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ROMANIAN ASSOCIATION OF THE BLIND |
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BRASOV BRANCH |
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106 Castelului Street, 500014 Brasov; Phone / fax: +4-0368-429.123, +4-0268-478.328
E-mail: bvanvr@gmail.com; Web:
www.nevazatoribrasov.ro; Fiscal code: 4317827
Account: RO23WBAN2511000008500569, SANPAOLO IMI Bank Romania, Brasov Br. |
December 3 - International Day of Disabled Persons
December 4, 2006, Brasov |
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The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons, 3
December, aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and
mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with
disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived
from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of
political, social, economic and cultural life.
The theme established by the United Nations for this year’s
International Day of Disabled Persons is accessibility to information
technologies, its aim being to raise appreciation among Governments,
private entities and the public of the significant benefits to persons
with disabilities and society when they are empowered with increased
access to information technologies.
Access to information and communication technologies creates
opportunities to everyone in society, but perhaps no-more so than for
persons with disabilities. No longer do the societal barriers of
prejudice, infrastructure, and inaccessible formats stand in the way of
participation.
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When available to everyone, information technologies foster individuals
to reach their full potential, and for persons with disabilities it
allows them to play their part in society’s development.
Persons with disabilities are at a considerable disadvantage by not
being able to access information technologies. For instance, as
education becomes increasingly dependent on information technologies,
not being able to access the Internet for example limits the learning
potential of persons with disabilities. |
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Several places already have legislation and regulations requiring websites
to be fully accessible. At the international level, standards and
guidelines on website accessibility are being developed. Once adopted and
ratified, the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities will require entities ensure that persons with disabilities
can access information technologies. It specifies that measures should be
introduced to eliminate obstacles and barriers to information and
communications, and to promote access for persons with disabilities to
information and communications technologies, including the Internet.
Making information technologies available to persons with disabilities
is not only a matter of human rights, it also makes good business sense.
Studies suggest that accessible websites appear higher up the page
rankings of search engines and can save costs on web maintenance. It also
allows companies access to a largely untapped customer base. Many
websites, however, remain inaccessible for the visually impaired and the
blind.
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A recent study of the FTSE 100 companies in the United Kingdom showed
that around three-quarters of company websites did not achieve basic
levels of accessibility. By not making their websites accessible, UK
companies are forfeiting £80 billion in lost revenue.
For the International Day of Disabled Persons the Association of the
Blind organized Sunday, December 2006, starting at 12:00, a series of
public information, sensibility and awareness raising actions regarding
the visually impaired people and the problems they face on daily basis.
The actions which included distribution of informative and educative
materials in the city center by the association’s volunteers part of the
community awareness campaign launched by the Brasov Association of the
Blind this summer. |
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We would like to remind you that the Brasov
Association of the Blind currently implements several projects which aim
to improve the county’s visually impaired people’s access to information
technologies, all these projects being started in 2006.
From these
projects, most of them national premiers, we would like to mention the
branch’s website, available in Romanian and English, the internet café
and electronic reading room, available for free to the association’s
members and the permanent information technology courses for visually
impaired adults.
Related Links
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