Cairo, 15 May 2008 - The World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, which raises awareness on the catalytic role of ICT in meeting long-term development goals, focused this year on connecting persons with disabilities to opportunities offered by information and communication technologies (ICT)
An estimated 650 million persons live with disabilities worldwide. Including their families, there are nearly two billion people - or a third of the world's population - directly affected by disability. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message on this World Day, "It is vital that we change attitudes and approaches to persons with disabilities, ensuring that all fundamental rights and freedoms are honored, including the right to fully participate in the information society, and bring forth input, ideas and effort from the disability community."
"The phenomenal growth of ICTs over the past 25 years has seen the birth of a dazzling array of new technologies to empower persons with all kinds of disabilities to take active roles in mainstream society," said Dr Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General of ITU. "ICTs have the great merit of serving as a powerful equalizer of abilities, empowering persons with disabilities to fulfill their potential, realize their own dreams and ambitions, and take their place as active members of the information society.
World Telecommunication and Information Society Day marks the foundation of ITU in 1865, making it one of the most resilient institutions worldwide.
Microsoft and QualiLife combined their resources to demonstrate assistive technology that can be used in combination with a personal computer to make it accessible to people with a wide range of disabilities. "Designed to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities or functional limitations, assistive technology software, these innovative accessibility technologies are designed to help any person to achieve greater independence at home, at work, at school, in hospitals and in normal life," said Claudio Giugliemma, CEO of QualiLife.
Demonstrating the use of this technology to an audience of high-level government officials, international organizations, private sector and civil society, Mr. Albergati Diamante showed how despite severe disabilities he could navigate through a series of computer applications. Paralyzed from the neck down, Mr Diamante has severe mobility impairment. But with the use of only one muscle, he is able to surf the net, write, communicate on the phone, switch between video and radio applications, and even take some control over home appliances.
To watch the Microsoft-QualiLife presentation, please CLICK HERE.
For more information on ITU, please visit www.itu.int.