Notes

¹ ../index_e.html

² Responding Government Section

Country	Responding Government Section
Australia	Disability and Carers Branch Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
Bhutan	MoLHR, Department of Human Resources
Cambodia	Disability Action Council (DAC)
China	CDPF, China Disabled Persons' Federation
Hong Kong, China	Health, Welfare and Food Bureau HKSAR Government
Indonesia	Ministry of Social Affairs Republic of Indonesia
Japan	United Nations Administration Division
Kazakhstan	Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Commission for UNESCO
Korea(Republic of)	Ministry of Health and Welfare
Lao PDR	Department of Transport, Ministry of Communication, Transport, Post and Construction
Maldives	Ministry of Higher Education, Employment and Social Security
Mongolia	Ministry of Social Welfare and Labour
New Zealand	Office for Disability Issues
Niue	Community Affairs Department
Pakistan	Ministry of Social Welfare & Special Education
Philippines	National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons
Thailand	Office of Welfare Promotion, Protection and Empowerment of Vulnerable Groups
Timor Leste	Division of Social Services, Ministry of Labor and community Reinsertion
Turkey	Prime Ministry, Administration on Disabled People
Vanuatu	Department of Strategic Management

³ The answer from Pakistan Government with following comments:

Survey was not conducted however collected information is given below : Computer Users :3500
No. of Computer Labs more than 30.
No of Mobile Phone Users: 0.450 Millions.
No of Internet Providers=10

⁴ The answer from Pakistan Government with following comments:

Directorate General of Special Education.
Further detail annexed as per appendix-I

Institutes Related to the Provision of Training on ICT

No	Name of Institute dealing with the Disability	No. of Workshops on ICT	No. of Seminars on ICT	No. of Participants	No. of Computer Labs
01	National Library & Resource Centre, Islamabad. Daily Visits of Students Per year visits	04 -	03 -	210 12 2880	04
02	National Training Centre for Special Persons, Islamabad.	-		143 Class Students	01
03	National Institute of Special Education, Islamabad.	02	-	36	-
04	Al-Maktoom Special Education Centre for VHC, Islamabad.	02	-	54	01
05	Hamza Foundation Academy for the Deaf, Lahore	-	-	75	01
06	SirSyed Academy for the Deaf, Rawalpindi.	-	-	38	01
07	Dewa Academy for the Deaf, Karachi	-	01	44	01
08	National Special Education Centre for (HIC), Islamabad	-	-	32 class students	01
09	Special Education Centre for (HIC), Swat.	-	-	16 Class Students	01
10	Shalimar SEC for HIC, Lahore	-	-	08 Class Students	01
11	SEC for VHC, Mir Pur Khas	-	-	10 Class Students	01
12	SE & TC for MR & Emotionally Handicapped Children, Lahore	-	-	13 Class Students	01
13	SEC for PHC, Rawalpindi	-	-	07 Class Students	01
14	Shachal Sarmast SEC for PHC, Nawab Shah	-	-	05 Class Students	01
15	SEC for HIC, Gilgit	-	-	06 Class Students	01
16	Rohtas SEC for VHC, Jhelum	-	-	09 Class Students	01
17	Chandka SEC for VHC, Larkana	-	-	08 Class Students	01
18	IDARAU Absa Karachi			56 Class Students	02
19	Anjuman-e-Behboode Mazoorane Lahore			46 Class Students	01
20	Rising Sun School for Slow Learners & Handicapped Children, Lahore.			12 Class Students	01
21	Hassan Aacademy, Rawalpindi			08	01

⁵ The answer from Australian Government with following comments:

At the federal level, overall responsibility for ICT primarily resides with the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. The Attorney General's Department has responsibility for human rights issues, including disability discrimination legislation (the Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act - see response to Question 6). The Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs provides employment assistance and other services. It is also responsible for the Commonwealth Disability Strategy (CDS - see response to Question 6) .
States and territories also have departments responsible for disability and ICT access issues.

⁶Appendix II (Pakistan Government)

An Extracted information abort ICT form National Policy for Persons With Disability 2002.approved by the Government of Pakistan.

VOCATIONAL TRAINING:

Vocational training facilities at present are very limited to meet the requirements of persons with disabilities in both private and public sectors. The following measures will be adopted and promoted for further extension of these facilities to a larger segment of persons with disabilities.

• Establishment of sheltered and integrated workshops at provincial level.
• Utilization of vocational training programs administered by the federal, provincial, district government and by private agencies.
• Establishment of vocational training centre at district level.
• Linkage with relevant government and non-government establishments for the utilization of their facilities by persons with disabilities.

Use of information technology:

Information technology has the potential for multifarious uses for and by persons with disabilities. For the hearing impaired, it can provide direct access to visual images and source of information and means of instant communication. With additional gadgets for sound production and Braille printing, it can be at the service of the visually handicapped persons. It can be used by persons with severe physical disability and severe speech problems as the means of communication. It has been used for speech training of persons with mental retardation through relevant games and exercises. Use of computer for education and training of persons with disabilities will be promoted in the federal and provincial government special education centers. Private sectors will be involved in this system along with the public sector. Options open for the general public in this fast expanding field will be made available to persons with disabilities.

ASSISTATIVE TECHNOLOGIES:

Assistive technology plays an important role in rehabilitation of persons with disabilities. By using this modern technology these persons can perform in a better way. Special attention will be given to the development of assistive technology with the involvement of relevant organizations in particularly in the area of orthotics and prosthetics, for persons with disabilities. A directory of the services available in the country in this area shall be prepared for facility of the persons with disabilities and for other interested.

⁷ The answer from Pakistan Government with following comments:

One day Seminar on DAISY already been conducted at National Library & Resource Centre, F-7 Markaz, Islamabad

⁸ The answer from Australian Government with following comments:

The globally recognised standard for web content accessibility is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, which were devised by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The W3C standards are the baseline standard that best practice in accessibility is assessed against in the public and private sector.

⁹ The answer from Australian Government with following comments:

YES (training provided by NGOs)

¹⁰ The answer from Pakistan Government with following comments:

Eight workshops on JAWS and Open Book software as ICT literacy training have been arranged. More than 300 persons with disabilities have already been trained.

¹¹ The answer from Pakistan Government with following comments:

Initiative is being taken with the concerned authority.

¹² The answer from Australian Government with following comments:

Overarching Policy

'The Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act 1992' (DDA) (http://scaleplus.law.gov.au/html/pasteact/0/311/top.htm) obliges all telecommunications carriers that provide goods and services to customers to provide them to people with disabilities on a non-discriminatory basis (including price), except where this would result in unjustifiable hardship on the provider. The Australian Government Attorney General's department is responsible for this legislation (www.ag.gov.au)

The 'Commonwealth Disability Strategy' (CDS) (http://www.facsia.gov.au/disability/cds/index.htm) encourages Australian Government organisations to provide equal access for people with disabilihties to all Australian Government mainstream policies, programs and services. One of the Strategy's five principles is 'Access' which states that 'people with disabilities have access to information in appropriate formats about the programs and services they use'. The Australian Government Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaCSIA) is responsible for this strategy (www.facsia.gov.au).

Specific examples
Copy Right Exemption: Certain educational institutions and institutions assisting persons who have a print or intellectual disability may make multiple reproductions and communications of works for educational purposes or for assisting people who have a disability, under a licence set out in the Copyright Act (a statutory licence). Such statutory licences give the copyright owner a right to be paid equitable remuneration through an approved collecting society. Educational institutions and institutions assisting people who have a disability may for educational purposes, or for the purpose of assisting people who have a disability, also copy television and radio broadcasts, under statutory licences. Again, the licences provide for a right for copyright owners to be paid equitable remuneration through an approved collecting society. These licences also extend to communication within the institution by electronic means.

Exemption of Duties: Australia is a contracting state to the Florence Agreement and its protocols (1992).

Subsidies: Communication aids for people with disabilities are considered exempt from the Goods and Services Tax (Schedule 3 to the GST Act).
Workplace Modifications Scheme: The Australian Government provides financial assistance for employers to modify workplaces and/or purchase special or modified equipment for people with disabilities.

National Relay Service: an Australian Government initiative that allows people who are deaf, or have a hearing and/or speech impairment to use the telephone to contact anyone in the wider telephone network and vice versa. Messages are relayed by voice, modem or teletypewriter (TTY). The NRS will also offer Internet Relay services from 2007.
Postal Concessions for the Blind program: The Australian Government reimburses the national postal service for posting braille, audio recordings and other material for people who are blind or vision-impaired.

Print Disability Services Program: The Australian Government funds 13 print disability service providers to produce alternative formats of printed material for blind or vision-impaired people who are unable to read, hold or manipulate printed material in standard form because of their disabilities.

In June 2005 the Australian Government announced funding of $150,000 to the Royal Society for the Blind South Australia to rollout the highly successful Books in the Sky (BiTS) system to public libraries in several states. The BiTS system is a digital compression and encryption system for storing, handling and transmitting electronic information through the public library system.
Australian Government agencies also have internal policies regarding the provision of assistive technology to employees (at no cost to the employee).
Additional Support for Students with Disabilities (ASSD) provides funding support to eligible higher education providers to assist with high costs incurred in providing educational support and/or equipment to students with disabilities with high cost needs; and

Schools Grants scheme provides supplementary funding for additional assistance for the most educationally disadvantaged students to support activities such as literacy and numeracy intervention programmes; additional specialist learning assistance; teachers for students with disabilities and learning difficulties; and classroom resources and equipment for students who require extra help to achieve an appropriate standard of learning.

¹³ The answer from Pakistan Government with following comments:

National and international conferences have been conducted in Pakistan; Different lectures on this topic have been delivered by the technical persons. However Consultation to this effect is being made to boost up such activities at large all level for the general awareness of the persons with disabilities.

¹⁴ The answer from Australian Government with following comments:

NO, but is provided by NGOs

¹⁵ The answer from Pakistan Government with following comments:

Uniformed sign language books have already been developed in Urdu in printed as well as software form. Efforts for preparation of ICT software in Urdu is being made at different level.

¹⁶ The answer from Australian Government with following comments:

Sign language	YES - 'Auslan'
Finger Braille	YES - Standard Braille
Tactile sign language
Others(specify):	YES - Audio recordings in English

¹⁷ The answer from Australian Government with following comments:

The Australian government provides funding to NGOs to provide alternate format information.

¹⁸ The answer from Australian Government with following comments:

The National Auslan Interpreter Booking Service (NABS) is a service that provides accredited Auslan interpreters to deaf Auslan users attending private medical consultations.

¹⁹ The answer from Pakistan Government with following comments:

Addition information annexed as per appendix-III:

Appendix III

Institutes related to the Development of Sign Language & Speech Therapy

1. National Institute of Handicapped. (Training Institute)
2. Hamza Foundation Lahore.
3. National Institute of Special Education. (Training Institute)
4. Sirsyed Deaf Academy Islamabad. (NGO)
5. National Special Education Centre for (HIC), Islamabad
6. Sirsyed Academy for the Deaf, Rawalpindi
7. Dewa Deaf Academy, Karachi
8. Special Education Centre for (HIC), Mardan.
9. Provincial Government Institute for the Deaf, Lahore.
10. Speech & Hearing Centre, Karachi
11. Speech & Hearing Centre, Mardan

Institutes related to the Development of Braille Transcription.

1. National Braille Press Islamabad.
2. Government College for the Teachers of the Blinds Garden Town Lahore.
3. Al-Maktoom National Special Education Centre for Visually Handicapped Children, Islamabad.
4. Aziz Jahan Begum School for Visually Impaired Children Lahore.
5. IDAREU Absa Karachi.
6. Special Education Centre for VHC, Lahore.
7. Qandeel Special Education Centre for (VHC), Rawalpindi.

²⁰ The answer from Australian Government with following comments:

Many peak industry groups (such as deafness societies) bulk purchase ICT products and sell them to their individual members (for example audio playback devices).

²¹ The answer from Pakistan Government with following comments:

To improve life style of persons with disabilities through the means of social and economic integration, employment quota has been increased from 1% to 2% in Pakistan. On the basis of ICT training they are availing better opportunity for the employment and ultimately this will increase their buying power.

²² The answer from Australian Government with following comments:

Asia-Pacific Telecommunity Standardization Program (ASTAP)
Accessibility and Usability Working Group
Contact Details
Rapporteur: Mr Bill Jolley, Australian Communications and Media Authority
Telephone: (03) 99636894
Email: bill.jolley@acma.gov.au

²³ The answer from Pakistan Government with following comments:

However opportunities are being provided on Radio and Television in order to broad cost their different live / recorded programs.

²⁴ The answer from Australian Government with following comments:

Subsidies: Communication aids (including Assistive Technology) for people with disabilities are considered exempt from the Goods and Services Tax (GST)
Workplace Modifications Scheme: The Australian Government provides financial assistance for employers to modify workplaces and/or purchase special or modified equipment for people with disabilities.

Australian Government agencies also have internal policies regarding the provision of assistive technology to employees (at no cost to the employee).
Additional Support for Students with Disabilities (ASSD) provides funding support to eligible higher education providers to assist with high costs incurred in providing educational support and/or equipment to students with disabilities with high cost needs; and

Schools Grants scheme provides supplementary funding for additional assistance for the most educationally disadvantaged students to support activities such as literacy and numeracy intervention programmes; additional specialist learning assistance; teachers for students with disabilities and learning difficulties; and classroom resources and equipment for students who require extra help to achieve an appropriate standard of learning.

²⁵ The answer from Pakistan Government with following comments:

Financial institutes (banks) announced various schemes for the general public as well as the disabled.