National ICT Accessibility Standard Will Bridge the Digital Divide in Kenya

News Update |

Over the next six months, inABLE and KEBS will be working together along with other stakeholders, including the National Council of People with Disabilities in Kenya (NCPWD), Communications Authority (CA) and ICT Authority and individual experts with lived experiences, to draft the national ICT Accessibility Standard.

The initiative, which is a collaboration between inABLE.org and Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), will see people living with disabilities and old persons access usable digital accessibility in both private and public sectors. inABLE.org and KEBS are also working with other stakeholder organizations, including the National Council of People with Disabilities in Kenya (NCPWD), Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) and ICT Authority to draft the national ICT Accessibility Standard.

IRENE MBARI – KIRIKA, NABLE FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SITS TO THE LEFT OF ZACHARIA LUKORITO, CHIEF MANAGER, STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT AND TRADE AT A PRESS BRIEFING DURING THE LAUNCH OF THE NEW NATIONAL ICT ACCESSIBILITY STANDARD IN KENYA.

The national ICT Accessibility Standard will bridge the existing digital divide and exclusion of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Kenya. It’s geared to promote digital inclusion of PWDs and older persons by making the public and private sector digital products usable to all Kenyans.

The two organizations overseeing the new ICT Accessibility Standard development complement each other’s role in the process; with inABLE as a non-profit organization that empowers people living with disabilities in Africa through Computer Assistive Technology and KEBS as the custodian and gate keeper for the provision of standardization and conformity of assessment service.

This article was first published by inABLE on October 27, 2021