Consultant to Improve and Update the Arab Digital Inclusion Online Platform

Result of Service The consultant will eventually:

• Updated user-friendly and accessible platform as per WCAG 2.1 that enhances the users interactions with the platform
• Marketable, easy-to-use tools that are widely used to o develop e-accessible policy, guidelines o make content e-accessible

• Increased number of e-accessible webpages that make use of the ESCWA e-accessibility toolbar Knowledgeable officials and developers with skills to further develop national policy and guidelines, but also e-accessible sites

  Work Location UN-House ESCWA

  Expected duration 4 Months

  Duties and Responsibilities The Arab Digital Inclusion Platform (ADIP) is an ESCWA project launched in 2020 to support policy makers in the Arab counties to develop and improve their national policies and guidelines for enhanced e-Accessibility. This would help to bridge the digital divide and enable all society members to access and use ICT.

As part of the project the online platform provides access to information about disability in the Arab region, including any developed tools, best practices, and published information by ESCWA, Arab countries and other organizations. It also provides a secure space where government officials and disability focal points across the region can share documents for discussion and suggestions.

The first version of the , fully accessible platform was developed and launched during 2021. All received feedback on the functionalities of the ADIP platform, indicates that it is a valuable source that offer access to necessary information as well as tools that can help not only government, but any agency or organization that need to work on designing policies and implementing features in the field of e-accessibility. These include toolbars and automatic content adaptation tools that require further development to increase usability and reach. Further reviews of the platform also revealed other areas related to information coverage, organization and language that should be updated for better usability.

Under the supervision of ADIP project team, and in close cooperation with the ICTS team, the consultant will perform the following tasks:

• Update the features and functions of the digital platform, including design, testing and implementation
• Potentially integrate additional toolkit for older people
• Potentially update the technical toolkits/policy toolkits (new standards, enhanced UX, …)
• Add new page for training material on e-Accessibility
• Update the developed accessibility toolbar and make it available in 3 languages

• Potentially add new features to the toolbar

• Enhance the existent tool for content adaptation to become a smart one called “Content Adaptation Smart Tool” (CAST) that would : . o supports ESCWA standards for alternative text in relation to tables, graphs and pictures, and o provides an improved user interface that would enhance the User experience (UX)

• Update all admin/user manuals needed for the update and sustainability of the platform.

• When needed, contribute to various project activities by preparing background material, presentation, video recordings…etc and delivering presentations and training during meetings and workshops on the technical aspects of the platform and tools attendees can use to enhance their own experiences.

• Contribute to developing product packages of the tools and information developed for marketing among member States

  Qualifications/special skills An advanced university degree in information management, web design, computer science or a related field is required. Specialization in e-Accessibility is desirable. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. A minimum of 5 years’ experience in information management, web design, computer development, or a related field is required. Good experience in e-accessibility, and knowledge of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) is required. Excellent written and verbal technical communication is required. The following are desirable:

• Experience with accessibility evaluation tools such as Chrome accessibility developer tools, ally, aXE, Inspect, WAI toolbar is desirable.

• Knowledge of content management systems such as Drupal or Wordpress modules and taxonomies is desirable.
• Experience in information and knowledge organization concepts and practices is desirable.

• Experience with assistive technologies (for example, JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, ReadOutLourd, Zoomtext, MAGic, braille keyboards, embossers, textbook conversion, speech recognition, captioning, etc) or various accessibility tools will be an added advantage.

  Languages Fluency in written and spoken Arabic and English is required.

  No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.