According to the Czech Statistical Office, the online census is an extremely simple matter. At least this is what he claims in his new report published on the scitani.cz website, according to which people with disabilities should not be counted.
When preparing the 2021 Census of Population, Houses and Dwellings, which began at midnight from Friday 26 to Saturday 27 March, the Czech Statistical Office also remembers people with visual, hearing and intellectual disabilities. Even for these population groups with specific needs, the census should be safe and simple.
Czech Statistical Office during the creation of a web presentation scitani.cz, web census form and application for online data collection proceeded in accordance with the lawonemo accessibility of websites and mobile applications. Both the web and mobile applications for filling out the electronic census form are compatible with the most widely used assistive technologies for visually impaired users, such as screen readers or magnification programs.
"For example, the ability to use standard procedures for working with web pages without visual control, which these users are familiar with, contributes to the easy filling of the form by respondents from the ranks of citizens with visual impairments." says Radek Pavlíček, an accessibility specialist from the Teiresiás Center of Masaryk University.
"The Czech Statistical Office provides hearing-impaired people with information about the census in three videos - in a general spot for the online phase of the census and in two instructional videos for filling out the electronic and paper census forms," adds Marek Rojíček, chairman of the Czech Statistical Office. These videos are provided with both Czech subtitles and a translation into Czech sign language. You can watch individual videos on the scitani.cz website and at CZSO YouTube channel.
Here's what the adder app looks like on an iPhone:
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During the census, a professional interpreter is available for people with hearing impairments, who can use the app to Microsoft Teams will provide advice to interested parties in Czech Sign Language. An interpreter will answer questions on March 29, March 31, April 5 and April 7, always from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. If necessary, statisticians will extend this service to hearing-impaired persons. Links to connect to this assisted information support are published on the census website.
In an online seminar on March 17, statisticians presented the representatives of organizations helping the disabled with basic information about the census and showed them how to go through the electronic census form. The webinar was translated into Czech sign language and simultaneously transcribed online. The recording of the online seminar is also published on the CZSO YouTube channel.
The general obligation to add up does not mean that a person must be left alone to fulfill this obligation if they have difficulties in perceiving more complex information, as is the case, for example, with people with intellectual disabilities. The basic element of the Census 2021 is the common census form, which is prepared in such a way that all persons living in the same household can be counted through it, which can be done by one household member on behalf of all the others. Persons who, for any reason, would find it difficult to fill out the form can ask any other person for help in filling it out. In the case of minors and persons with limited autonomy, the legal obligation to provide the necessary data passes to the legal representative or guardian.
The Census 12 Contact Center has been providing information support for the upcoming census and assistance to the public in filling out census forms since March 2021. The center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 22 p.m., including Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, on the contact lines 253 253 683 and 840 30 40 50. It is also possible to ask questions to the contact center via
email questions@scitani.cz or chatin the 2021 Census virtual consultation.
The Census of Population, Houses and Dwellings takes place once every ten years and its aim is to obtain accurate and up-to-date data that serves to plan many aspects of public life more effectively. The 2021 census is primarily prepared as online, for the first time in our history. People can register simply and securely via the internet on the scitani.cz website or using a mobile application available in Google Play a App Store. They can thus easily fulfill their legal obligation from home without the need to contact the census commissioner or visit the census contact point.
