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Accessibility in the International Community

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Participants

• Hiroshi KawamuraDirector of the International and Information DepartmentsJapanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities

• Inmaculada Placencia PorreroApplications Relating to the Disabled and ElderlyInformation Society Directorate GeneralEuropean Commission

• Judy BrewerDirector, Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

• Moderator - Skip Crane (Forum Staff)

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The European Union, Member States, Institutions and Policies

• European versus National Disability policies and activities

• European research and development in Assistive Technologies

• e-Europe action plan

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European Policies and National Legislation (1 of 2)

• Amsterdam treaty, article 13: anti discrimination clause

• EU policies:(social, employment, transport, ICT …

• Key documents:– Barrier free Europe Communication

(http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/soc-prot/disable/publications_en.htm)

– Council directive on equal access to employment (http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/index/7003_en.html)

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European Policies and National Legislation (2 of 2)

• The people with disabilities and their European representation:

– European Disability Forum

– http://www.edf-feph.org/

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“European Research for People With Disabilities and Older

Persons” (1 of 2)

• Fame work programmes, COST, TIDE,

• Actual activities: IST 6 Frame work programmehttp/www.cordis.lu/ist/ka1/special_needs.htm

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“European Research for People With Disabilities and Older

Persons” (2 of 2)

• Thematic Priorities:

• Empowering technologies

• Barrier free technologies

• Instruments: integrated projects, networks of excellence, art 169

• International cooperation

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e-Europe Action Plan : A Policy Initiative in the Information Society

• Review of relevant legislation to conform to accessibility principles:

• Adoption of WAI guidelines

• Publication of Design for all standards

• Establish a Design for all network of excellence and creation of a European curriculum http://europa.eu.int/comm/information_society/eeurope/

index_en.htm

http://www.egroups.com/group/eeurope-pwd/