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Tribune News Network
Doha
MADA Assistive Technology Center has awarded its e-Accessibility certification to the Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) as its website is now accessible to persons with disabilities.
The website also allows for ease of use and follows the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0 AA). This step helps unlock potentials for persons with disabilities and empowers them in all aspects of their lives.
The partnership is part of Mada's efforts to promote and activate e-accessibilities policies based on the centre's belief that persons with disabilities have the right to access digital content.
At the beginning of 2017, Mada Center announced partnerships with a number of government institutions, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to raise awareness on the concept of e-Accessibility. The centre also organised a series of training courses and specialised workshops to illustrate how to design accessible websites and applications, which followed global standards.
The workshops were also conducted for developers and designers working on the development of government websites and mobile applications in Qatar in line with international standards and Qatar's e-Accessibility Policy issued by the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
Mada CEO Maha al Mansouri said,"We value this partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and their efforts towards meeting the global standards for e-accessibility through their website's digital content. The ministry's website is now accessible for persons with disabilities and a plan will be put in place to ensure continuous access to all the ministry's digital platforms."
"Mada provides several training courses on the topic of e-accessibility to many government and private institutions. We have also studied more than 36 government websites and tested their level of e-accessibility. The services offered by Mada to promote accessibility are integral to its strategy of empowering persons with disabilities in Qatar through accessing ICT."
Dr Saif Mohammed al Kuwari, director of Information Technology Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said:"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is pleased to now meet the e-accessibility standards when it comes to the content of our website. It reiterates our commitment to working towards facilitating access to various information and services available to persons with disabilities."
"These efforts have helped contribute to the spread of digital culture among all segments of society. We express our sincere thanks and gratitude to the Mada Center management and team for their support, which allowed our ministry's Information Systems Management Team to accomplish this great achievement."
To achieve the best results, Mada Center launched an integrated programme entitled 'e-Accessibility to Websites' in early 2017. The programme aimed to support access services on government websites and capacity building.
The centre also provides supervision of experts in this field, where evaluation services are provided, in addition to developing solutions, consultancy, training employees and developers to make websites accessible to persons with disabilities.
The programme courses are extended over a year and are in coordination with government agencies in the country. Mada Center also published its initial report on the current state of digital e-accessibility on government websites in Qatar.
