”Select ALL” e-Accessibility Assessment Report for South Eastern Europe
employment placements to people with disabilities. A few of these have introduced ICT skills, but they have closed when funding ran out.
e-Accessibility in Telecommunications and Media No obligatory concessions are available to people with disabilities for reduced tariffs or assistive technologies. State television has one signed news bulletin a day. However a new Communications Law, expected to pass soon, does contain the following article among the mandatory provisions of universal service (Article 28): “ensuring conditions for equivalent access to and use of telephone service available to the disabled end-user, including access to emergency services and information in telephone directory for all users in the Republic of Kosovo.” It also obliges all operators to (Article 65) “regularly inform disabled subscribers of details of products and service designed for them.” The National Action Plan for Persons with Disabilities proposed the provision of an accessible multimedia workstation in each municipality to facilitate access to information and communication, each including a computer with a set of assistive technologies. This project is being funded by the Ministry of Local Governmental Administration and its implementation is ongoing. The Action Plan also contains a couple of specific commitments concerning e-Accessibility:
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Adopting W3C web accessibility standards, including in public tenders and contracts, for all new websites of central and local Government and of public entities;
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Developing screen reader software in the languages of Kosovo, for text to voice access for persons with visual impairments. A screen reader programme for blind persons is already available in the Bosnian language and can be used free of charge by Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian minority.
e-Government Services Each institution and ministry designs its own website, all of which are hosted by the Department of e-Governance and Administrative Processes in the Ministry of Public Administration. They are encouraged to be W3C compliant, and many employ reputable ICT companies that would normally follow the guidelines. Furthermore, the commitment to W3C web accessibility standards in public tenders and contracts and for all new public websites under the National Action Plan for Persons with Disabilities is likely to be incorporated into new legislation, encompassing the possibility of prosecution for failing to comply. 68
56 National Disability Action Plan, Activities 5.4-5, 7, pp. 100-101.