DCAD Core Group Zoom Call.
March 31, 2020, 19H UTC
Present:
Gunela Astbrink
Joly MacFie, Judy Okite, Judith Hellerstein, Shadi Abou-Zahra, Gerry Ellis, Peter Crosbie
Muhammad Shabbir joined during call
Opening:
– Welcome from Gunela, outlined purpose of call which was to discuss what should/could be done going forward. Two main items to be discussed:
– How to manage the possible Vint Cerf donation/funds for captioning and travel
– Session Proposals for the next IGF Conference
– Gunela asked if there were any objections to her taking over as Co-ordinator from Andrea Saks. No objections.
– Gunela thanked Joly for handling the transition of the mailing list and web site to the ISOC A11ySIG
– Gunela thanked Peter Crosbie for handling secretarial duties
Discussion re Managing DCAD Funds:
– Lengthy discussion between all participants on the pros and cons of having the management of the funds remain with IGF SA, or moving it across to the ISOC SIG. Subjects included:
– ease of use and access if it’s with ISOC
– time demands on ISOC A11ySIG volunteers, in particular Greg the treasurer
– concerns about the ease of transferring funds internationally, in particular from the U.S. where ISOC A11ySIG is based compared to IGFSA which is in Switzerland
– concerns about bank management costs (U.S. vs Switzerland)
– concerns that management through IGFSA effectively “adds another layer”
– clarification needed on the nature of the funds (donation or grant) and the consequences of that, e.g. the question of tax deductibility, level of management required
– clarification needed on admin. costs if the funds were to be managed by the ISOC SIG
– clarification required on whether there were two separate funds (captioning and travel) or only one
– clarification required on whether the current funds with IGFSA are held in a separate account
– the possible need to set up a committee to decide who gets travel funding and how the funds are used, and to then pass on those recommendations to, say, IGFSA
– the complexity of organising travel vs the simplicity of giving applicants the funds to organise their own travel
– how best to organise the funding of captioning (regarding the two organisations)
– the need for the accounts to be managed with increased oversight by DCAD
– Conclusion from Gunela was that we would clarify a number of the above points with the IGFSA and Markus Kummer, but remain with them as least for the interim. Agreement from those present on provisos that:
– DCAD accessibility funds are separate from the main IGF SA account
– increased oversight of accessibility fund
– DCAD to decide how the funds should be used
– travel funding to be separate from caption funding
– Question as to whether there was any other source of funds, such as through ITU as in the past, but the answer was no
Discussion on proposing IGF Sessions
– Gunela can no longer propose sessions as she’s a MAG member. However, following on from discussions in Berlin, discussed the need for DCAD members to make proposals in a wider context, to be included in other sessions and with other Dynamic Coalitions. This will be raised at the general DCAD call the following week.
– Follow-up discussion endorsed this idea, that DCAD provide accessibility input to other sessions which are not necessarily focused exclusively on accessibility, of infusing the whole IGF with the idea of accessibility and taking it into mainstream discussions
– Gunela explained the MAG process for selecting sessions, and that she would discuss/raise the subject of including accessibility in general sessions with MAG members. Also, that the IGF is keen for DC’s to work between IGF sessions and provide feedback to IGF, so there’s a role for DCAD there.
– Discussion in the above context about liaising with other DC’s, and about how to go about it. For example, creation of a Google Doc by Judith Hellerstein so that everybody knows who’s being contacted.
– Gunela made the point that DCAD members can and should participate actively in a wide range of sessions, e.g. by raising questions or making comments, regardless of whether the sessions are focused specifically on accessibility.
NRIs
– Discussion about inclusion of accessibility in NRIs. Judy Okite will develop a work plan and discuss with Gunela
Admin
– Gunela asked if the core group should be expanded, consensus was no.
– Joly asked if we needed a core group mailing list, but consensus was no.