Digital and Information Accessibility

This page includes selected resources about access to information and digital content. All resources are in English unless specified.

Page Contents

Marrakesh Treaty
Reports: Malaysia
Reports: Other Countries
Research: Malaysia
Research: Other Countries
Guidelines: Digital and Web Accessibility
Guidelines: Easy Read
Guidelines: Image Descriptions for Persons with Print Disabilities
Guidelines: Publishing for Blind Persons, Persons with Visual Impairment and Other Print Disabilities
Guidelines: Video Accessibility
Articles
Applications, Resources and Services

Guidelines and Toolkits

Marrakesh Treaty: A 5-Step CSO Action Guide, with Insights from Seeding the “Miracle of Marrakesh:” The Journey of Malaysia’s Accession to the Marrakesh Treaty
~ Civil Society Organization Perspective

– Available in accessible pdf and word format

e-Accessibility Policy Toolkit for Persons with Disabilities by ITU & G3ict

Reports: Malaysia

Status of Digital Rights in Malaysia: Focus on Persons with Disabilities, Older Persons, Children and Youth , a Civil Society Joint Submission for the 45th Session, 4th Cycle, Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review

Full report: pdf , word
Annex I: Lived Experience Voices of Persons with Disabilities: pdf , word

The first-ever United Nations ESCAP-supported Malaysian cross-disability training project on disability-inclusive digital accessibility and strategic advocacy: Disability-Inclusive Digitalization in the context of COVID-19 in Malaysia.

The international resource persons who contributed to project outcomes included Dipendra Manocha, Director (Developing Countries), DAISY Consortium; Prashant Ranjan Verma, Digital Accessibility Specialist; Judy Wee, Senior Expert on Accessibility and Universal Design; Tricia Malowney (AOM), gender and disability specialist, and Chief Advocate, Department of Transport and Planning, Government of Victoria, Australia; and the late Senator Monthian Buntan, former two-term Member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Reports: Other Countries

Banking on Accessibility

A case for accessible banking for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) by Xavier’s Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC), St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, India, June 2022.

This comprehensive report can be used by regulatory and governance authorities like the Reserve Bank of India, banks, other associated bodies, decision makers and policy experts. Its purpose is to aid them in monitoring and evaluation of existing guidelines and the level of their actual implementation. It articulates banking problems faced by users and makes strong recommendations “to improve the scenario.” The scope of the report is largely focussed on infringement of the rights of Blind persons who use or propose to use banking facilities. Source: XRCVC in Banking on Accessibility.

Our right to knowledge: Legal reviews for the ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty for persons with print disabilities in Asia and the Pacific by United Nations Development Programme and World Blind Union

Digital Accessibility Rights Evaluation Index (DARE Index) to trace country progress in making Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) accessible for all by G3ict

Inclusive Banking: Emerging Practices to Advance the Economic Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities by International Finance Corporation

Research: Malaysia

Situation of Persons with Disabilities in the COVID-19 Pandemic and Access to ICT, with a special focus on women and girls with disabilities (Malaysia) – Available in accessible pdf and Word format

Research: Other Countries

Barriers to Digital Inclusion by American Foundation for the Blind

Guidelines: Digital and Web Accessibility

W3C Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 3.0 by W3.org

Accessibility Guidelines – Making work accessible creates a better experience across the board. Use this checklist to help build accessibility into your process no matter your role or stage in a project by Vox Media

India’s OTT Accessibility Revolution: New Guidelines to Make Streaming Inclusive for Everyone by DigitalA11Y

Introduction to Web Accessibility by W3C Web Accessibility Initiative

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Overview by W3C Web Accessibility Initiative

How to Create Accessible Content by Princeton University

Web Accessibility Myths: Debunking 7 Common Misconceptions by Alisa Smith in Moz

Improve Internet Accessibility for Individuals with Impaired Vision by MyVision.org

Making Content Usable for People with Cognitive and Learning Disabilities , W3C Working Group Note 29 April 2021

Autism Accessibility Guidelines Research Report (on web accessibility) by Hassell Inclusion for National Autistic Society, UK

The Complete Guide to Section 508 Compliance by Level Access

The Complete Guide to European Accessibility Act (EAA) Compliance by Level Access

The Must-Have WCAG Checklist by Level Access

The Essential EN 301 549 Checklist by Level Access

How-to Guide to Digital Accessibility in Higher Education by Level Access

Section 508 Training by Homeland Security

Global Braille Literacy Campaign – More Braille: More Empowerment by ICEVI

Guidelines: Easy Read

Easy read materials help persons with limited reading skills understand written information more easily. Easy read presents information in simple words and sentences.
Easy read also uses simple pictures to illustrate the meaning of information presented.

Individuals who benefit from easy read include:

Persons with Dyslexia and other reading difficulties
Persons with intellectual disabilities
Persons with dementia
Persons with speech and language disorders
Persons with limited reading skills, such as second-language learners, poor readers, children.

How To Make Information Accessible: A guide to producing easy read documents (pdf) by CHANGE, UK

Easy-to-read checklist to make sure your document is easy to read (pdf) by Inclusion Europe.

A guide to producing written information in easy read (pdf) by North Yorkshire County Council, UK

Guidelines: Image Descriptions for Persons with Print Disabilities

Describing Images in Publications—Guidance, Best Practices and the Promise of Technology (Webinar) by DAISY Consortium

The Art and Science of Describing Images (Webinar Series) by DAISY Consortium

Guidelines: Publishing for Blind Persons, Persons with Visual Impairment and Other Print Disabilities

Guidelines for Accessible Publishing by National Council for the Blind Malaysia (NCBM) – Available in accessible pdf and word format

Introduction to Inclusive Publishing by Inclusive Publishing (A DAISY Consortium Initiative)

Accessibility Top Tips for Publishing Digital Books by Inclusive Publishing (A DAISY Consortium Initiative)

Accessible eBook Guidelines for Self-Publishing Authors by Accessible Books Consortium and International Authors Forum

Accessible Publishing Best Practice Guidelines for Publishers produced by EDItEUR in association with World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and DAISY Consortium

Best Practices and Guidelines for Large Print Documents by American Council of the Blind

EBU Clear Print Guidelines (pdf) by European Blind Union

Making Information Accessible to All by European Blind Union

Word Document Publishing 101 (Webinar) by Inclusive Publishing (A DAISY Consortium Initiative)

Guidelines: Video Accessibility

W3C Web Accessibility Initiative Guidelines for Making Audio and Media Accessible resources:

Video Accessibility Guidelines and Laws for Closed Captioning by Scribie Blog

Articles

If Tech Fails to Design for the Most Vulnerable, It Fails Us All by Afsaneh Rigot

Accessibility: Inclusivity in the post-pandemic world in The Edge Malaysia

Overcoming Common Myths and Misconceptions about Digital Accessibility by Linda Sanabria in Accessibility.com

The International Accessibility Standards You Need to Follow by Chris Ward in Telerik

Are Youtube and Microsoft Stream WCAG Compliant? by Kami Funk in Accessibility.com

Artificial intelligence and the rights of persons with disabilities by United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, Gerard Quinn

How Disabled Users Really Test Websites In Real Life by AccessbyDesign

A threat model for accessibility on the web by Alice Boxhall

How to Convince People to Care and Invest in Accessibility by Stephanie Walter

Accessibility, the Origin of Innovation by Sam’s Stuff

Why Blind Shoppers Can’t Complete Online Checkout by Cool Happenings

Why the world is not designed for left-handed people by Elvis Hsiao

What’s it like to be colorblind by Lisa Charlotte Muth

Applications, Resources and Services

Accessible Reading Systems

The DAISY Consortium compiles and updates a list of accessible reading systems with guidance notes on how to use each accessible reading systems listed.
Accessible reading systems offer varying accessibility features that suit the needs of different users. Accessible reading systems generally include support for a screen reader, ability to change the visual presentation of the contents, read aloud feature, feature to enlarge image, etc.