Accessibility for ICT products and services for Persons with disabilities, Standard launched in Kenya
In Kenya, a new standard on Accessibility for ICT products and services for Persons with Disabilities, Standard (2952-1:2022), was launched during the Inclusive Africa Conference, making Kenya the first African country to develop such a standard. The standard aims to ensure that digital products and services are accessible to persons with disabilities, older individuals, and others, promoting inclusivity in society. Various stakeholders collaborated to create clear standards for enhancing access to these services. This development emphasizes the importance of digital accessibility compliance for public and private organizations to cater to all individuals effectively.
The first ever standard on Accessibility for ICT products and services for persons with disabilities in
Africa was launched by Kenya Bureau Standards(KEBS) in partnership with inALBE during the
Inclusive Africa Conference.
The new Standard (KS 2952-1:2022), was gazetted on May 13, 2022.
Ms. Margaret Kobia Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Public Service, Gender, Senior Citizens Affairs and
Special Programmes while addressing the participants, said ‘ I am pleased to note that today we
witness yet another milestone in our country’s quest for disability inclusion. This is the launch of the
Kenya Standard (KS ISO 2952) on Accessibility for ICT Products and Services for persons with
disabilities. This makes Kenya the first country in Africa to develop a digital accessibility standard for
persons living with disabilities with the standard providing a framework for gauging and ensuring
public ICT products and services are sensitive to the needs of persons with disabilities’.
Lt Col (Rtd.) Bernard Njiraini KEBS Managing Director , said , ‘To accommodate all people in the
society, inclusive design and universal design principles should be integrated into digital products and
service , KEBS congratulates all of the industry partners and stakeholders who worked efficiently and
collaboratively to develop clear standards to inform the implementation framework on the inclusion of persons with disabilities, including enhanced access to ICTs, products and services’,
Ms. Irene Mbari-Kirika, Executive Director, inABLE said ‘the Standards for Accessibility- ICT Products
and Services is a game changer for public and private organizations who must now prioritize digital
accessibility compliance to ensure that everyone, especially PWDs, can access their websites, mobile
applications, and other digital resources’.
This standard is set to ensure that Public and Private sector digital products and services are
accessible to Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), older persons largely disconnected from most
e-government services, and business owned digital platforms.