6 years after India ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 1/4 of all the country's government websites still fail to load, and the remaining 5.850+ have other accessibility issues.
India's government realizes the need to combat discrimination of people with disabilities, hence approving the National Policy on Universal Electronic Accessibility, which will facilitate equal access to electronics and information and communications technologies (ICTs).
Shilpi Kapoor, member of the Nasscom Disability Advisory Group and founder director of accessibility consulting firm BarrierBreak, wants companies to employ these same guidelines and view this as another market to dial into. Kapoor says, "Electronics and tech companies have tremendous business potential and they need to recognize that. That in turn will bring e-solutions for people with disabilities."
Perhaps what will get the attention of more India-based companies is what Sunil Abraham, executive director of Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) had to say, stating, “Increased accessibility means increased usage, which means increased returns on investments".
The one thing that seems to be evident is that India is moving in the right direction toward a more equal Internet experience for all, regardless of what kind of disability they may be faced with.
