Addressing the Needs of the 'Forgotten People'
"Accessibility For All" Conference
Nice, France - 27 March 2003
Delegates at a major conference on accessibility were reminded today not to forget the millions of people in Europe with disabilities. The two-day conference (27-28 March 2003) in Nice, France, entitled 'Accessibility for All', is examining how the establishment of standards can help to widen access to a variety of modern products, services and environments for all - for young, old and people with disabilities or special needs.
The event has been organized by the three European Standardization Organizations (ESOs) - the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). It is part of their common action plan to meet the objectives set by the European Commission's eEurope initiative, and helps to mark 2003 as the European Year of People with Disabilities.
Ms Wallis Goelen-Vandebrock, Head of the EC's Unit - Integration of People with Disabilities, opened the conference, setting it within the context of a Europe where 14.5% of the current population have some form of disability (rising to 25% with the addition of the new Accession countries). She outlined the European Union's changing perception of disability, which 'has moved away from a medical model, where disability is treated as an affliction and where people with disabilities need protecting from "normal" life, to the social model... a move from protection to full social and economic integration.'
Ms Goelen-Vandebrock suggested that the development of standards represents an effective alternative to legislation in promoting the rights of people with disabilities, a point that was later repeated by other speakers. Finally, she introduced the EC's plans for future action in the field of disability, and its objectives of participation and partnership, advocating 'an inclusive European society, with full and equal participation of people with disabilities in all aspects of social and political life.'
Karl Heinz Rosenbrock, Director-General of ETSI, explained the role of the standards organizations in ensuring accessibility for all. On behalf of CEN, CENELEC and ETSI, he outlined the basic aim of the conference - 'to show what has already been achieved in standardization and in the development of related products and - more importantly - what still needs to be done in this domain'.
He confirmed the ESOs' readiness and commitment to become even more involved in providing standards for "Accessibility for All", emphasising the necessity for the active engagement of all interested parties. He concluded: 'Our society cannot afford millions of forgotten people'.
The conference programme covers the application of the ESOs' standards in areas ranging from construction design, ergonomics and transport services to intelligent homes and buildings, broadcasting and telecommunications, as well as the eEurope initiative and the concept of an Information Society for all. Expert speakers from all over the world include senior representatives of the EC, officials of disability organizations, representatives from industry, from the ESOs and national standards organizations, academics and others working to meet the needs of disabled people.
As well as presenting examples of standards that support accessibility for all, it is intended that the conference will trigger new activities by identifying areas where additional standardization could help. The conference therefore offers a unique opportunity for interested parties to explain their specific requirements and influence future work to improve life for those with special needs.
Over 200 delegates are attending the event from all over the world. The conference is being partly financed by the European Commission under its eEurope initiative, which seeks to bring the benefits of the Information Society to everyone in Europe.
The conference programme and details of the various speakers are available now at:
www.etsi.org/cce. The presentations will be available on the same site from 2 April.
For further information about this news release, please contact:
ETSI Press Office
Tel: +33 (0)4 9294 4911
E-mail:
press@etsi.org
or
Beverley Wing, Kingston Public Relations, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1482 876229
Fax: +44 (0)1482 844612
E-mail:
BeverleyWing@aol.com
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