Starting from the 2024-2025 academic year, enrollments at the University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC) in Benin are conducted exclusively online. This reform, a first for the country’s main campus, also includes students with disabilities.
Bergedor HADJIHOU
On the Abomey-Calavi campus this Friday, December 27, 2024, Igor Daassi, General Organizer of the Association of Disabled Students of Benin (ASEHB), despite his motor disability, distributes flyers to encourage his peers to register online. “Out of 10 disabled students I met this morning, six told me they had completed their online registration without assistance. This is great news,” he rejoices. According to him, this enthusiasm is due to the elimination of constant travel required for in-person registration. Now, students can create their student account on the website https://www.etudiant.uac.bj/, download their pre-registration form, and schedule an appointment online at a specific time for their photo session and student card printing. This process reduces waiting times and grants vulnerable students appreciable autonomy.
“Without having to move, I was able to adapt to the digital reform. The site is relatively simple compared to other platforms. My screen reader helped me, but the site should accommodate different types of disabilities,” explains Sourou Donou, a visually impaired second-year sociology student.
However, not everyone shares this enthusiasm. Judith Anagonou, an engineer specializing in modeling and numerical simulation, points out that “the site is not adapted for visually impaired or blind students. Integrating options such as contrast adjustment or an accessible mode would facilitate their navigation. It would have been wise to test the platform with disabled students, considering the diversity of profiles and situations, before its launch.”
Despite progress, several barriers remain, preventing disabled students from accessing public digital infrastructures like everyone else.
In the midst of an animated discussion on one of the garden benches around the basketball court, Christelle G., a visually impaired student, shares her struggles: “I don’t have an adapted phone to read content. It requires significant financial resources. I tried using the platform with the help of a classmate, but I feel uncomfortable asking for this kind of support. I don’t want to be stigmatized. It also raises a confidentiality issue since I have to share personal information, such as my password. Being blind, I can’t always guess the intentions of those offering to assist me.”
A Need to Strengthen Legislation for Digital Accessibility
Digital accessibility is essential to ensure equal access to online services and information. In Benin, Law No. 2017-06 of September 29, 2017, on the protection and promotion of the rights of disabled persons represents a major step forward in ensuring access to public services for people with disabilities. Additionally, Articles 92 to 112 of Law No. 2017-20 of April 20, 2018, on the Digital Code of Benin, as amended by Law No. 2020-35 of January 6, 2021, address the universal telecommunication service. “Upon reviewing these provisions, it is clear that special measures are in place for certain categories of vulnerable individuals, including people with disabilities, consumers in rural areas, geographically isolated zones, and educational, health, and university establishments. Furthermore, the notion of universal service is no longer limited to telephony but also includes data services such as the internet,” analyzes Julien Hounkpè, a Doctor of Law and digital specialist.
Article 25 of Law No. 2017-06 of September 29, 2017, also stipulates that: “The State shall create the conditions for access to all services and structures to meet the specific needs of disabled persons.”
However, these legal texts remain insufficient. Further efforts are needed to identify and eliminate all obstacles and barriers to digital accessibility for disabled individuals. The existing legislation does not include specific provisions on the use of public digital infrastructures by disabled persons or minimum standards for designing mobile applications and other electronic platforms to facilitate their use by concerned individuals. The applicable standards and best practices are underdeveloped: “In Benin, it is not yet a common practice for application, website, and software developers to systematically integrate accessibility standards. The needs of visually impaired users, for example, or other sensitive groups, are not taken into account during the design process,” observes Judith Anagonou.
Every year, the Association of Disabled Students of Benin (ASEHB) identifies around a hundred disabled students at UAC. According to the 2020-2024 Strategic Plan for Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) in Benin, among the most literate disabled individuals, 19.2% reached the primary level, 8.2% secondary education, and only 0.8% higher education. Additionally, the 2018 report on supervision activities across the 37 CBR districts indicated that, out of 1,714 monitored disabled children, 947 were enrolled in primary school, 470 in secondary school, and only 58 in higher education.
To bridge this gap, it is imperative to strengthen the legal framework and eliminate digital obstacles. With concerted efforts, digital accessibility could become a powerful tool for the inclusion of disabled students in Benin.
Note: A public digital infrastructure comprises systems and digital platforms deployed by the State or public institutions to serve the general interest. It aims to improve access to public services, promote the development of the digital economy, and enhance transparency and efficiency in administrative processes.
