The use of Information Technology (I.T.) is spreading at such an unprecedented speed that it has become part of our lives. But in too many situations disadvantaged groups, including people with disabilities and women, cannot enjoy what I.T. has to offer, either because the products are hard for them to use or because they lack exposure to I.T. or related products. If such situation continues, these people will become even more marginalised as I.T. develops. Yet, if made accessible, I.T. can be a very empowering tool for them. Thus, it is important to make sure everyone can benefit from its development.

The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) advocates the right of access to, and participation in, every aspect of public life. Promoting I.T. for all not only concerns equal rights. It is also important for the empowerment of people who would otherwise be left behind.

How I.T. can help

Access to information has become much easier and cheaper with the advancement of information technology, particularly through the Internet. This can expand the education and career opportunities of people with a disability. It can also help them lead a more independent life and integrate fully into the community. The key question is: is it accessible? Some I.T. products, which we take for granted in our daily life, may in fact be inaccessible to them. For example, people who are blind may not see information on the Internet and people having dexterity difficulties, say, resulting from the after-effects of a stroke may find standard keyboards and mouse devices hard to use.

Why is making I.T. accessible to people with disabilities important ?

*	It can help them live independently as a full member of the community.
*	It enables them to contribute more fully to society.
*	It enables them to compete on a level playing field.
*	It's good business - tens of thousands of people with a current disability and those acquiring one through the natural aging process will be your potential customers.
*	Designs accessible to the disabled improve the general usability of a product.
*	Accessible design prepares for next-generation product development.
*	And, it's the law. The Disability Discrimination Ordinance prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in the provision of goods, services and facilities. It also says that employers should provide reasonable help, which may include assistive devices, for employees or potential employees with disabilities to do their jobs.

What you need to do

Take into consideration the needs of people with disabilities in designing and developing your products.

There are many resources internationally that provide tips and guidance to help you. The following are some tips from a number of major providers. They are subject to modification and are by no means exhaustive.

Some tips on Web content accessibility:

*	Provide alternatives to audio and visual content.
*	Not to rely on colour alone.
*	Use mark-up and style sheets.
*	Create tables that transform easily.
*	Make sure the user can control time-sensitive content changes.
*	Make sure embedded user interfaces are directly accessible.
*	Make sure individual devices are independent of each other.
*	Provide context and orientation information.
*	Provide clear navigation mechanisms.
*	Make sure that documents are clear and simple.

(Extracted from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines at
http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT)

You can also check how accessible your web sites are by using a web-based service at http://www.cast.org/bobby, which rewards accessible web sites with the emblem "Bobby Approved". (The revamped EOC home page is "Bobby Approved".)

(Extracted from Microsoft Windows Guidelines for Accessible Software Design
at http://www.microsoft.com/enable/dev/guidelines/software.htm.)