Overview

Dis-IT Conference 2006, "Hardwiring Inclusion: Building and Accessible ICT World" was held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on October 26-27, 2006. 49 people attended the Hardwiring Inclusion Conference, which brought together disability advocates, designers, product developers, manufacturers and service providers, policy makers, and researchers to share knowledge about accessible/inclusive information and communications technology (ICT) and develop strategies to mobilize that knowledge into action and change.

Most of the sessions in the conference took the form of moderated panel discussions and small group discussion. The panel discussion topics included:

• "What key issues and challenges need to be addressed to bring accessibility and inclusion to ICT?"
• "Is there common ground between bottom lines and human rights?"
• "Findings from research conducted by the Disability and Information Technologies (Dis-IT) Research Alliance"
• "Creating a climate for accessible ICT: Telecommunications as a case study"
• "Moving forward: Mobilizing knowledge for accessible/inclusive ICT"

The second day of the conference also included a session of small group discussion and reporting back on "the lessons of Dis-IT." Discussions at the conference covered a wide variety of ICT's, including computer hardware and software, wireless and other telecommunications products and services, self-service public and retail ICT's such as point-of-sale terminals, automated banking machines, ticket-dispensing machines, etc., the World Wide Web, on-line consultations, eLearning technology and courseware, and technology used as workplace accommodations.

Themes that emerged during the panel discussions included the increasing importance of information technology in the realms of education, retail and public services, employment and political participation of people with disabilities in the ability to participate in society. It became clear during the presentation of the Dis-IT research findings that although technology is increasingly important in these areas and advancements are being made in many areas toward accessible information and communication technologies there is a lack of consistent consultation and understanding of what accessibility means or requires by both industry and even people with disabilities themselves. There is a need for continued dialogue between industry and the disability community in order to clarify the ways that technology can be made accessible and what the needs of various groups of people with disabilities are in regards to information and communication technologies.

About the Dis-IT Research Alliance

The Dis-IT Research Alliance is a three-year project bringing together leading researchers, representatives of disability organizations, government, industry and service providers who have studied how to ensure Canadians with disabilities can be part of the innovations in emerging information and communications technologies of the New knowledge-driven Economy. Dis-IT has examined how information and communications technologies can increase the quality of life and the inclusion of Canadians with disabilities in four areas: employment, post-secondary education, retail and public services, and democratic participation. It is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)'s Initiative on the New Economy (INE).

Return to 2006 Hardwiring Inclusion Conference final report home page