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Welcome!

IGF-DCAD is the Internet Governance Forum Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability.

If you would like to join IGF-DCAD, please fill out this form.

You can read some of the philosophy behind IGF-DCAD in Dr. Muhammad Shabbir Awan‘s essay ‘Diversity and Inclusion – Moving Beyond Tokenism: Why Disability Inclusion in IGF Leadership is Critical for a Digital Future‘

Accessibility Guidelines

In February 2025, IGF-DCAD has issued updated ‘Accessibility Guidelines‘ for IGF meetings. BS / EN / ES / FR / IT / NL / PT translations are available. Your feedback is welcomed.

Margins to Mainstream: Comments on the WSIS+20 Elements Paper

On 20 June 2025, the WSIS+20 Elements Paper was published as part of the WSIS+20 review process, outlining thematic priorities intended to guide negotiations ahead of the WSIS+20 High-Level Meeting in December 2025 and to inform the drafting of the forthcoming Zero Draft, which will consolidate stakeholder input into actionable proposals.

The position of IGF-DCAD (Internet Governance Forum — Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability) on the paper is that despite decades of advocacy, the persistent digital divide facing persons with disabilities is only mentioned tangentially throughout the WSIS+20 Elements Paper. Given that over 1.5 billion people globally live with disabilities, there must be a stronger, explicit commitment to digital accessibility woven into every thematic area, in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Sustainable Development Goals. Moreover, inclusion must be explicitly defined to encompass accessibility for persons with disabilities as a non-negotiable component of people-centred development, recognizing that people with lived experience of disability bring essential insights and expertise to digital governance.

Please read Dr. Muhammad Shabbir & Judith Hellerstein’s full comments.  (Revised September 2025)

 

 

A message from Vint Cerf

Dr. Vinton Cerf, Chairman of the the Leadership Panel of the Internet Governance Forum, talks about accessibility.

Contact

We would love to hear from you!  You can reach us at info@igf-dcad.org or via our contact form.

Judith Hellerstein

Dr. Muhammad Shabbir

DCAD Coordinators