Proposal

APrIGF 2022 Session Proposal Submission Form
Part 1 - Lead Organizer
Contact Person
Mr. Vashkar Bhattacharjee
Email
Organization / Affiliation (Please state "Individual" if appropriate) *
Young Power in Social Action (YPSA)
Designation
Focal Person (Disability)
Gender
Male
Economy of Residence
Bangladesh
Primary Stakeholder Group
Civil Society
Part 2 - Session Proposal
Session Title
The role of accessibility criteria in procurement for a more inclusive Internet
Session Format
Panel Discussion
Where do you plan to organize your session?
Onsite at the venue (with online moderator for questions and comments from remote participants)
Specific Issues for Discussion
Including accessibility criteria of Internet products and services in the procurement requirements of large purchasers such as governments and universities can have positive flow-on effects. It can influence the overall market as suppliers design and develop their products to meet the accessibility criteria. This in turn helps to increase the range of accessible products in the general market place. Governments in USA and Europe use established accessibility standards and guidelines for public procurement. This has been adopted in Australia and is starting to be developed in other parts of the Asia Pacific region.

This session will discuss with a researcher, supplier and government representative various aspects of accessibility criteria in procurement and what can be learned from other’s experiences. The Australian experience will be juxtaposed with the development of accessibility procurement processes in Bangladesh. The session will draw on learnings from established systems in other countries and will discuss strengths and weaknesses.
Describe the Relevance of Your Session to APrIGF
Accessibility in procurement processes relates to placing people at the center of an inclusive Internet. It both addresses digital inclusion and accessibility as well as sustainability. Sustainability in the ongoing delivery of accessible Internet products influences social, political and economic inclusion. This relates to Goal 10 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Keeping persons with disabilities at the center, this session will explore the ideas such as 'How can the active engagement of persons with disabilities transform the debate on accessible procurement' and 'How can stakeholders work together to ensure that no one is left behind...'.
Methodology / Agenda (Please add rows by clicking "+" on the right)
Time frame (e.g. 5 minutes, 20 minutes, should add up to 60 minutes) Description
5 minutes Introduction and scene setting by moderator
21 minutes (7 minutes each panelist) High level position points/arguments
10 minutes Open Discussion
9 minutes (3 minutes each panelist) Follow up position points and/or set question responses + final speaker points
15 minutes Interaction with audience + moderator summation + final remark by the moderator
Moderators & Speakers Info (Please complete where possible)

  • Moderator (Primary)

    • Name: Vashkar Bhattacharjee
    • Organization: Young Power in Social Action (YPSA)
    • Designation: Focal Person (Disability)
    • Gender: Male
    • Economy / Country of Residence: Bangladesh
    • Stakeholder Group: Civil Society
    • Expected Presence: In-person
    • Status of Confirmation: Confirmed
    • Link of Bio (URL only): https://www.linkedin.com/in/vashkar-bhattacharjee-086023a/?originalSubdomain=bd

  • Moderator (Back-up)

    • Name: Shahriar Mohammad Shiblee
    • Organization: University of the West of Scotland
    • Designation: MSc Information Technology
    • Gender: Male
    • Economy / Country of Residence: United Kingdom
    • Stakeholder Group: Youth / Students
    • Expected Presence: Online
    • Status of Confirmation: Confirmed
    • Link of Bio (URL only): https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahriar-mohammad-shiblee-564539235/

  • Speaker 1

    • Name: Gunela Astbrink
    • Organization: Internet Society
    • Designation: Chair, ISOC Accessibility Standing Group
    • Gender: Female
    • Economy / Country of Residence: Australia
    • Stakeholder Group: Civil Society
    • Expected Presence: In-person
    • Status of Confirmation: Confirmed
    • Link of Bio (URL only): https://www.linkedin.com/in/gunela-astbrink-150a63a/?originalSubdomain=au

  • Speaker 2

    • Name: Mohammad Salahuddin
    • Organization: a2i of Government of Bangladesh
    • Designation: Deputy Secretary
    • Gender: Male
    • Economy / Country of Residence: Bangladesh
    • Stakeholder Group: Government
    • Expected Presence: In-person
    • Status of Confirmation: Confirmed
    • Link of Bio (URL only): https://a2i.gov.bd/employee/mohammad-salahuddin/

  • Speaker 3

    • Name: Andrew Arch
    • Organization: Intopia Digital
    • Designation: Chair, ICT Accessibility committee at Standards Australia
    • Gender: Male
    • Economy / Country of Residence: Australia
    • Stakeholder Group: Technical Community
    • Expected Presence: Online
    • Status of Confirmation: Confirmed
    • Link of Bio (URL only): https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewarch/

  • Speaker 4

    • Stakeholder Group: Academia
    • Expected Presence: In-person
    • Status of Confirmation: Proposed
Please explain the rationale for choosing each of the above contributors to the session.
1. Gunela Astbrink has extensive experience in policy and research into accessible ICT, accessible procurement and so on. A strong understanding and involvement in general Internet and telecommunications on a public affairs, operational, legislative and regulatory basis. Interested in overall Internet policy work. Her specialties include Policy and research in ICT, Communications regulation and legislation, R&D in ICT applications for people with disabilities, Accessible web design, Capacity-building and so on.

2. Mohammad Salahuddin is a Deputy Secretary to the government and member of 24th BCS (Administration) Cadre. He has previously worked as Assistant Commissioner and Magistrate, AC (Land), Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Deputy Director (Training), BIAM Foundation. He is currently working as the Head of Procurement at the a2i of the ICT Division of the Government of Bangladesh where he is leading the process of adopting a National Accessibility Procurement policy. During the session he will be able to share his experience about how a government adopt policies and what are the crucial advocacy factors that truly motivates a government. He will also share his personal experience regarding the drafting of Bangladesh Accessibility Procurement policy.

3. Andrew Arch is a veteran Digital accessibility expert with experience in inclusive website design, development and management. He has managed web sites for Government departments from 1994 prior to becoming a consultant in the late 1990s. Regularly presents on aspects of digital accessibility in Australia and internationally. Participates in the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative and other international developments. Worked in Europe with WAI/W3C looking at the issues of web accessibility for older people with age-related impairments. Contributed to the Australian Government's transition to WCAG 2.0. Recently lead the accessibility and inclusivity efforts in digital transformation in the Australia Government. Currently consulting with Intopia.Digital.
Please declare if you have any potential conflict of interest with the Program Committee 2022.
No
Are you or other session contributors planning to apply for the APrIGF Fellowship Program 2022?
Yes
APrIGF offers live transcript in English for all sessions. Do you need any other translation support or any disability related requests for your session? APrIGF makes every effort to be a fully inclusive and accessible event, and will do the best to fulfill your needs.
Sign Language Support would be highly appreciated.
Number of Attendees (Please fill in numbers)
    Consent
    I agree that my data can be submitted to forms.for.asia and processed by APrIGF organizers for the program selection of APrIGF 2022.