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http://www.communitynewswire.press.net/article.jsp?id=377464
A host of charities and leading ICT businesses have today launched a major new charter which calls for a radical change in access to technology for disabled and older people.
The "revolutionary" new charter, which has been commissioned by the Alliance for Digital Inclusion (ADI) and developed by a consortium including leading charities the RNID (Royal National Institute for the Deaf) and the Disabled Living Foundation, is aimed at ensuring the future inclusion of disabled and older people in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Under the charter leading figures from business and industry, the Government and the voluntary sector are urged to work together to ensure that ICT such as computers, mobile phones and TVs are made accessible to disabled and older people.
The consortium has produced the eInclusion charter, which comprises three specific strands addressing respectively business and industry, Government and the voluntary sector, to make sure disabled people are not left behind in the information society.
Researchers behind the document call on the Government to harness new technology to create a more equal society for all citizens and consumers.
In addition to making sure the local and national Government services are fully accessible and usable by disabled and older people, the charter says the Government has a role to play in providing a better funding framework for access to employment and education and for the subsidy of specialised access technologies.
The charter further recommends that industry uses inclusive design principles to create technology that will be usable by disabled and older people.
Guido Gybels, director of new technologies at the RNID, said: "Technology has in the past sometimes created barriers to full participation by not being designed to be fully inclusive. But it also carries big promise to overcome obstacles previously considered absolute.
"All parts of society should work together constructively to harness ICT, such as PCs, the Web, mobile phones and digital television, to make the world a more equal place for everyone.
"New technology has great potential to overcome barriers in education, the workplace and social life for disabled and older people.
"Currently people are still being excluded, and their needs are not being met. This is why we are fully committed to ensuring the inclusion of disabled and older people in ICT, and the consortium urges businesses and voluntary organisations to support our strategy for change by signing up to the charter."
The Alliance for Digital Inclusion (ADI) was established in 2004 and is a pan-industry body focusing on the impact of ICT on our society, in particular those from disadvantaged communities.
Heidi Lloyd, a spokesperson for ADI, said: "By setting out a framework for change we hope to make a positive step forward to inclusion for disabled and older people.
"We recognise that technology can be both a cause of and a solution to exclusion. Through this charter we hope to maximise the potential that technology has to offer everyone."
The charter also encourages other organisations in the voluntary sector to identify and prioritise the requirements and challenges of eInclusion and raise awareness about the barriers that disabled and older people face.
Organisations are urged to identify the potential of technology to overcome these barriers and are encouraged to work together with business and industry and Government to provide insight and training.
For more information about the charter visit www.ITenables.info
A host of charities and leading ICT businesses have today launched a major new charter which calls for a radical change in access to technology for disabled and older people.
The "revolutionary" new charter, which has been commissioned by the Alliance for Digital Inclusion (ADI) and developed by a consortium including leading charities the RNID (Royal National Institute for the Deaf) and the Disabled Living Foundation, is aimed at ensuring the future inclusion of disabled and older people in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Under the charter leading figures from business and industry, the Government and the voluntary sector are urged to work together to ensure that ICT such as computers, mobile phones and TVs are made accessible to disabled and older people.
The consortium has produced the eInclusion charter, which comprises three specific strands addressing respectively business and industry, Government and the voluntary sector, to make sure disabled people are not left behind in the information society.
Researchers behind the document call on the Government to harness new technology to create a more equal society for all citizens and consumers.
In addition to making sure the local and national Government services are fully accessible and usable by disabled and older people, the charter says the Government has a role to play in providing a better funding framework for access to employment and education and for the subsidy of specialised access technologies.
The charter further recommends that industry uses inclusive design principles to create technology that will be usable by disabled and older people.
Guido Gybels, director of new technologies at the RNID, said: "Technology has in the past sometimes created barriers to full participation by not being designed to be fully inclusive. But it also carries big promise to overcome obstacles previously considered absolute.
"All parts of society should work together constructively to harness ICT, such as PCs, the Web, mobile phones and digital television, to make the world a more equal place for everyone.
"New technology has great potential to overcome barriers in education, the workplace and social life for disabled and older people.
"Currently people are still being excluded, and their needs are not being met. This is why we are fully committed to ensuring the inclusion of disabled and older people in ICT, and the consortium urges businesses and voluntary organisations to support our strategy for change by signing up to the charter."
The Alliance for Digital Inclusion (ADI) was established in 2004 and is a pan-industry body focusing on the impact of ICT on our society, in particular those from disadvantaged communities.
Heidi Lloyd, a spokesperson for ADI, said: "By setting out a framework for change we hope to make a positive step forward to inclusion for disabled and older people.
"We recognise that technology can be both a cause of and a solution to exclusion. Through this charter we hope to maximise the potential that technology has to offer everyone."
The charter also encourages other organisations in the voluntary sector to identify and prioritise the requirements and challenges of eInclusion and raise awareness about the barriers that disabled and older people face.
Organisations are urged to identify the potential of technology to overcome these barriers and are encouraged to work together with business and industry and Government to provide insight and training.
For more information about the charter visit www.ITenables.info