The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights on Friday focused on the need for persons with disabilities to experience web-based services.
They said the advent of the internet has brought many opportunities which have led to individual growth and development.
However, persons with disabilities encounter obstacles accessing web-based technologies.
“The advent of the internet has brought many opportunities for individual growth and development from entrepreneurship, online learning shopping to exercise freedom of rights.
"However persons with disability still encounter obstacles accessing web-based technologies,” the commission chairperson Roseline Odede said.
They joined the world in commemorating the 2023 Global Accessibility Awareness Day.
The commission affirmed that over 1.3 billion people which is 16 per cent of the global population experience significant disability worldwide.
They said there was need for persons with disability to access web-based services equally as those without disabilities.
They however acknowledged the country for making significant progress in embedding disability inclusion on digital platforms.
“We appreciate that Kenya has made significant progress in entrenching disability inclusion on digital platforms. These include sign language interpretation and captioning in news broadcasts, disability-friendly websites with tools such as speech narration, large text, and zooming capabilities without affecting functionality,” Odede said.
KNCHR called for realisation of disability inclusion for visual impairment, hearing impairment, motor disabilities, and cognitive disabilities on both public and private digital platforms.
They said they would remain committed to embedding disability inclusion and access by persons with disabilities to information.
In addition to that, they would enable laws and programs put in place to promote and protect the rights of persons with disability.
