[Athen] FW: Press Release: G3ict to Acquire IAAP

[Scott Williams]

Huh ...

On Wednesday, July 20, 2016, Thompson, Rachel <rsthompson2 at ua.edu> wrote:


> FYI. I don’t know anything about G3ICT except what is included in this

> message. If you have experiences with either org that you’d be willing to

> share, I’d like to hear them.

>

> Rachel

>

> Dr. Rachel S. Thompson

> Director, Emerging Technology and Accessibility

> Center for Instructional Technology

> The University of Alabama

> 123 Russell Hall

> Box 870248

> Tuscaloosa, AL 35487

> Phone 205-348-0216

> rsthompson2 at ua.edu <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','rsthompson2 at ua.edu');> |

> http://accessibility.ua.edu

>

> From: G3ict - The Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs <

> G3ict_The_Global_Initiative_for_ at mail.vresp.com

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> >

> Reply-To: G3ict - The Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs <

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> >

> Date: Wednesday, July 20, 2016 at 9:39 AM

> To: Rachel Thompson <rsthompson2 at ua.edu

> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','rsthompson2 at ua.edu');>>

> Subject: Press Release: G3ict to Acquire IAAP

>

>

> <http://cts.vresp.com/fbl?c43c3411e6/6eca2018c2/http%3A%2F%2Fhosted-p0.vresp.com%2F606411%2Fc43c3411e6%2FARCHIVE%23like>

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> [image: release-top.gif]

>

> *[image: G3ict Logo]         *[image: IAAP-Logo]

>

>

>

> *G3ICT TO ACQUIRE IAAP AND ACCELERATE GROWTH OF THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY OF

> ACCESSIBILITY PROFESSIONALS *

>

>

>

> *ATLANTA, GA (July 20, 2016) *-- IAAP, the International Association of

> Accessibility Professionals and G3ict, the Global Initiative for Inclusive

> Information and Communication Technologies, announced today that G3ict will

> be acquiring IAAP in a merger aimed at promoting the accessibility

> profession on a more global scale. Under this agreement, IAAP will become

> part of G3ict, effective immediately, but will continue its mission to

> define, promote and improve the accessibility profession globally through

> networking, education and certification in order to enable the creation of

> accessible products, content and services. This joint decision by the

> Boards of IAAP and G3ict reflects the strategic alignment of these

> organizations and a shared need to respond to rapidly growing, unmet

> worldwide demand for IT professionals, developers, educators, business

> leaders, and content creators knowledgeable in accessibility.

> Under the agreement, IAAP programs (including online communities,

> professional education, certification, membership and events) will be

> operated as a new division of G3ict. All existing IAAP membership benefits

> and services will remain unchanged, and IAAP certification programs will be

> further enhanced with new tracks and content to address the needs of

> international markets and more specialized areas of expertise, such as web

> accessibility.

>

> This critical global need for accessibility professionals is driven by

> four key factors: (1) Increasing compliance requirements in countries with

> existing accessibility legislation; (2) Ratification of the Convention on

> the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) by 166 countries, which

> obligates those governments to ensure information and communication

> technologies are accessible to persons with disabilities; (3) Aging

> demographics in major markets, which greatly increases the population

> needing accessible solutions; and (4) Intense competition in the IT

> industry to provide superior digital experiences to consumers of digital

> content, products and services.

>

> “The G3ict and IAAP missions have always been very well aligned. So, this

> opportunity to directly align our investments and programs is a major step

> forward that will enable IAAP and its members to continue doing the same

> great work — but with greater efficiency and broader impact. By aligning

> our day-to-day operations with G3ict, we will expand IAAP’s global

> footprint, help more professionals around the world develop important

> accessibility skills, make it easier to achieve the goals of the CRPD, and

> ultimately improve the lives of millions of people with disabilities around

> the world,” said Rob Sinclair, President of the IAAP Board of Directors.

>

> The merger leverages the strengths of both organizations: IAAP’s large,

> multi-national membership, training resources, and industry-leading

> certification program; and the G3ict’s global reach and trusted

> consultation with governments, corporations, academic institutions, and

> advocacy organizations around the world. It represents a natural step for

> both organizations that are well-known among constituents dedicated to

> promoting the accessibility of information and communication technologies.

>

> Sharon Spencer, whose role was instrumental in developing IAAP from its

> inception, will serve as Director of IAAP for G3ict and lead the immediate

> transition of IAAP operations to G3ict. Members of the current IAAP Board

> have been appointed to the IAAP Global Leadership Team and will be

> responsible for overseeing all current and future developments of IAAP

> programs. The technical, academic and logistics aspects of the IAAP

> training and certification programs will be managed in partnership with the

> Alternate Media Access Center (AMAC) at the Georgia Institute of

> Technology. AMAC will also help ensure all IAAP programs and web sites are

> fully accessible.

>

> Ambassador Luis Gallegos, Chair of the Board of G3ict, and former Chair of

> the United Nations General Assembly Ad hoc Preparatory Committee for the

> Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, highlighted: “We are

> extremely pleased to see this merger formed at a time when the lack of

> skilled accessibility professionals constitutes a major roadblock to fully

> realize the promises of the Convention.  We look forward to making a real

> difference in promoting the IAAP programs around the world.”

>

> “It is a very timely opportunity for G3ict to work closely with the IAAP

> leadership to promote the association’s training and certification programs

> worldwide. Those activities and the global footprint of IAAP testing

> centers will directly complement our work since ten years in promoting CRPD

> compliant accessibility policies and programs around the world. IAAP’s

> networking tools will enable professionals working in accessibility to help

> learn from each other and spread ICT accessibility even more broadly. It

> will allow us to offer practical resources for governments, corporations

> and academia to rapidly build their capacity to develop and maintain

> accessible digital content and services. The IAAP programs will

> considerably enhance G3ict’s ability to fulfill its mission of promoting

> the rights of persons with disabilities in the digital age,” said Axel

> Leblois, Founder and President of G3ict.

>

> *# # #*

>

> *About IAAP*

> The International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) is a

> membership-based organization for individuals and organizations that are

> focused on accessibility or are in the process of building their

> accessibility skills and strategies. The objective of this association is

> to help accessibility professionals develop and advance their careers and

> to help organizations integrate accessibility into their products and

> infrastructure. The IAAP will provide a place for accessibility

> professionals around the world to gather, share experiences and enrich

> their knowledge of accessibility. Visit: www.accessibilityassociation

> <http://cts.vresp.com/c/?G3ictTheGlobalInitia/c43c3411e6/6eca2018c2/5a763bc281>

> .org

> <http://cts.vresp.com/c/?G3ictTheGlobalInitia/c43c3411e6/6eca2018c2/ec4c808fa8>

> .

>

> *About G3ict*

> G3ict - the Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs is an advocacy initiative

> launched in December 2006 by the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and

> Development, in cooperation with the Secretariat for the Convention on the

> Rights of Persons with Disabilities at UN DESA. Its mission is to

> facilitate and support the implementation of the dispositions of the

> Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on the accessibility

> of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and assistive

> technologies. G3ict relies on an international network of ICT accessibility

> experts to develop and promote good practices, technical resources and

> benchmarks for ICT accessibility advocates around the world. It is

> incorporated as a non-profit organization in the State of Georgia, USA, and

> headquartered in Atlanta. Visit www.g3ict.org

> <http://cts.vresp.com/c/?G3ictTheGlobalInitia/c43c3411e6/6eca2018c2/4dc704495a>

> .

>

> For more information, please contact:

>

> *IAAP*

> Sharon Spencer

> Email: sspencer at accessibilityassociation.org

> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','sspencer at accessibilityassociation.org');>

>

> *G3ict*

> Francesca Cesa Bianchi

> Email: fcesabianchi at g3ict.org

> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','fcesabianchi at g3ict.org');>

>

>

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-- 
Scott Williams
Web Accessibility Coordinator
Office for Institutional Equity
University of Michigan
734.764.0051
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