Ghana must ensure that persons with disabilities are involved from the beginning of the development of websites, mobile applications and other digital platforms to prevent technology from creating new forms of exclusion, the President of the Internet Society Ghana Chapter, Dr. Maud Ajele Ashomelu, has said.
She said digital accessibility should not be treated as an afterthought, with developers attempting to add accessibility features only after a platform had already been created.
Dr. Ashomelu was speaking during a digital accessibility training workshop for persons with disabilities in Accra, which brought together web developers and persons with different impairments to examine barriers to digital access and demonstrate assistive technologies that can make online platforms more accessible.
According to her, persons with disabilities should be part of the development process from the outset because they are best positioned to identify barriers that developers might otherwise overlook.
“We want to make sure that they are engaged from the beginning,” she said.
Dr. Ashomelu said accessibility requirements differed depending on a person’s impairment, citing the need for magnification features for persons with visual impairments and transcription for deaf users to enable them to access video content.
She also called for persons with disabilities to be included in policies guiding Ghana’s digital transformation.
“Our interest is to make sure that everybody is involved. We want everybody to be part, everybody to be connected,” she said, describing internet access as a fundamental human right.
For persons with disabilities participating in the workshop, however, inaccessible digital platforms are already affecting their ability to independently access essential services.
Ephraim Oraka Tetteh, an Assistive Technology Facilitator and Technology Coordinator, who is visually impaired, said inaccessible mobile applications and websites could prevent persons with disabilities from carrying out basic transactions without assistance.
He said some financial institutions’ mobile applications were not sufficiently accessible, making it difficult for him to independently send money.
He also cited difficulties encountered on government websites when attempting to complete registrations.
Mr Oraka Tetteh explained that visually impaired users often rely on assistive technologies such as TalkBack, which allows them to navigate smartphones using audio feedback, or keyboards to access information.
However, he said these tools could only work effectively when websites and applications were designed to accommodate them.
“I might not be able to use the mouse, but then I also have the chance to use the keyboard alone to access that information. But if the platform is not made in a way that I can do that, it becomes a problem for me,” he said.
He said the problem went beyond inconvenience and could result in emotional frustration, particularly when users needed to perform urgent tasks.
According to Mr Oraka Tetteh, there had been instances where a person could spend between 30 minutes and an hour trying to purchase airtime through an application because of accessibility barriers.
He welcomed the workshop, saying it created an opportunity for developers and persons with disabilities to interact directly and understand each other’s needs.
He said such collaboration could help developers build platforms with accessibility requirements incorporated from the start rather than trying to correct problems after development.
Another visually impaired participant, Joseph Seyina Susu, said poorly configured websites could prevent screen-reader users from completing tasks that sighted users could perform easily.
He explained that when a website was properly configured, speech software could read information on the screen, allowing a visually impaired user to navigate it independently.
However, some websites, he said, failed to make essential features accessible.
He cited online forms where a visually impaired user could complete all the required fields but could not locate or activate the “submit” button using assistive technology.
“You have been excluded,” Mr Susu said.
He said widespread implementation of digital accessibility across websites and applications in Ghana could give persons with disabilities access to information and services on an equal footing with other citizens.
“As a visually impaired person, the world is huge and it’s at our disposal if only the right things are done,” he said.
He said ensuring that digital platforms were properly configured would make it easier for persons with disabilities to access information, complete online transactions and participate fully in Ghana’s increasingly digital society.
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The post Ghana Must Design Digital Platforms With Persons With Disabilities In Mind -Internet Society Ghana appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.
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