IGF 2014

There are one billion people with disability globally of which 80% live in developing countries according to the World Health Organisation. In many cases, they are the forgotten billion in terms of digital inclusion policies.

This workshop is designed to identify and discuss the key policy drivers to overcome the barriers to participation in the digital economy by people with disability. 2014 is a pivotal year for Internet governance with NETmundial and the transition of the stewardship of the IANA functions. The multistakeholder model is a key part of these Internet governance discussions.

However, if a substantial stakeholder group is forgotten, then do we have a real multistakeholder model?

This workshop will bring together representatives from key international organisations to discuss and debate what the barriers and challenges are but most importantly, how to break through these barriers to bring about significant policy change and to move towards a more inclusive multistakeholder model.

Through this gradual change, people with disability will in future have more opportunities for education, employment and participation through increased accessibility to and affordability of the Internet.

The participants in the workshop will be key representatives from the Internet Society, NETmundial, ICANN, ITU and W3C together with representatives from developing countries.

Inter-governmental and international organisations will bring a high-level perspective on developments and future plans. This will be balanced with reports of actual user issues in India and Pacific Island countries.


Agenda:
Introduction of topic
Introduction of panel members
5-minute key points provided by each panel member
Focused discussion on strategies to involve disability representatives as stakeholders in Internet governance policy development
Summary and suggested actions