As the 21st century progresses, governments are recognizing new dimensions to the obstacles they face. As providers of information and services, governments must improve their ability to respond to the evolving wants and needs of increasingly-diverse communities of citizens, residents and visitors. As an employer - like those in the private sector - governments are concerned with acquiring, developing, and retaining qualified employees and improving employee productivity. And, agencies find themselves competing fiercely to attract and retain leadership thinkers. They also find themselves racing against time as large portions of the workforce in countries like the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom begin to retire en masse.
Add to these concerns the complicating factors of the global economy, public safety and security and the general imperative to "do more with less" and it doesn't take long to see why governments have so eagerly embraced the transition to e-Government as a means for helping to fulfill increasing public requirements on tight budgets. One result of this race to adopt e-Government is the increased visibility of an issue that cuts across all of the challenges facing government: How do governments ensure that they are including-to the greatest extent possible-all citizens, residents and visitors as beneficiaries of their e-Government transformation? How do they address the digital divide to help ensure digital inclusion?
While economic development and public policy experts continue to drive toward a single, global definition of "digital inclusion," there is general consensus that the term describes access to, and proficiency in interacting with, information and communication technologies (ICT) as channels to improve skills, promote economic well-being, and enhance one's quality of life. As a public strategy, digital inclusion can fuel societal transformation, defining requirements to enable governments to engage and interact with citizens and residents across the multiple facets of civic life - regardless of their gender, income, ability, age, native language, or technical proficiency.
At the heart of digital inclusion, however, lies the fundamental issue of IT accessibility. The concept is quite straight-forward: people cannot be included in something they cannot access. IT accessibility, a statement of IT capability or enablement, most commonly enables digital inclusion by addressing ability or age-related barriers that prevent a person from accessing or interacting with information or services that are delivered electronically. In addition, IT accessibility supports digital inclusion by helping remove barriers to using or benefiting from online information and services based on a person's technical proficiency, native language, or literacy level.
Incorporating accessible technology in governmental initiatives to develop digital communities helps agencies to improve productivity in municipal services and deliver better social and community outcomes.