How was accessibility of the negotiation documentation ensured?
The methods to ensure accessibility during the negotiation process increased in sophistication over time. Methods progressed from diskettes and documents in Braille, to email and website facilitated communication. A website was created to be accessible to conformance level A according to the standards set by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 1.0 (WCAG 1.0). Among other features, this level of accessibility allowed users of assistive technology such as screen readers to access the website effectively, and allowed for the resizing of text for those who needed to view enlarged text. Working documents of negotiation of Convention text were posted to the website as soon as they were discussed during a session of the Ad Hoc Committee, an innovative practice for United Nations convention negotiations. The website thus provided instant worldwide access to the rapidly changing progress of the discussions, giving the opportunity for groups around the world to feed into the process
