Mada certifies MoFA website as accessible for the disabled

Mada Assistive Technology Centre has awarded its e-Accessibility certification to Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) as the latter’s website is now accessible to Persons with Disabilities, allows for ease of use and follows the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0 AA). This step “helps unlock potentials for Persons with Disabilities and empowers them in all aspects of their lives”, according to a press statement. The partnership is part of Mada’s “efforts to promote and activate e-Accessibility policies based on the centre’s belief that Persons with Disabilities have the right to access digital content”. Also, this is one of the most important provisions of the UN Convention when it comes to the rights of Persons with Disabilities, and “one of the pillars of the national policy that focuses on digital accessibility”, the statement notes.At the beginning of 2017, Mada Centre announced partnerships with a number of government institutions, including MoFA, who would raise awareness on the concept of e-Accessibility. The centre also organised a series of training courses and specialised workshops to illustrate how to design accessible websites and applications, which followed global standards. These workshops were also conducted for developers and designers working on the development of government websites and mobile applications in Qatar. These are all in line with international standards and Qatar’s e-Accessibility Policy, issued by the Ministry of Transport and Communications.Maha al-Mansouri, CEO of Mada, said: “We value this partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and their efforts towards meeting the global standards for e-Accessibility. The website is now accessible for Persons with Disabilities and a plan will be put in place in order to ensure continuous access to all of the ministry’s digital platforms.”Dr Saif Mohamed al-Kuwari, director of the Information Technology Department at MoFA, thanked the Mada Centre management and team for its support. In order to achieve the best results, Mada Centre launched an integrated programme called ‘e-Accessibility to Websites’ in early-2017. The programme aimed to support access services on government websites and capacity building. The programme courses are extended over a year and held in co-ordination and co-operation with government agencies in the country.