Access for all: the internet in service of society
the Federation of Information
Technology Industry Sri Lanka (FITIS), organised the Sri Lanka Internet Day
2021. The conference was conducted virtually under the
theme " Digital Inclusion”. Ms. #Manique Gunaratne was a speaker
at this conference to speak on “Digital inclusion for persons with #disability”
in April 2021. Societies all over the world are increasingly reliant on
technology for their home, work and social lives. This has increased in the
last year, given the need for social distancing.
Internet-enabled digital
technologies have the potential to democratize access, and allow market
innovators to disrupt and find better ways to serve more people. While the
gains of technology are manifold, this increasing reliance on technology has a
dark side – the fault lines are drawn around access. The biggest beneficiaries
from technology are therefore those who already have prior levels of access.
Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), women, the elderly, and those from backward
social communities tend to be excluded from digital economies and their
gains.
In this context, this panel
discussed the various dimensions of access challenges, the goals of policy
making, and the opportunities for market innovators and design solutions, and
also thought about how Sri Lanka and India can collaborate more fruitfully.
o
Following
areas were discussed at the panel.
o
The
known challenges around access.
o
How
the innovators, and civil society be more attentive to these issues of access.
o
The
challenges innovators face.
o
Opportunities
and challenges to make programmes be better designed to be inclusive.
o
How
to contemplate policy-making.
o
The
scope of formal and informal governance mechanisms.
o
What
should be left to the markets?
o
Embedding
access approaches from the beginning have worked out, the pitfalls and the
challenges.
o
How
to work together to ensure we learn from each other’s successes and prevent
failure.
The Panelists were:
Manique Gunaratne, Manager –
Specialised Training and Disability Resource Centre, The Employers’ Federation
of Ceylon
·
Natasha Joshi, Nilekani Philathropies
·
Gayani Hurulle, Lirne Asia
·
Prashanth Premakumar, Agrithmics
·
Dr Sarayu Natarajan, Founder Aapti Institute, Moderator
Watch the video at:
#Manique Gunaratne
Comments
Post a Comment