ajepodpis - Project of electronic signature for blind and partially sighted people
Contract No. 698/131/2006
Project ajepodpis
Project ajepodpis is aimed to test and support accessibility of electronic signature for visually impaired citizens.
Aim of the project
Project ajepodpis should increase independence and self-sufficiency of blind and partially sighted citizens and to ensure privacy and security of their activities and information through making public electronic services and electronic signature accessible to people with visual impairment.
Target groups
- blind and partially sighted citizens, potential users of electronic services
- providers of public electronic services
Why is this project important?
Blind and partially sighted citizens when using public services based on written communication and classic forms of writing and reading they are totally dependent on help and mediation of sighted people. Problems are rising also concerning acceptance and attest of their manual signature and more difficult and more expensive procedures of verification are required to compare with those for sighted people. These people also have to move to the place of services provision for which they need help of another person – guide. This essentially limits their independence and deny their right for privacy and security of their information and related activities. Basic mission of public administration is to provide their services also for visually impaired public, which has also legal right for early, fair and effective providing of these services.
Solution of this problem offers electronization of public services. The real solution will be when blind and partially sighted become competent to utilize them and when public electronic services will meet accessibility requirements. Requirement of accessibility is incorporated also in the document „Roadmap of introducting electronic services of public administration“approved by act of Government of Slovak republic No. 837/2005. There is written „It is necessary to ensure that informatization of public administration through accessible public electronic services will create equal opportunities for all. Generally there should be used principle that ensures access for disabled people, use of simple and intelligible language support for user and taking in account recommendations of „The Web Accessibility Guidelines“ defined by initiative of Web Access World Wide Web association.“
Access to public electronic services will enable blind and partially sighted people to communicate with providers of these services directly from home, to familiarize themselves with documents, to accomplish necessary transactions and to confirm genuiness of the document and justification of transactions by the indubitable electronic signature regardless of their sight limitations. This will allow these citizens to enjoy their civil rights by themselves and to accomplish their civil duties and will enhance their opportunities of social and working versatility as employers and also as entrepreneurs.