Inclusion Through the Internet of Things

Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities and the Aged in mainstream society has progressed significantly through the continuous development of assistive technologies, standards, policies and guidelines combined with the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Technological advances utilising standards developed to enhance inclusion have lowered the barrier to access information, for example, theWorldWideWeb Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) (Web Accessibility Initiative Guidelines and Techniques, 2011). WCAG provides recommendations to make Web content more accessible. Furthermore, the United Nations’s "Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities" is mainstreaming disability (Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2011). Through the Convention, the Rights of Persons with Disabilities are described in detail. Member countries of the Convention commit themselves to institute mechanisms (be it policies, laws or other measures) to secure the individual’s rights as captured in the Convention.