"Logged Out of Life: When Digital Access Becomes a Daily
Battle"
By Praveen Kumar G.
The recent Supreme Court of India’s
landmark order directing the government to ensure digital KYC accessibility for
visually impaired persons is undoubtedly a welcome and long-overdue move. The
Court recognized that equal access to digital services is a fundamental right,
and that denial of such access violates Articles 15, 19 and 21 of the
Constitution. This order comes in response to a petition highlighting the
inaccessibility of key online platforms, especially those related to public
service delivery.
While the verdict brings a sense of
hope, I remain perplexed and worried: how long will it truly take for this
order to translate into full, real-world freedom for us to access digital
content independently and with dignity?
Everyday
Struggles in a Digital World: For many of us
who are blind or visually impaired, each day is a battle with digital content.
>From scanned images of official documents and PDF forms that are unreadable, to
mobile applications that are incompatible with screen readers, the capture images
on various portals and other barriers are endless. Most of them have capture image
or the mobile apps are not accessible . Many
portals such as those for applying
for public services are riddled with inaccessible menus, pop-ups, or captcha
verification.
False
Assumptions and a Culture of Insensitivity: Unfortunately, we live in a world that is still largely insensitive to
the needs of people with disabilities. The prevailing attitude is: “If there’s
a screen reader and you’ve been given a digital device, your problem is
solved.” But that’s far from the truth. The existence of a screen reader is
only one part of the puzzle. What use is a tool if the platforms it’s supposed
to interact with are inherently inaccessible? And we still remain “loged out”
This insensitivity is also seen in
how complaints are often ignored, and how accessibility compliance is treated
as a formality, rather than a commitment to human dignity and rights.
Why
Digital Access Means Freedom: In today’s
world, digital access is not a luxury—it’s a lifeline. From banking to ordering food, from purchasing groceries to
travel bookings, from telemedicine and education to employment and civic
participation, the digital realm governs nearly every aspect of our lives.
Without equitable access, we are denied the basic freedom to live, learn, work,
and connect like anyone else and it often infringes on our privacy as then we have no choice but to seek for sighted assistance to login.
A
Ray of Hope, But the Road Ahead is Long: The Supreme Court's ruling, which mandates that digital services be made
compliant with the Guidelines for digital KYC (GIGW) 3.0 and WCAG 2.1 standards,
is a crucial step forward. It has also asked for a nodal officer to monitor implementation
and directed the creation of an accessibility audit report within a specific
time frame.
Still, the road ahead is long.
Implementation delays, lack of awareness, and limited technical capacity can
slow progress. But this ruling gives us legal ground to demand change. “until then
we shall continue to remain “logged out of lifeline services and at the mercy of
sighted assistance forgoing our privacy and dignity”
sincerely
