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Breaking down the barriers for people with disabilities through innovation in Africa

GSMA
September 2020

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During this interactive session, hosted by GSMA’s Assistive Tech team, we shared insights on the mobile disability gap, including findings from our gender and disability research, and lessons learnt from the innovation landscape. We also heard from several leading assistive tech innovators supporting the digital inclusion of people with disabilities, both visible or unseen across emerging markets

Information and communications for development 2012 : maximizing mobile

THE WORLD BANK
2012

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"This report analyzes the growth and evolution of applications for mobile phones, focusing on their use in agriculture, health and financial services, as well as their impact on employment and government. It also explores the consequences for development of the emerging "app economy", summarizing current thinking and seeking to inform the debate on the use of mobile phones for development. It’s no longer about the phone itself, but about how it is used, and the content and applications that mobile phones open"

Accessible ICTs and personalized learning for students with disabilities : a dialogue among educators, industry, government and civil society

UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (UNESCO)
2011

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"The use of technology in education plays a particularly vital role by enabling flexible curriculum development and assisting students with disabilities to participate as equals in the learning experience. The recommendations contained in this report target teachers, policy makers and administrators. The main recommendations centre on a number of core themes that include maximising the use of the myriad of accessibility features in mainstream ICTs such as personal computers, tablet PCs, mobile phones etc. already in use in classrooms; empowering students to learn their own preferences and settings when using technology for learning and removing attitudinal barriers to the use of technology for inclusive education, in particular those of teachers who may struggle with modern ICTs"
Collaborative Expert Meeting Report
UNESCO Headquarters, Paris
17 -18 November 2011

Making mobile phones and services accessible for persons with disabilities

NARASIMHAN, Nirmita
LEBLOIS, Axel
2011

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"This report contains references to the new legislative and regulatory framework set by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, an important resource for policy makers. It also covers practical elements required for a successful implementation of those programs and policies: technical accessibility features for handsets, accessible and assistive applications and services as well as business cases of companies which have implemented significant accessibility programs...(T)his report will be a useful resource for telecom regulators, mobile operators, organizations of persons with disabilities and other mobile stakeholders to develop successful accessibility policies and programs in their respective countries to equally serve persons of all abilities"

Librarians and the use of information communication technologies in the provision of HIV/AIDS information in developing countries

CHIKONZO, Agnes
2005

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This insightful and well-researched paper presents examples of good practice in managing information in and among HIV and AIDS organisations. It focuses on the work of SAfAIDS in Zimbabwe to present innovative ways of working with information. With reference to technologies from radio to the Internet, information workers such as librarians can advance networking and information exchange in the sector

Making the difference : information and communication technologies as key enablers for equitable and sustainable development

GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE PARTNERSHIP (GKP)
2005

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This booklet provides an analysis of the role of ICT in development and poverty alleviation strategies. Information and communication technologies support participation of non-state actors, promote good governance, transparency and efficiency and allow knowledge sharing and aid effectiveness through harmonization of aid projects

Séminaire national d'information et d'échange sur l'utilisation des NTIC dans le domaine de la santé

DIAKITE, Filifing
September 2004

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An article giving a survey of a seminar organised by the network ToguNet (ICTs stakeholders' network in Mali) with support from the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD). Attending this national meeting were those in charge of the administration of health, the private sector, health community centres and ToguNet members.Various presentations were given on the use of ICT in the health sector in Mali

The role of information and communication technologies in the development of African women | Le rôle des technologies de l'Information et de la communication dans le développment des femmes africaines

RADLOFF, Jennifer
PRIMO, Natasha
MUNYUA, Alice
August 2004

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This paper presents the findings of a study commissioned by the Association for Progessive Communications on the role of ICTs in empowering women in Africa. It provides examples of good practice and includes recommendations to civil society organisations on how to create an enabling environment for women to access and use ICTs for development. The crucial link between understanding the gender dimensions of the information society - in terms of what women's needs are and a thorough understanding of conditions of access, policies - and the potential ICTs have of boosting the economic, political and social empowerment of women, and the promotion of gender equality is explored. An extensive resource list and examples of successful initiatives form the field are included in appendices

Promoting the application of science and technology to meet the development goals contained in the Millennium Declaration

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY GENERAL. UNCTAD
April 2004

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This paper places ICT in a broad perspective of science and technology. The report seeks to identify approaches for the effective promotion and use of science and technology to meet the development goals contained in the Millennium Declaration (MDGs). It particularly emphasises that academia/government/industry partnerships are essential in order to build scientific and technological capabilities and to foster market-oriented policies and developments; and that access to new and emerging technologies is imperative

Low cost access and connectivity : local solutions

UN ICT TASK FORCE
2004

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This publication, a UN ICT Task Force Working Group Paper, brings together case studies of local initiatives which highlight innovation in meeting the information and communication needs in developing countries. Seven papers explore connectivity and access issues in different countries. Papers on Benin and Cameroon are in French

Greenstone digital library software

UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANISATION (UNESCO)
NEW ZEALAND DIGITAL LIBRARY PROJECT(NZDL)
HUMAN INFO NGO
March 2003

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Greenstone is a suite of software for building and distributing digital library collections. It provides a new way of organising information and publishing it on the Internet or on CD-ROM. This CD-ROM contains the open source software as well as supporting documentation

Resource centre manual : how to set up and manage a resource centre

O'SULLIVAN, Sheila
et al
2003

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Contains practical information on all aspects of setting up and managing a resource centre, from planning, fundraising and finding a suitable location, to collecting and organising materials, developing information services, and monitoring and evaluating the work of the resource centre. It assumes that most readers will use manual systems for organising information, but also explains how computers can be used in resource centres, including e-mail, Internet and databases. It describes how to select database software, and contains a detailed review of three leading database programs. It includes a list of organisations and publications that can provide further information

Time to get online : steps to success on the Internet

KABISSA
2003

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Guide to help African civil society organisations to get online and integrate the Internet into their organisations. Five chapters cover: Connecting to the Internet; Accessing Information Resources; Interacting Online; Establishing and Maintaining a Web Site; Next Steps - Integrating the Internet into Your Organization. Also includes a glossary of Internet terms and a list of further resources. Available to download free as PDF file or can be ordered in print with an accompanying CD-ROM for the cost of postage and packing.

Download the materials by writing to ttgo@kabissa.org African civil society organizations can download the materials at no cost.

Fighting rural poverty : the role of information and communication technologies|[What can information and communication technologoes (ICTs) do for the world's 900 million extremely poor people who live in rural areas?]

GILLMAN, Helen
2003

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This paper brings together some presentations, key issues and recommendations emerged during the discussion in a side event organised by IFAD at the WSIS. The paper calls for greater emphasis on communication rather than on technology, and on the process and content rather than on access and machines. Effective ICT deployment must satisfy the need for ownership, local content, language, culture and appropriateness of technology used. Crucially, communication initiatives should aim at strengthening the capacities of rural people to participate in policy processes

Fighting the insidious killer : African teenagers battle HIV/AIDS through ICT|Combattre le tueur insidieux de jeunes adolescents africains se battent contre le VIH/SIDA par les TIC

BLOOME, Anthony
2002

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Information and communication technologies complement other informtion campaigns designed to reach young people. The technologies that can link educators and activists - such as e-mail, CD-ROMs, discussion lists and the world wide web also have the potential to reach young people who use technology for fun, for learning and for communication, so long as they have access to these resources

Ethics and the Internet in west Africa : toward an ethical model of integration|Les enjeux éthiques d’Internet en Afrique de l’Ouest : vers un modèle éthique d’intégration

BRUNET, Patrick
TIEMTORE, Oumarou
VETTRAINO-SOULARD, Marie-Claude
2002

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This book focuses on ethical questions related to the use of the Internet in west Africa. It examines the manner in which the spread of the Internet in Africa raises serious ethical issues; issues that should be identified to ensure that, in the future, the adaptation and integration of Internet technology will be compatible with the development of Africa's nations. The book is based on field suveys in five west African countries, two anglophone and three francophone. For each country, a portrait of Internet users' ethical behaviours was created. The book demonstrates how the Internet, by virtue of its content and how the technology is uses, is creating upheaval in the practices and modes of communication within African communities. The book culminates with a proposed ethical model for the assimilation of the Internet that could serve as a reference for development policies in each of the respective countries and, more broadly, throughout Africa

Computer technologies for postsecondary students with disabilities : Adaptech Project|Technologies Informatiques pour les etudiants ayant des incapacites au postsecondaire : Project Adaptech

FOSSEY, Myrtis-Eirene
et al
2001

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This study and report on computer technologies for post-secondary students with disabilities explores the ways in which computers can address the barriers to learning faced by students with visual or hearing impairments, learning disabilities and mobility impairments. It would be useful for anyone with an interest in assistive computer technologies. The French version of this report follows the English version

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