Australian user involvement in accessibility and standards ASTAP 10 Accessibility and Usability Work

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Australian user involvement in accessibility and
standardsASTAP 10 Accessibility and Usability
WorkshopRydges Hotel, 186 Exhibition St.,
Melbourne, 27th October 2005

• Associate Professor Christopher Newell, AM

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Disclosure and Disclaimer

• The presenter is Chair of the Disability Council
  of the Australian Communications Industry Forum,
  but is not speaking in this capacity.

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• Focus in Australia is on codes for information
  on accessible equipment rather than equipment
  accessibility itself
• An interesting contrast with international moves
  to develop guidelines on equipment accessibility
  itself such as the work being done in Japan and
  in the ITU-T.

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• Australian consumers are an integral part of
  standards development
• People with disability offer vital experience,
  insight and balance in telecommunications debates
• Telecommunications legislation refers to
  disability discrimination legislation

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• Disability Action Plans - Telstra and Optus
• Consumer representation funding in
  telecommunications
• ACIF Disability Council and Consumer Council
• Work, impact on \PWD in standards development,
  workshops, input into Working Committees, other
  groups such as NGN

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Positive Examples

• AS/ACIF Disability Standard with two features
  only. Code under development on information on
  accessible phone features - need for Australian
  disability reps. to work on regional and
  international level to achieve more
• Telstra consultation - TCCC and Telstra
  Disability Forum
• Optus consultation

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• Other industry consultation TIO and AMTA

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Further reading

• Astbrink, G. Newell, C. Fostering Access to
  Telecommunications for Australians with
  Disabilities The TEDICORE Approach,
  Telecommunications Journal of Australia, Vol. 52,
  No 1, Autumn 2002, pp 39- 44.
• Goggin, G. Newell, C. Digital Disability The
  Social Construction of Disability in New Media,
  Rowman Littlefield, Boulder, Colorado, USA,
  2003.
• Newell, C, G. Goggin, G. Astbrink H. Raiche,
  Fostering Universal Design Lessons from
  Telecommunications and Disability in S Keates, J
  Clarkson, P Langdon and P Robinson (Eds.)
  Designing a More Inclusive World, Springer-Verlag
  Ltd, London, 2004, pp 173-182. ISBN 1852338199.
• Newell, C. Raiche, H. Access to
  Telecommunications for People with Disabilities
  Australian Guidelines, Telecommunications
  Journal of Australia, Vol. 51, No 4, Summer,
  2001, pp 31-34.

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Contact details

• Associate Professor Christopher Newell, AM
• School of Medicine,
• University of Tasmania,
• Private Bag 73, Hobart, Tasmania,7001,
  Australia.
• Ph 61 3 62264854 Fax [phone]
• Mobile Ph 0418545611
• Email Christopher.Newell_at_utas.edu.au