[CA] Global IT Challenge for Youth with Disabilities, 2018

“Global IT Challenge for Youth with Disabilities, 2018” is being organised by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in New Delhi during 9-11 November, 2018.

This year, India is hosting the event in collaboration with Government of Korea and Rehabilitation International (RI). The Global IT Challenge for disability is a capacity building project that helps youth with disabilities to overcome their limitations and challenges for a better future through access to ICT. It will alleviate the digital divide and expand participation of youth with disabilities in the society. It propagates implementation of United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) - Article 21 relates to access to information.

About 100 youth with disabilities in the age group of 13-21 years in the category of visual disability, hearing disability, locomotor disability and developmental disorder (intellectual disability/MR) from 18 countries namely, Indonesia, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia, Cambodia, Laos, Philippines, Korea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, UAE, India and UK. 12 participants in three teams will be representing India. These youths with disabilities have been selected on the basis of National IT Challenge conducted through National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra in June, 2018. The participants will also be accompanied by one official chaperone and one non-official chaperone from each country to serve as escorts for the participating youths with disabilities.

There are about 1 billion i.e. about 15% of the world population persons with disabilities. Majority of this population live in developing countries with low ICT development indexes. Because of this information divide, persons with disabilities are being excluded from society suffering inequality and poverty. The event started in the year 1992 in Korea. Subsequently it expanded to the neighbouring countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region and since 2011 it has become a global event.

 In 2011 the event was held in Hanoi, Vietnam followed by Incheon (South Korea in 2012) Bangkok, Thailand in 2013, Busan, South Korea in 2014, Jakarta, Indonesia in 2015, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China in 2016 and Hanoi, Vietnam in 2017. The last event at Hanoi was attended by youth with disabilities from 18 countries namely India, Indonesia, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia, Cambodia, Laos, Philippines, Korea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Brunei.