GAATES: Celebra ng 10 Years of Accessibility

GAATES: Celebra ng 10 Years of Accessibility

Abu Dhabi Government Accessibility Enablement

What We Achieved:

Government Services to Persons with Disabilities

GAATES conducted accessibility assessments of the various delivery systems. Following consultations with the Abu Dhabi government departments, GAATES developed

Project Goal:

The goal was to improve government services to persons with disabilities across the core government access channels (counter, phone, kiosk) provided by the Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Centre in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

• accessibility guidelines for the built environment • access to telephone services via text • design and operation of kiosk services The project additionally helped to improve disability and accessibility awareness and understanding about the various communication systems that will ensure that persons with disabilities in Abu Dhabi are able to access government information in a similar fashion to the general public.

Project Activities:

• Consultation with relevant government access channels to assess existing services for persons with disabilities • Access to government counter services involved accessibility audits of the built environment including parking, entry, the path of travel, and design of the counter service areas

Examples of accessibility guidelines

• Access to government services via telephone involved the provisioning of the infrastructure to enable usage of devices such as text telephone and communicating with people who are deaf or have a speech disability

Target Area:

• Access to government services via kiosk involved the physical design and interaction mechanisms to ensure accessibility

Manager:

Betty Dion

Project Timeline:

2010

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Transferability and Sustainability:

Project Overview

Funder:

Abu Dhabi

The Emirate of Abu Dhabi

Accessible customer service counter

Project Key Facts:

Global Alliance for Accessible Technologies and Environments (GAATES)

Abu Dhabi had developed a strategy for accessibility for persons with disabilities but did not yet have any formal guidelines for the built environment or support for telephone access via text.

The project outcomes were implemented and became integral to Abu Dhabi’s government services and were transferable to other departments operating within Abu Dhabi and other Emirates.

Distribution:

The project deliverables were implemented by the government of Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Centre.

Global Alliance for Accessible Technologies and Environments (GAATES)

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