Data from the UN and global leading organisations highlights that more than 25% of the world’s population (1.7+ billion people) experience some form of disability. A large proportion of disabilities occur in the developing world. If we add to this the lack of accessible digital platforms, the problem becomes even more pronounced, as 98% of the world’s top one million websites do not offer full accessibility to people with disabilities.

Ruh Global IMPACT an international social enterprise accessibility and inclusion consultancy and Billion Strong, a Global Nonprofit Organisation, focused on identity and empowerment for the 1.7 Billion persons with disabilities, has signed an agreement with the digital Metaverse platforms and leadership from Citiesabc.com and openbusinesscouncil.org created and powered by ztudium Limited in developing an accessible immersive digital web 3.0 Metaverse, inclusive, and engaging technology Lab and platform to create empowering solutions for everyone of this community.

Digitally accessible platforms should pledge to focus their efforts on three main areas: hearing, vision, and colour blindness. And those are the principles that this partnership will focus on: to develop a series of digital toolsets within their platforms to make sure they are fully accessible to all while building an accessible index tech to reflect access to these platforms with an all-inclusive metaverse that bridges the gap between the real and digital world with augmented experiences.

Building all-inclusive digital platforms for billions of people with disabilities

The joint venture’s mission is to improve the lives of the often-ignored, disenfranchised, global disability communities. The term “Persons with Disability” (PWDs) refers to individuals who suffer long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which, upon interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. This includes hundreds of millions of children, adults, senior citizens and refugees.

“We believe in creating a better world which is supporting the 25% plus of the global population with disabilities, using accessibility ESG-focused tools, technology, that offers a support system to those unable to see, move or having issues as simple as moving from their home or sending an email or reading a website. Accessibility and sustainability are critical elements that can improve billions of people’s lives and just offering simple digital enabling accessibility tools can make a big difference. Being the son and cousin of two people with serious disabilities I understand how this is important for families all over the world. With this partnership we aim to achieve our targets by using digital tools, widgets, creating a world-first accessibility index, to have real-time information about these areas,” said Dinis Guarda, founder of ztudium, openbusinesscouncil and citiesabc.

The two organizations and platforms: openbusinesscouncil and citiesabc, have been working on tackling this challenge for the 1.7+ billion that are left aside, digitally wise. That is why the three partners have agreed to collaborate on enabling powerful accessibility solutions within citiesabc and openbusinesscouncil digital transformation platforms. These aim to be immersive, digitally inclusive, and accessible for businesses and city-based ecosystems. The platform’s services offer will include commerce, community-driven experiences, solutions, marketplaces, and rewards for creators, organisations, and other users – a win-win for all.

“Ruh Global IMPACT and Billion Strong are proud to work collaboratively with citiesabc and openbusinesscouncil created by ztudium Limited to build accessibility technology and digital tools that both recognizes and honours our diversity by creating an environment that is accessible and inclusive. Our goals is to make These platforms a practical and solution-driven set of tools and solutions for the disabilities community and being a beacon for positive human exchange and empowering.” – Debra Ruh – said CEO of Ruh Global IMPACt and Billion Strong Chairman.

As a nonprofit organisation, Billion Strong is creating a community focused on identity, pride and an exceptional user experience for the two platforms. The parties plan to co-develop and launch software designed to improve accessibility across the family of organisations at ztudium.

Ruh Global IMPACT and Billion Strong will also engage their Country Partners and Global Disability Persons Organisations (DPO) to assure access for all in both the openbusinesscouncil and citiesabc platforms.

Digital Inclusion: the Accessibility Index and the Metaverse Future

Citiesabc is a pioneer of the Accessibility Index: one part of the citiesabc digital tool sets for bringing digital accessibility to the forefront. This Index is a valuable tool for individuals, governments, researchers, and academics. It provides a general overview of the state of the conversation surrounding accessibility in both digital and physical cities, countries, and globally. It provides tools to evaluate the effectiveness of public policy and corporate initiatives in creating a more accessible world.

The mission

“We are also working on building an open API accessibility system, research papers and tools for anyone in the world to be able to the building up accessible websites, social media interactions, cybersecurity capabilities, accessibility-powered fintech, Blockchain, and big data – all working in tandem to provide a secure, easy to use, seamless digital platforms by billions of people that struggle every day to do it. And working together with the disabilities expert teams and community of Billion Strong will allow us to achieve that,”  added Dinis Guarda.

Notably, this collaborative effort goes beyond these two initial platforms and pushes joint development well into the future. Focusing on the areas of data usage and Artificial Intelligence, the aim is to create and offer special software solutions to improve accessibility in Web 3.0 and the Metaverse for persons with disabilities. These solutions will be compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and accessible videos that will launch the user into an immersive 3-D experience within the ztudium platforms.

About ztudium Limited

ztudium is a global leading maker of industry 4IR Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies and research. We build software, research products and service solutions, using blockchain, AI and digital transformation DNA. We create proprietary leading platforms, and software products for businesses and governments. Ztudium has built a global ecosystem reaching over 1 million people a month and has built a revolutionary set of SaaS products. We are focusing on growth and establishing a globally leading organisation tackling and offering solutions to the 90% of the global society and economy that is not digitally transformed.

www.ztudium.com

About Ruh Global IMPACT

Ruh Global IMPACT is a for-profit social enterprise consultancy that focuses on accessibility, inclusion, and universal design principles and practices for larger multinational organizations, governmental agencies, smart city development, digital twins, web 3.0 and metaverses. With over 35 years as a recognized global leader in this field, Ruh Global has a rich history of experience.

www.ruhglobal.com

About Billion Strong Corp.

Billion Strong is a nonprofit organization designed to bring the global voices of the billions of persons with disabilities together. Its goal is to unite, elevate and empower the global community of persons with disabilities to develop a positive disability identity so that we can come together and create positive change. Billion Strong is creating a fully accessible platform that will allow the global community of individuals to connect with each other, and with corporations, governments, and with global Disability Persons Organisations.

www.Billion-Strong.org

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Citiesabc.com and openbusinesscouncil.org, part of the Ztudium Group, join forces with Ruh Global IMPACT & Billion Strong to create accessible digital, Web 3.0, Metaverse solutions to empower the 1.7+ billion global disability community appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

Mr. Saurabh Sanyal, Secretary General, PHDCCI signed the MOU on behalf of PHDCCI and was accompanied by his colleagues, Mr. Naveen Seth, Assistant Secretary General and Mr. Niraj, Senior Secretary – International Affairs, PHDCCI. Mr. Anuj Khanna, Member, PHDCCI accompanied Mr. Nitin Kalra on the occasion.

Mr. Dinis Guarda, CEO & Founder, ztudium – openbusinesscouncil.org virtually signed the MOU and, Mr. Nitin Kalra ztudium openbusinesscouncil officer and VP Data and AI physically signed the MOU as a witness.

This partnership will mark a partnership that strengthens the global digital transformation for the PHDCCI that will be enabled by the tools and marketplace provided by the fast-growing global openbusinesscouncil.org platform presence as a worldwide business directory and marketplace player.

The goals of this partnership are:

• to promote trade and investment relations between India and the global digital  platform openbusinesscouncil.org owned by openbusinessplatform, a UK company, and part of ztudium group;

• to assist in the organisation of trade corridors and market digital research missions, conferences, symposia, networks and other methods of digital and technology trade promotional activity between the members of the PHDCCI in the platforms and multiple member countries;

• to organise digital and face-to-face B2B meetings, seminars, conferences, exhibitions, trade fairs, and other promotional activities to enhance the relations between the two countries;

• and most excitingly, to create a new digital and Al/blockchain driven Certification for the business members in a global leading digital Directory.

The partnership was signed by the two business leaders.

Pradeep Multani serves as President of the Chamber and is a leading business leader and CEO in India. Dinis Guarda, founder and CEO of Ztudium/openbusinesscouncil.org, is a globally-recognized author, business influencer, and thought leader with decades of experience advising governments and business organizations.

Mr. Multani highlighted that PHDCCI’s goal is to ensure that businesses and investors from all around the world are comfortable with coming to India. Speaking about the partnership, he explained that: “We have an outstanding track record of exactly 117 years. We have expert committees for every sector of industry or trade. It is important for us that international people can be guided by us on how to set up their business, their service, or whatever trade you wish to do.”

“If we have to make India a USD 5 trillion economy, we have to ensure that all our foreign friends feel confident about coming to India, we will be able to assist them in whatever they want to achieve and for that we have to lead the digital transformation waves of our times.”

On the other side, Dinis Guarda said about the new partnership: “This partnership is an opportunity for the thousands of companies in India, UK and worldwide to catch up with the digital transformation opportunities and manage its challenges, opportunities and cope with disruption. Businesses, SMEs are the backbone of the economy — they account for 65% of net new jobs — and they not only need to keep up with technological developments but also with the rising 4IR business and consumer innovation and trends. Businesses have to be able to create and manage digital interactive ecosystems, communities and increase new challenges in trade commerce, finance with their products & solutions.”

The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, established in 1905, is a proactive National Apex Chamber working at the grass-root level and with strong national and international linkages. The Chamber acts as a catalyst in the promotion of industry, trade and entrepreneurship. It is one of the Premier Chambers in India to have been accredited with “Diamond Grade” by NABET (QCI), at the national and international levels.

This partnership will enable a new set of digital trade corridors, and access to global solutions provided by the likes of openbusinesscouncil.org partners such as MasterCard, Palladium, Citiesabc.com, fashionabc.org, and business school partnerships possibilities and synergies between India and the UK and global other players. The two countries have a common history and will always be intertwined – to some extent – in terms of their leadership, business intelligence, and commercial and economic goals.

About PHDCCI

PHDCCI is headquartered in New Delhi and it has co-opted National and International Industry Associations and Organisations through over 150 MoUs signed between the parties.

About openbusinesscouncil.org

Openbusinesscouncil.org is a global business digital certification directory and marketplace working with business networks, governments, tech ecosystems, and leading universities and organisations. It allows businesses to grow, find trusted clients and partners, find the necessary digital transformation, and finance international trade.

About ztudium

Ztudium, on the other hand, is a global maker of industry 4IR technologies and research. The company builds software, research products, and service solutions using blockchain, AI and digital transformation DNA. It also creates proprietary platforms and software products for businesses and governments. Ztudium has built a global ecosystem reaching over 1 million people a month and has built a revolutionary set of SaaS products, including openbusinesscouncil.org.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post India’s PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry partners with global digital platform directory openbusinesscouncil.org appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

• They are an important growth driver for the world economy with greater employment opportunities and sustainable prosperity.

• Digitalisation is one of the key levers to pull to ensure that SMEs achieve this potential.

• Openbusinesscouncil provides a business and trade directory, digital identity certification, and marketplace for SMEs. Its directory, resources, and marketplace help businesses connect with each other to enhance their respective digital transformations and improve their outreach. 

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are defined as non-subsidiary, independent firms which employ fewer than a given number of employees. There are approximately 400 million SMEs globally, forming the very backbone of the world economy. They are the main source of job creation, accounting for over 95% of companies and 60-70% of employment across the world.

While their growth and potential are enormous, a vast majority of these businesses face complex and often insurmountable challenges: a lack of business connections, limited awareness of digital tools and best practices, limited staff, lack of timely information, poor funding, and economies of scale.

During the pandemic, the world realised that digital ways of working, contactless interactions, and augmented and autonomous operations enable a high degree of business continuity. Around 90% of the world’s businesses and SMEs do not even have a website or digital profile and lack financial support. And even if they do, they pay for their digital footprint significantly to the service providers, and more importantly, have poor or no social media engagement.

Data from World Bank and OECD states that online platforms are central to the digital transition of the society, and provide important channels for growth. With digital transformation platforms, SMEs can improve their productivity, lower operational costs, access business intelligence services, and generate economies of scale and of scope.

SMEs face challenges when operating on online platforms. Lack of digital skills and non-adaptive business models are frequent barriers. Achieving digital transformation and realising the benefits requires a collective push across the whole society and industries. There is, thus, a global effort to now leverage the potentials that lie at the bedrock of digitalisation- to raise industry productivity, upskill employees, uptake new work practices, and create regional new hubs for entrepreneurship and innovation.

Building a 4IR-ready platform: The openbusinesscouncil Solution

Openbusinesscouncil is a global business digital certification directory and marketplace working with business networks, governments, tech ecosystems, and leading universities and organisations. It allows businesses to grow, find trusted clients and partners, find the necessary digital transformation, and finance international trade.

Openbusinesscouncil allows the businesses to:

• certify themselves in a global leading digital directory,

• list their company, people, products, and website for maximum visibility and trust,

• access, and do business with verified businesses,

• grow their business in a global trade corridor between chambers of commerce and governments,

• access to financial solutions, trade finance, and tools for their business with the likes of Mastercard.

With its recent release, openbusinesscouncil brings forth to its global audience that the platform uses Fourth Industrial Revolution (known as 4IR) technologies, like blockchain, Artificial Intelligence to create an environment of transparency and trust, leveraging businesses to grow and get certified securely and efficiently with the maximum rewards – both short and long term.

Openbusinesscouncil is a platform to grow, empower and digitally transform businesses. Join the revolution where openbusinesscouncil opens doors to a thriving business economy- one that fosters sustainable growth and competitiveness.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post A Digital Certification Directory & Marketplace Created For Business: openbusinesscouncil appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.