The Internet Governance Forum Sri Lanka (IGF Sri Lanka) 2024 took place in Colombo in December 2024, marking a significant step in Sri Lanka’s journey toward inclusive and collaborative Internet governance. Hosted by the Lanka School of Internet Governance (LKSIG), this two-day event brought together policymakers, industry leaders, civil society, academics, and the technical community to discuss critical aspects of Internet policy, accessibility, and governance.

A key session during the forum focused on bridging the digital divide and promoting digital inclusion for marginalized communities, particularly persons with disabilities (PWDs). Moderated by Prof. Anuradha Jayakody, Head of the Department of Computer Systems Engineering, the session provided a platform for thought leaders to share insights and strategies for equitable digital participation.

Prof. Jayakody emphasized the role of technological innovations in developing assistive solutions, laying the foundation for discussions on inclusive technology. Mr. Thareendra Kalpage, Co-Founder of Digital Syndicate Co., highlighted the importance of collaboration and technological advancements in fostering inclusive digital transformation. Ms. Manique Gunaratne, Manager of the Specialized Training & Disability Resource Centre at the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon, stressed the need for practical implementation of inclusive practices and support systems to empower PWDs. Adding to this, Mr. Michael Lu, User Experience Architect at SyrosLABS, underscored the value of universal design and user-centric approaches in building accessible and inclusive digital platforms.

Contributing to the panel, Isuru Samararatunga, Research Manager at LIRNEasia, presented key findings and strategies related to digital inclusion. Drawing on LIRNEasia’s AfterAccess research and multiple studies conducted with PWDs, he explored two critical themes: bridging the digital divide and identifying future trends in assistive technologies.

Samararatunga shed light on the challenges faced by PWDs in rural and underserved communities in accessing assistive technologies (ATs). While the World Health Organization (WHO) provides a priority list of ATs, mobile phones have emerged as the most versatile assistive device, addressing a range of impairments, including cognitive, hearing, and mobility disabilities.

Findings from LIRNEasia’s 2019 survey in Sri Lanka revealed significant disparities in mobile phone ownership among age 15 to 65. While 78% of the general population owned mobile phones, ownership among PWDs stood at only 32%. Additionally, the urban-rural gap in ownership was larger among PWDs (12%) compared to the general population (9%). Interestingly, smartphone ownership was notably higher among PWDs (63%) than the general population (50%), indicating their preference for devices that offer greater functionality.

Despite these findings, challenges persist in effective usage of mobile devices among PWDs, including skills like installing apps, creating online accounts, adjusting settings, and posting information. Samararatunga emphasized the need for targeted skill-building initiatives to bridge this divide, benefiting not only PWDs but also the broader population.

Future trends and collaborations

The session also addressed the potential of emerging technologies and global collaborations to revolutionize assistive technologies and universal design. Tools such as Google’s Live Transcribe, which converts audio to text in real time, have demonstrated significant advancements in assisting PWDs, including persons with hearing impairments. However, Mr. Samararatunga pointed out that resource-poor languages like Sinhala and Tamil face challenges in transcription accuracy due to limited training data for Large Language Models (LLMs).

To address these limitations, the panel stressed the importance of global partnerships and innovations that prioritize inclusivity for underserved languages and communities. By fostering collaborations with organizations leading advancements in assistive technologies, Sri Lanka can ensure that resource-poor languages like Sinhala and Tamil also benefit from cutting-edge solutions.