Role of ICT in the Development of an
Inclusive Society for Persons with Disabilities
Accessibility and ICT
in
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Suada Hadžović
Communications Regulatory Agency
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Belgrade, 8-9 October, 2015.
Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije
Регулаторна агенција за комуникације
Communications Regulatory Agency
Agenda
1.
Introduction - ICT accessibility
2.
UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
3.
Legal instruments - Law on Communications
4.
Regulatory instruments
5.
Multistakeholder approach
6.
Conclusions
Belgrade
8 – 9 October 2015
Slide 2/10
Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije
Регулаторна агенција за комуникације
Communications Regulatory Agency
1. Introduction - ICT accessibility
 Accessibility is identified in Article 3(f) of the UN Convention as one of its
eight general principles, and accessibility, including access to ICTs, is
established therein as a condition that will enable persons with disabilities
to exercise their fundamental freedoms and human rights.
 Designing for accessibility means that the content of online forms, images,
graphics, tables, charts or photos can be accessed by assistive computer
technology, for example:
 People who are blind can use software that reads web pages out loud.
 People with dexterity problems, who cannot use a mouse, can use
assistive devices to input commands onto a keyboard.
 People who have difficulty with keyboards can use speech recognition
software to write correspondence, pay bills, or work online.
 People with hearing loss can understand what is being said by realtime captioning of video and audio content.
Belgrade
8 – 9 October 2015
Slide 3/10
Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije
Регулаторна агенција за комуникације
Communications Regulatory Agency
2. UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
 The purpose of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities is to ensure that people with disabilities worldwide can
enjoy the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.
 There are significant provisions throughout the Convention that must
have an impact on national policies and strategies for ICT and the future
of the web. Article 9 of the Convention sets out general obligations for
States Parties to ensure that persons with disabilities have access to ICT
and systems.
 Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) – Convention Ratification Date
12.03.2010.
 In practice, the level of UN Convention implementation in Bosnia and
Herzegovina is at low level.
Belgrade
8 – 9 October 2015
Slide 4/10
Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije
Регулаторна агенција за комуникације
Communications Regulatory Agency
3. Legal instruments in BiH - Law on Communications
 According to Article 7 of Law on Communications of Bosnia and
Herzegovina - The regulatory principles of telecommunications
shall include:
 That all users shall have access to telecommunications services on a
transparent, objective and non-discriminatory basis which can be
provided by a telecommunications operator for a reasonable return;
 That any user of telecommunications services shall have unrestricted
access by means of that service to any other such user;
 That the interests of all users of telecommunications services shall be
protected in respect of the availability of such services, their quality
and the prices charged for them.
Belgrade
8 – 9 October 2015
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Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije
Регулаторна агенција за комуникације
Communications Regulatory Agency
4. Regulatory instruments
 The Communications Regulatory Agency of BiH (CRA) accomplished the tasks in
accordance with its competences from the Law on Communications and the
Telecommunications Sector Policy which were created and adopted by the BiH
Council of Ministers. Aggravating factor in the implementation of regulatory
activities lies in the fact that the BiH Council of Ministers has not adopted a Policy
for the Telecommunications Sector for the period 2013-2017.
 CRA rules
 CRA 55/2011 Rule on Audio Visual Media Services includes provision that
prescribes accessibility of programmes to the persons with disabilities and
special needs. However, the provision is not obligatory.
 CRA 68/2013 Rule on the conduct of the provider activity for public fixed
telephone services includes provision that a service provider shall publish the
phonebook in electronic form on its website in a form to which “screen
reader'' programs can be applied in order to facilitate access for blind and
weak sighted persons.
Belgrade
8 – 9 October 2015
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Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije
Регулаторна агенција за комуникације
Communications Regulatory Agency
5. Multistakeholder approach
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 CRA have started collecting informations about web accessibility from
BiH telecom operators since 2013.
 According to collected information, telecom operators started to work on
improving web accessibility.
 But, CRA still receive a number of complaints from alliances of blind people.
 Better situation require the active involvement of all stakeholders. Team
work, participants of 08.09.2015. meeting initiated by CRA:
 Alliances of blind people, Republika Srpska and Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina
 Communications Regulatory Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Ministry of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Telecom operators, alternative operators, cable operators
Belgrade
8 – 9 October 2015
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Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije
Регулаторна агенција за комуникације
Communications Regulatory Agency
5. Multistakeholder approach
2/2
 The main contribution of meeting is improved awareness among key
stakeholders.
For example, participants from ministry, regulatory
authority and operators got set of recommendations and book about web
accessibility issued by alliance of blind people at the meeting.
 All stakeholders express strong will to advocate for the improvement of the
current status of ICT accessibility.
 Some of meetings conclusions - actions needed:
 Intensify efforts to propose binding legislation dedicated to web
accessibility and eAccessibility in general (Draft of Telecommunications
Sector Policy for next period).
 Raise awareness and promote ICT accessibility;
 Organize trainings for users, policy makers and service providers.
Belgrade
8 – 9 October 2015
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Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije
Регулаторна агенција за комуникације
Communications Regulatory Agency
6. Conclusions
 Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country with low level of implementation of
ICT accessibility policy for persons with disabilities and specific needs.
 Certain objectives of ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities and
specific needs are achieved through regional initiatives (e-SEE).
 The Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between the EU and
BiH which entered into force on 1st June 2015 brings new responsibilities
stemming from its implementation and for BiH authorities to deliver
upon.
 Team work of participants from alliances of blind people, ministry,
regulatory authority and operators is a big step forward.
 It is expected significantly improvement of the level of ICT accessibility in
the next two years.
Belgrade
8 – 9 October 2015
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Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije
Регулаторна агенција за комуникације
Communications Regulatory Agency
Accessibility and ICT in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Thank you
www.rak.ba
Belgrade
8 – 9 October 2015
Slide 10/10
Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije
Регулаторна агенција за комуникације
Communications Regulatory Agency