic Council on
Disability in his keynote.
Support users as designers and innovators
Professor Pekka Himanen, a leading expert on information society
developments, said in his concluding speech at the conference that
we need to move from the vicious circle of exclusion to the
virtuous circle of inclusion. In contemporary information society
users are increasingly becoming designers and innovators -
forerunners of ideas with ability to put them into practice even
before public sector or established industry. A case worth noting
is Linux, the open source based operating system developed with a
huge voluntary community of users around the world. Three qualities
were essential in the success of Linux system, states Pekka
Himanen: creative passion, social networks and the ability to
survive.
Päivi Tahkokallio
EDeAN Secretariat Manager 2006
Finnish Desing for All Network Coordinator
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