In the week that marked World Telecommunications and Information Society Day and the Global Accessibility Awareness Day, ACAPO organized a debate with the motto: "Is the Internet truly accessible to @ll?”
Portugal was one of the first countries in the world to legislate on this matter but more than 20 years later, there is still a long way to go in the public sector. In the private sector, the path is practically non-existent - Portuguese legislation still does not provide, for example, that websites and apps of supermarkets and stores are accessible.
To discuss these issues, ACAPO invited experts in this field. To moderate the session, Pedro Pinto, teacher of Informatics and Researcher at the Instituto Politécnico da Guarda and responsible for the largest technology site in Portugal. One of the speakers, Jorge Fernandes, Digital Experience Team -Digital Transformation Division at AMA – Agência para a Modernização Administrativa, I.P. referred to the history of WEB accessibility in Portugal. Daniel Serra, co-responsible for the portal “Ler para Ver – the largest website in Portugal on visual impairments, spoke from a user's view. Finally, Rui Batista, a well-known programmer spoke about the constraints from the programmer's perspective.
Unfortunately, Internet is a world that is not yet fully inclusive for all. There is still a lot to improve. ACAPO will continue in this and other matters to fight for the rights visual impaired persons and to increase the literacy of blind and low vision citizens in the various areas covered by visual impairment.