To address shortfalls in including persons with disabilities in the Arab region, ESCWA developed the following tools as part of the Arab Digital Inclusion Platform (ADIP) to support policymakers in developing or improving national policies and technical guidelines on e-accessibility.

Technical Toolkit

A major component of the ADIP is to develop e-accessibility tools to help ESCWA member States implement national guidelines on broad e-accessibility issues, including web accessibility, telecom equipment accessibility, and audiovisual media and assistive technology accessibility, to ensure equal access to ICT for all.
Four tools are provided below.

Websites Minimum Critical Criteria Tool

This tool includes minimum critical functions that must exist for a web page to be accessible. It also includes mappings with functional disabilities, as identified in chapter 3 of Revised Section 508 and in chapter 4 of the EN 301 549 V3.1.1.

Mobile Accessibility Tool

Mobiles or wireless devices include any handheld device, regular mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, and wearables. This tool is based on guidelines derived from WCAG 2.1, which is not only applicable to web, but also to non-web mobile content and applications.

Public Access Terminals and Smart Cards Accessibility Tool

Public access terminals include ATMs, kiosks, ticketing machines, and public terminals that provide services or information. Smart cards are electronic devices (with a SIM card or an electronic chip) that hold digital information to identify holders and help in performing e-services.
This tool is based on priorities proposed by the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD) and EN 301 549 V3.1.1 (2019-11).

Procurement of ICT Products and Services Tool

This tool provides minimum guidelines for procurement of accessible ICT products and services, including hardware, software and web or mobile applications. It is provided in a general form, respecting the different procurement regulations and policies in member States.
The tool is divided into two parts. The first part (step 2) lists required criteria by ICT products to meet accessibility needs for persons with different functional disabilities, with or without assistive technologies. ICT products in the first part include closed functionality products, two-way voice communication, products with video capability, and generic hardware requirements. The second part (step 3) maps the EN 301 549 V3.1.1 requirements (websites, non-web document, open or closed functionality software, authoring tools, product and support docs) with criteria from the Websites Minimum Critical Criteria Tool.

Policy Toolkit

This toolkit is to provide a general framework for policies, measures and procedures that should be adopted to enable persons with disabilities to access ICTs and related services, to create a more inclusive society.
This toolkit includes three tools that can be used to develop an E-Accessibility National Policy.

National Policies Comparative Matrix Tool

This tool provides policymakers/users with the possibility to perform a comparative analysis based on case studies on e-accessibility policies from four Arab states along with three non-Arab states/entities.

Policy Maker Assistant Tool

This tool provides policymakers/users with the possibility to go through the different components of the national e-accessibility policy, get acquainted with them by having some examples and information, and allowing them to select some paragraphs and texts to be included in the generated draft policy.

Risk Assessment Exercise Sheet Tool

This tool provides policymakers/users with the possibility of developing a risk-assessment matrix based on selected threats and challenges.

Content Adaptation Smart Tool (CAST)

Currently under development, CAST will automate the process of content adaptation. It will aid in creating accessible versions of publications and documents in a systematic way and over shorter period of time. The created accessible versions can then be published online. For more information contact Lize (denner@un.org), Mirna (barbarm@un.org) or Nawar (alawa@un.org).