Nepal Workshop Tackles Digital Rights for Blind Women

Author: Jalasa Sapkota
Published: 2025/01/09 - Updated: 2026/01/21
Publication Type: Informative
Category Topic: Website - Related Publications

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates

Synopsis: This report documents a validation workshop organized by Prayatna Nepal that brought together 32 stakeholders including government representatives, UN agencies, human rights organizations, and disability advocacy groups to examine digital accessibility barriers facing visually impaired women. The information is authoritative because it stems from a collaborative effort involving the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives and features input from Nepal's National Human Rights Commission, Amnesty International, and multiple organizations of persons with disabilities. The workshop findings prove particularly useful to policymakers, technology developers, and advocacy groups working to address systemic exclusion in digital banking, e-governance, and online services that currently prevent blind and visually impaired individuals from exercising their fundamental rights to financial independence and information access guaranteed under Nepal's Constitution and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - Disabled World (DW).

Introduction

Validation Workshop on Digital Accessibility and Digital Rights of Women with Visual Impairment

Prayatna Nepal, in collaboration with the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) and facilitated by Ability Manch Pvt. Ltd., successfully hosted a validation workshop to disseminate and discuss the findings of the position paper titled "The Status of Legal Frameworks Responding to Digital Accessibility and Digital Rights of Women with Visual Impairment". The event took place at Hotel Manang, Thamel, bringing together 32 participants, including representatives from organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs), UN agencies, human rights organizations, Amnesty International, the National Human Rights Commission, Handicap International, and other NGOs and INGOs.

Main Content

Objectives and Purpose

The workshop aimed to:

Declare Prayatna Nepal's position on the digital rights and accessibility of persons with visual impairments.
Provide insights to policymakers, government representatives, and stakeholders on current challenges and opportunities in digital accessibility.

Ms. Sarita Lamichhane welcoming the participants. This image shows a person standing in front of a projection screen in a conference room. The screen displays a presentation titled Digital Accessibility and Digital Rights of Women with Visual Impairment: A Position Paper, organized by an entity named Prayatna. The room has a red carpeted stage and a wooden backdrop with some lighting fixtures on the ceiling. The person is wearing a dark brown coat and holding a microphone in one hand and a white cane in the other, indicating they might have visual impairment. The presentation slide features a graphic of a person wearing headphones.

Key Topics and Discussions

The workshop covered a range of topics essential to advancing digital inclusion, including:

Digital Rights: Addressing fundamental rights such as freedom of expression, privacy, access to information, and digital inclusion.
Digital Accessibility Principles: Introducing the four core principles—Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR) - as the foundation for inclusive digital design.
Accessibility Features: Highlighting essential practices such as alt text for images, captions for audio and video, keyboard navigation, color contrast adjustments, scalable text, accessible fonts, and the use of assistive technologies.

Sign Language Interpreter interpreting the session. This image depicts a conference or workshop setting in a rectangular room with tables arranged in a U-shape. The tables are covered with orange and white tablecloths, and participants are seated on both sides, engaged in discussions. On the left side, a woman in a tan jacket is speaking or listening attentively, while others take notes or look on. On the right side, two women are conversing, with one gesturing as if explaining or interpreting. Papers, notebooks, cups, and water bottles are spread across the tables, indicating an active and organized session. The room is well-lit, with curtains lining the walls, and plants placed in the center add a touch of greenery. The atmosphere is collaborative and focused.

Identified Challenges

Presenter discussed significant barriers faced by persons with visual impairments, including:

Inability to independently open bank accounts.
Restrictions on accessing mobile banking services.
Violations of financial rights and privacy concerns.

A participant sharing his feedback. This image shows a man seated at a table in what appears to be a formal meeting or workshop setting. He is wearing glasses, a brown checkered blazer over a sweater, and a collared shirt with a lanyard around his neck. He is holding a microphone, speaking or addressing others with a friendly expression. In front of him are a notepad and a pen. The background shows other participants seated on white chairs, engaged in conversations or listening. The room is well-lit, with striped curtains and a speaker visible in the back, contributing to the professional atmosphere.

Legal Provisions and Advocacy

The workshop reviewed existing legal frameworks, including:

Nepal's Constitution (Article 27): Ensures the right to information for all citizens.
CRPD (Article 21): Affirms freedom of expression and access to information for persons with disabilities.
Privacy Law 2075: Intended to safeguard personal data, but gaps remain in practice, particularly concerning persons with disabilities.

Facilitator facilitating the workshop. The image shows two individuals seated at a table, engaged in a formal setting. The person on the left is wearing a gray beanie, glasses, a white sweater, and a red shirt, and appears focused on writing or reading from a notebook. Next to them, on the right, a person with long dark hair, glasses, and a dark jacket is speaking into a microphone while using a laptop. A crutch rests against the table between them. In the background, a banner with the title Empowering Voice: Bridging the Digital Divide and text about mapping laws related to digital rights is visible.

Recommendations from Stakeholders

Participants proposed actionable recommendations, such as:

Collaborating with the media to enhance visibility and awareness.
Developing national digital accessibility standards and guidelines.
Conducting research on artificial intelligence to explore its potential for empowering persons with disabilities.
Ratifying the Marrakesh Treaty and ensuring affordable assistive devices through government policies.
Promoting accessible online complaint mechanisms and collaborating with IT experts from academia.

Closing Session

The workshop concluded with group discussions on e-governance from a disability inclusion perspective, culminating in actionable recommendations to address gaps in Nepal's digital ecosystem.

Prayatna Nepal's position emphasized the urgent need for Nepal to adopt clear guidelines aligned with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), mandating accessible design for public websites, applications, and digital content.

This event marks a significant step toward ensuring the digital rights and accessibility of women with visual impairments in Nepal, aligning with global commitments to inclusivity and equality.

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Editorial Note: The recommendations emerging from this gathering reflect a broader movement across South Asia where nations are grappling with the reality that digital transformation, when designed without accessibility at its core, can deepen rather than bridge inequality. Nepal's commitment to developing national digital accessibility standards aligned with WCAG guidelines represents more than technical compliance; it signals recognition that true digital citizenship requires intentional design choices that account for diverse abilities from the outset. As artificial intelligence and automated systems increasingly mediate access to essential services like banking, healthcare, and government programs, the stakes for getting accessibility right have never been higher - particularly for women with visual impairments who face compounded barriers at the intersection of gender and disability discrimination - Disabled World (DW).

Author Credentials: Jalasa Sapkota is a visually impaired writer, researcher, and advocate for disability inclusion. With a background as a former Research Assistant at Diverse Patterns Limited and now as a Resource Person for the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment's (ICEVI) Gender Equality and Women's Rights Task Group, she has dedicated her career to advancing the rights and opportunities of persons with disabilities. Visit Jalasa's biography for comprehensive insights into her background, expertise, and accomplishments.