## (5) Realization of barrier-free ICT

For persons with disabilities, ICT has considerable potential to encourage participation in society and make life easier by helping them lead independent lives, work at home, train in preparation for a job, and obtain information on day-to-day living and employment. Below, we outline the status of Internet utilization by the disabled, and present an example of an initiative aimed at encouraging participation in society, and one of an effort to assist the disabled with applications for the rapidly growing smartphone market, with analysis of the factors that make them a success.

### A. Status of Internet utilization by the disabled

A survey conducted by the Cabinet Office of Japan in FY2009 placed the percentage of disabled persons who use the Internet at 52.2%. Compared to the 78.0% $ ^{22} $ of the general population who use the Internet, as of the end of 2009, this is a low figure, and it is evident that there are obstacles to Internet use by persons with disabilities.

When disabled persons were surveyed as to the difficulties and anxieties they faced when using the Internet, the most common response was “fear of leakage of personal information” at 40.0%, followed by 30.0% who feared “falling victim to scams or fraud” and 28.4% who were concerned about “the high cost of equipment and telecommunications services.” It is evident that promoting ICT literacy and affordability of equipment and services is essential to bridging the digital divide for this segment. There were also issues cited that could be resolved with simplification or universal design, such as “on-screen displays and designs are difficult to see” (13.7%), “information is difficult to understand” (15.7%), “keyboards, software or peripherals are hard to operate” (15.3%), “audio voice recordings are difficult to hear or understand” (10.3%), and “insufficient development, availability, or user-friendliness of Braille displays, joysticks, voice-activated software, or other auxiliary equipment or software” (9.5%). Also, there is a need for a support network to assist disabled persons with the Internet, as 17.8% stated that “there is nobody to teach me how to use the technology” (17.8%).

As described above, there are obstacles facing disabled persons who seek to use the Internet. However, when asked about what support they were receiving for their Internet use, 72.2% responded that they received “none.” Moving forward, it is necessary to create an environment in which disabled persons can easily avail themselves of ICT, and to make maximum use of ICT to encourage participation in society by people with disabilities.

### B. Example of initiatives aimed at promoting disabled people's

participation in society through ICT

(A) Sapporo Challenged (Specified Nonprofit Corporation)

Sapporo Challenged is a Specified Nonprofit Corporation launched in 2000 which aims to promote participation in society and work opportunities for people with disabilities (Figure 2-2-2-5).

ICT training is conducted in three learning zones on

Figure 2-2-2-5 Sapporo Challenged (Specified Nonprofit Corporation) (Sapporo, Hokkaido)

(Source) Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications "Survey on Safety and Security in an ICT Utilization Society" (2011)