The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) and the International Union of Telecommunications (ITU) have started working on the project “Accessible Cybercafe for All”.
According to MoITT officials, the ministry aims to support persons with disabilities through “Accessible Cybercafe for All” and introduce digital skill programs to bridge the digital divide.
In accordance with the Ministry of Information and Technology officials, The cybercafe will be established to provide persons with disabilities access to information technology in an inclusive manner. These cafes will not only offer state-of-the-art software, hardware, and other IT equipment, but also have all the tools a person with a disability needs to fully utilize these cafes. Moreover, a partnership will be established with Special Talent Exchange Program (STEP) for IT training of disabled individuals.
MoITT officials have stated that the project will begin in Islamabad and will be expanded to other cities throughout Pakistan within the next few months. With digital skills, people with visual impairments or hearing impairments will be able to use ICT in a meaningful way for their education, for their businesses, and for their employment opportunities.
The ministry has formed a National ICT Council for persons with disabilities. This council includes representatives of other organizations including telecommunications companies. The council is working for the digital inclusion of persons with disabilities, providing them with training and making policies to help them in IT Sector.
According to the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors study as of 2017, there are 9 million blind people in Pakistan who have severe or moderate visual impairment. This does not include the 12.64 million population that lives with Presbyopia, a condition that causes gradual loss of your eye’s ability to focus on nearby objects.
According to the World Health Organization, 5% of each country’s population is affected by some form of hearing impairment, which equates to a total of approximately 10 million people in Pakistan with some sort of hearing impairment.
