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Using Technology To Build Inclusive Smart Cities

Using technology to build an inclusive smart city and digital society at the Enable Makeathon

Engineers, innovators, students and people with disabilities came together as
part of Enable Makeathon 2.0, to discuss the use of technology to build a
more inclusive society.

This is an initiative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
and its partners, and this year’s focus is on crowd-sourcing prototype
products and solutions to address the challenges regarding accessibility and
employability of people with different disabilities, ranging from vision,
hearing and mobility….

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Despite its promise technology often fails to help disabled users

Despite its promise, modern technology often fails to help disabled users – TechRepublic

Advances in speech recognition, wearable technology, and mobile apps have offered welcome improvements for many people who are disabled. Yet while new technology is often praised for aiding communication for those who are blind and deaf, innovations can sometimes have unintended effects, hindering communication and access to information for those with disabilities.

In a talk at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard titled Disability, Technology, and Inclusion, Elizabeth Ellcessor, assistant professor in the Media School at Indiana University, Bloomington, and Meryl Alper, faculty associate with the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, discussed some of the hidden downsides of tech for the disabled.

Ellcessor began by questioning what is meant by “accessibility…”

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All Ireland Smart Cities Forum

All Ireland Smart Cities Forum | Seán Kyne TD

My address to the first All Ireland Smart Cities forum which took place in Croke Park Conference Centre on Wednesday, 13th September.

“Good morning, I’m delighted to be here today. It gives me great pleasure to open, along with Dr. McCormick, the first All Ireland Smart Cities Forum.

As Minister with responsibility for Digital Development, I welcome the opportunity to be part of the sharing of information that is taking place here today.

The increasing use of digital technologies is impacting on every aspect of our lives: from transport, to education, to leisure and entertainment, to health services and beyond. And this trend is going to continue and will likely intensify. The increasing use of digital technologies is impacting on everyone – on individuals, on families, on businesses, on community and sports organisation, on Government itself.

Government is committed to transparent, collaborative engagement both with citizens and businesses, and use of digitisation and technology to continuously improve public services. The new eGovernment Strategy published this year sets out a vision to improve the delivery of whole-of-Government projects, expand shared services to increase efficiencies, and share data.

We need to continue to enhance the competitiveness of our cities, and build on existing smart projects. We also need to go beyond our cities and recognise the benefits that the smart agenda can bring to our regions because this is not and cannot solely be about cities such as Dublin and Belfast…

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Smart Cities for the Blind

Screenshot-2017-12-9 Smart Cities for the Blind

Smart Cities for the Blind Posted by Lena Jukna on Nov 16, 2017 categories: Smart City tags: Accessibility, Blind, Inclusivity, smart city, Smart Technology, Urban Mobilty, Visual Impaired Would you be able to find your way across a big city at rush hour if you were visually impaired? 285 million visually impaired people worldwide are facing this challenge every day,…

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UNDG | Delivering Together For Development

UNDG | Delivering Together For Development

We at the UN in Costa Rica are designing our next UN common plan for 2018-2022 to support the Government in its efforts to achieve the Global Goals by 2030. To do that, we are following the crowdsourcing spirit of the new development agenda. We are trying to adapt our decision making so that our new UN Development Assistance Framework is developed with the full wisdom of the crowd.

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EU agrees on access to products and services for disabled people

EU agrees on access to products and services for disabled people

he EU Council signalled its readiness Thursday to start talks with the European Parliament on the accessibility directive, to make everyday products and services more accessible to people with a disability.

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Fostering Digital Inclusion in Smart Cities

Fostering digital inclusion in smart cities | | Parameters

Cities capture people’s imaginations because they are a whirlwind of change, adaptation, and challenge. Cities change on almost a daily basis, with the influx and exit of commuters. To survive over time, cities have to adapt to economic change, migration patterns, and citizens’ needs. Cities also have to face society’s toughest problems—poverty, crime, homelessness, and more—all while delivering the public services that help make a city hum.

In the early part of the twenty-first century, information and communications technologies (ICTs) have come to be seen as a way to help cities thrive. With the right deployment of technology, cities can become “smart” so that they can better deliver public services. Running parallel to the “smart city” discussion is the notion of inclusion; that is, a city is better off if a wide range of people participate in how it grows and evolves. In this context, inclusion has a lot to do with diversity—in the economy, civic life, and urban design. The upshot can be greater equity, as opportunities for economic and social growth open up to a wide range of a city’s population. ICTs may be among the tools deployed to enhance inclusion.

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WEBINAR: Livestream | LinkedIn Speaker Series with @HabenGirma

Screenshot-2017-12-9 Livestream LinkedIn Speaker Series

Upcoming Speaker Series: Haben Girma
Tuesday, December 12 at 10:30AM PT

As the the first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, Haben Girma advocates for equal opportunities for people with disabilities. Haben travels the world consulting and public speaking, teaching clients the benefits of fully accessible products and services. Haben has been working with LinkedIn to make our workplace and products more inclusive, and we are so excited to introduce her to the rest of the company – and the world! Come listen to Haben’s inspiring story, and learn how disability is driving innovation….

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Smart communities need smart governance – The Globe and Mail

Smart communities need smart governance – The Globe and Mail

The nascent plans for a smart neighbourhood on Toronto’s eastern waterfront may sound exciting from an urban-planning perspective, but the high-tech project poses fundamental governance problems that we need to solve now.

Smart cities are largely an invention of the private sector – an effort to create a market within government. They offer tech companies opportunities to generate profits by assuming functions traditionally carried out by the public sector and by selling cities technologies they may or may not need. The business opportunities are clear. The risks inherent to residents, less so….

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A Comprehensive Approach to Equitable Procurement in Smart City Government

A Comprehensive Approach to Equitable Procurement in Government

Continuous improvement in the delivery of government services requires not just new approaches from existing players but new participants as well. One way to stimulate that change in government processes is through equitability initiatives, and the work of the Minnesota Office of State Procurement to promote greater access to public procurement processes represents an innovative effort toward inclusive government…..

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Infrastructure Advancement of the Year | @LinkNYC

Infrastructure Advancement of the Year: LinkNYC | Smart Cities Dive

The “digital divide” — economic or social inequality in regards to technology — is a stubborn challenge in today’s smartest cities. Offering all citizens affordable access to broadband and other common connective infrastructure is not a simple feat, and will often create hostility between governments and their constituents.

CityBridge, a group of tech and connectivity companies including Intersection, Qualcomm and CIVIQ Smartscapes, is working to bridge this digital divide in the nation’s largest city with an advanced, scalable and aesthetically appealing Wi-Fi kiosk network: LinkNYC.

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Why is Singapore smarter? Hong Kong left trailing after rival ranked 2nd in global smart cities index

Why is Singapore smarter? Hong Kong left trailing after rival ranked 2nd in global smart cities index, Business Insider – Business Insider Singapore

Despite HK$1 billion in government cash to improve smart technology, Hong Kong scores lower than several other Asian cities including Tokyo, Seoul, Osaka and Taipei

Hong Kong has been ranked 68th in a global smart city index – way behind its main rival Singapore, which came in second.

Despite recent efforts by the government to make the city smarter, Hong Kong scored poorly in several factors including transport and mobility, sustainability, innovative economy, digitisation, and experts’ perception….

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This Braille Smartwatch is Bringing Smart City Innovation into Focus!

This Braille smartwatch is bringing the world closer to the blind : Newz Hook – Changing Attitudes towards Disability

South Korea-based startup specialises in innovative solutions for the blind.
It has created products that are low cost, small and easy to carry.

The Dot Smartwatch, which claims to be the world’s first Braille smartwatch,
lets the blind receive real time information from their phone, such as
notifications, text messages, and Facebook messages in braille.

The smartwatch vibrates when there is a notification on the phone and the
user cans elect and read the messages in Braille. This way the blind are
connected, like everyone else….

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New tech accessibility requirements are coming to government in 2018

Screenshot-2017-12-8 New tech accessibility requirements are coming to government in 2018

With 2018 approaching, federal agencies are preparing for a major update to the government’s digital accessibility requirements — standards that are designed to modernize and widen access for disabled users.

The specifications, that take effect in January, establish new guidelines to help seeing- and hearing-impaired residents access information on government websites, apps and from other digital media. The rules target federal agencies, but are intended to be a reference point for states and cities.

The changes come through an update to Section 508, a 2001 amendment of the Workforce Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The U.S. Access Board, an independent federal agency that promotes equality for people with disabilities, announced in an overview of the update that one of the most significant revisions is a wider application of the rules…..

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Empowering the Transformation to a More Inclusive and Accessible World

Empowering the Transformation to a More Inclusive and Accessible World

United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities (UN IDPD) serves as an important reminder that globally there are over a billion people with a disability. This year’s theme, “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient society for all” is especially relevant to our accessibility efforts here at Microsoft. This is a fact reinforced by the World Health Organization in which they shared that only 1 in 10 have access to the assistive technology they need: technology that can empower functioning, well-being and independence. This is a statistic that needs to change.

Disability is something that can affect any of us at any time, and technology has the power to change lives and help transform society on multiple levels. There have been many advances in assistive technology, especially in the last couple of years, and it’s both exciting and humbling to see the progress. There’s a lot more to do (and trust me, we’re on that!) but in the meantime, let’s talk about some of the steps we’re making at Microsoft to make accessibility easier to find, use, and become a master at….

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Building Smart City Austin for Human Diversity and Social inclusion

Screenshot-2017-12-8 Austin’s CodeNEXT – Austin Startups

Urbanization is one of the most important global trends of the 21st century. It has the potential to contribute to the “re-design” of our world supporting the creation of sustainable, accessible, and inclusive cities for all. About 6.25 billion people, 15% of them with disabilities, are predicted to be living in urban centers by 2050.

We are at a historic moment in inclusive social and economic development, fueled by technological advances. The City of Austin, TX is searching for ways to create a vibrant, accessible, and disability inclusive culture that attracts jobs, fosters economic development, and is an attractive place for all people to live, work, and play.

Like many municipalities across the country, Austin discovered that it’s current land development codes and ordinances often get in the way of achieving these goals — hence the creation of CodeNEXT. Austin is banking on its new Land Development Codes, AKA “CodeNEXT” to help remove system barriers and other problems that have stalled Austin’s progress in becoming the most livable, accessible and inclusive city in the nation…..

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Austin is Fast Becoming The Most Livable, Accessible & Inclusive “Smart City” In the U.S.

Screenshot-2017-12-8 Austin is Fast Becoming The Most Livable, Accessible Inclusive City In the U S

Austin is Fast Becoming The Most Livable, Accessible & Inclusive Smart City In the U.S.
Building cities and societies for human diversity and social inclusion is becoming a global mandate and Austin is about to do it all.

Austin Skyline and Lady Bird Lake from the Hyatt Panorama View

Date Feb. 8, 2017
Author: Darren Bates

AUSTIN, TX — We are at a historic moment in inclusive social and economic development, fueled by technological advances. Like so many municipalities across our nation, the City of Austin seeks to improve livability, workability, and sustainability.

However, Austin has work to do. For far too long Austin has failed to consider the unique ways physical and social barriers limit the participation of persons with disabilities and other historically underserved populations from accessing and enjoying city benefits, services, and products.

As well, the lack of participation of persons with disabilities, people of color and other equity groups in Austin’s urban affairs is one of the biggest challenges facing our central Texas city….

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How should we design disability-inclusive cities?

How should we design disability-inclusive cities? | Sustainable Cities

How should we design disability-inclusive cities?
Ede Ijjasz-Vasquez’s picture
Submitted by Ede Ijjasz-Vasquez On Mon, 12/04/2017
co-authors: Shazia Siddiqi

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Urbanization has been one of the most significant driving forces of recent global development, with more than half the world’s population now living in cities. And this proportion will continue to rise. Add to this, the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 11 that calls for “inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” cities.

In this edition of the Sustainable Communities Blog, Ede Ijjasz-Vasquez (@Ede_WBG), Senior Director of the World Bank’s Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience Global Practice, sat down with Dr. Shazia Siddiqi, Executive Director of Deaf Abused Women’s Network (DAWN), for a conversation on the disability dimension of inclusion and how we should conceive and design cities that are truly inclusive of all, including persons with disabilities.

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Ford Foundation Setting-the-Pace for Smart City Inclusion

Screenshot-2017-12-5 Why disability rights are central to social justice work—and what we’re doing about it

Last fall, Darren Walker wrote an essay urging all of us to acknowledge our personal biases and to understand how those biases can fuel injustice and inequality. Darren’s call grew out of his own awakening: the realization, brought to light by friends and activists, that for all the foundation’s attention to challenging inequality, we hadn’t accounted for the huge community of people living with disabilities. It was a humbling moment, he wrote.

As the past year has shown, it has also proved to be a consequential one. It quickly became clear that our focus on inequality demands that we think seriously about disability issues. It became equally clear that across all our programs, the specific outcomes and goals we’re working to achieve simply cannot be accomplished without addressing the needs, concerns, and priorities of people with disabilities. And so, guided by the disability movement’s mantra, “Nothing about us without us,” we’ve been working to confront ableism and expand participation and inclusion on both the institutional and the individual levels. It turned out we had a lot to learn.

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