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WhatsApp has been rated India's most accessible app for people with disabilities, according to a recent report titled "Making the digital ecosystem disability friendly" which ranked popular apps in categories including messaging, online payments , transportation, e-commerce and food delivery. The Vidhi Center for Legal Policy, in collaboration with I-Stem and Mission Accessibility, conducted a first-ever evidence-based accessibility assessment of ten of the most widely used apps in India. WhatsApp emerged as the only app rated "highly accessible" under the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which serve as a global benchmark for whether and to what extent a website is suitable for people with disabilities. Other apps audited in the report include PhonePe, PayTM, Swiggy, Zomato, Amazon, Flipkart, Telegram, Uber, and Ola.
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Report co-author Rahul Bajaj, Senior Associate Fellow - Vidhi, Co-Founder - Mission Accessibility, Advocate at the High Court of Delhi and the Supreme Court of India, said: "Apps and websites have enormous potential to people with disabilities. However, if not designed with their needs in mind, they can replicate the barriers that people with disabilities face." ALSO READ: International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Stories of courage and determination matter. From ordering food at the grocery store, finding a partner, socializing, consulting doctors to booking plane and train tickets, we use technology for a wide range of daily activities. The basic tenet of the report is that digital accessibility is a right, not a matter of charity, and most consumer-facing applications need to be aware of the role they play in multiple segments of society. In today's digital world, it is mandatory for all service providers in India, be they government or private, to make their services disability friendly. and under the Disability Rights Act of 2016. Based on the findings, the report authors suggest that to create a truly inclusive digital ecosystem, websites and apps need to ensure they are designed in accordance with WCAG standards or from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). It is important to recognize accessibility from the design and integrate it into any technological production intended for public use. The researchers also plan to launch a rating portal where people with disabilities can rate the accessibility of websites. In the future, the portal will be designed in such a way that users with disabilities can provide service providers with immediate feedback on how they can improve for people with disabilities. They also want to film people with disabilities using some of the ten apps listed in the index so people can understand what it's like not being able to use them. They will work with the government to train software developers, to make it more accessible to people with disabilities, and to achieve policy reforms.
Report co-author Rahul Bajaj, Senior Associate Fellow - Vidhi, Co-Founder - Mission Accessibility, Advocate at the High Court of Delhi and the Supreme Court of India, said: "Apps and websites have enormous potential to people with disabilities. However, if they are not designed with their needs in mind, they can reproduce the barriers that people with disabilities face."
ALSO READ: International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Stories of courage and determination
The Covid pandemic has accelerated the use of technology and made technology-based solutions to meet our daily needs a routine feature of our lives. Therefore, the need for digital products and services to be more inclusive and adapted to people with disabilities has become even more important. From ordering food at the grocery store, finding a partner, socializing, consulting doctors to booking plane and train tickets, we use technology for a wide range of daily activities.
The basic tenet of the report is that digital accessibility is a right, not a matter of charity, and most consumer-facing applications need to be aware of the role they play in multiple segments of society. In addition to the pervasive role technology plays in today's digital world, all service providers in India, whether government or private, are required to make their services disability-friendly under the 2016 law on the rights of disabled people. People with disabilities.
Based on the findings, the report authors suggest that to create a truly inclusive digital ecosystem, websites and apps should ensure that they are designed according to WCAG or Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) standards. It is important to recognize accessibility from the design and integrate it into any technological production intended for public use.
The researchers also plan to launch a rating portal where people with disabilities can rate the accessibility of websites. In the future, the portal will be designed in such a way that users with disabilities can provide service providers with immediate feedback on how they can improve for people with disabilities.
They also want to film people with disabilities using some of the ten apps listed in the index so people can understand what it's like not being able to use them.
They will work with the government to train software developers, to make it more accessible to people with disabilities, and to achieve policy reforms.
