Breaking Down Barriers: How the UN's Commitment to Accessibility Made a Difference for a Youth with Visual Impairment

He is currently a Youth Advocate at UNICEF Nepal and loves to stay up to date with the latest happenings at the UN and often visits their website. Nir is blind and in the past accessing the information on the UN Nepal website was often difficult for him. It wasn’t very user-friendly and he often needed someone to help him navigate the website to find the information he needed. But thankfully, things have improved now, and Nir is happy to report that it's become much easier to get the information he's looking for.

Two years ago, a team was contracted to carry out an accessibility assessment of the two UN Websites and since then accessibility has progressively been improving. Our approach is to learn as we go and increase the knowledge and capacity of colleagues along the way.

Since implementing the recommendations from the Access Audit, UN Nepal has made considerable improvements to make the website un.org.np much more user-friendly for everyone, including visually impaired users like Nir.

Now, he can easily navigate the site using just his keyboard, and all the images have helpful descriptions, so he can quickly find the information he needs.

Nir is appreciative for the UN’s efforts in inclusion. The UN's dedication to accessibility has made a difference, allowing him to easily access information and updates on important issues. However, Nir still finds it challenging to locate accessible documents, as most are only available in PDF or image format. Nonetheless, he remains optimistic that the UN will continue to work towards making information more accessible for everyone.

The UN's efforts to enhance the accessibility of its website have brought about tangible improvements in Nir's daily routine, including overcoming obstacles to accessing important information and facilitating communication.

Story by:

Sagar Prasai (Diverse Patterns)