Qtel is giving further push to measures designed to make e-accessibility certification easier for people with
special needs to enjoy the full benefits of technology. Earlier this month, Qtel was named as the first private sector organisation in the country to be accredited with the “committed to accessibility” badge by Mada (Qatar Assistive Technology Centre), under its “National Web Accreditation Programme.”This recognition was achieved by Qtel’s commitment to creating an accessible web portal that people with special needs can access easily and effectively. The National Web Accreditation Programme, is a key initiative from Mada, which aims to contribute to making Qatar a regional leader in the field of e-accessibility. It recognises organisations that have either exhibited a concrete commitment to a certain level of accessibility through their online resources.Qtel’s website will be offering an increasing range of applications and access points for people with physical, visual and hearing disabilities. The company is also expanding this level of support in its physical stores and points of sale, including providing wheelchair access and training customer service representatives in sign language.Qtel is also expanding the range of special discounts, handsets and accessories available for its customers. For the visually-impaired, Qtel offers “Gold Mobile Speak Easy”, which is a bilingual software reader application that enables the use of speech to make and receive calls, compose and read SMS, MMS, and e-mail, and even download books to be read aloud.For people who are audibly challenged, Qtel provides special discounts on dual camera phones, and on video and text message services.Qatar’s ongoing commitment towards implementing international standards for web accessibility is complimented by the presence of the Qatar Assistive Technology Centre, which is committed to bridging the digital divide for people with special needs. Through expert advice and assessment, ongoing training, and a technology provision system, more and more people with special needs living in Qatar are enjoying the benefits of ICT.The Mada National Web Accreditation Programme is comprised of three levels. They are “access committed,” for organisations that make a concrete commitment towards establishing an accessible web presence by a certain date, “access certified,” to those organisations that have achieved a certain level of accessibility.