Access For All

The DIADEM (Delivering Inclusive Access to Disabled and Elderly Members) workshops will be taking place on 27 and 28 of October 2009 at the Engineering Council UK, 246, High Holborn, in London. The DIADEM project will demonstrate during these workshops how they can help older adults to overcome the difficulties they face when using internet services.

There will be two kind of workshops:

• Workshop (28 October) for application/service providers from public and private sectors more details about application/service provider workshop
• Workshop (27 October) for older adult users, charities which represents older adults, and members of the parliament who are interested in older adult services more details about older adults workshop

In brief the DIADEM project:

• Creates software components that can front-end existing services with an intelligent, supportive, and personalised User Interface;
• Performs research to select the most effective technology features and strategies to assist the target group;
• Produces a trial system and demonstrate proof of concept as an interface to existing services;
• Identifies, and where necessary extend, relevant standards;
• Develops hardware layouts for places where several users share one access point, such as public libraries;
• Establishes guidelines and working practices for deploying the technology and assisting disabled citizens.

More information on the project website.

ETAPS 2010 logo

FOSS‐AMA will aim to bring together the most recent achievements and renowned experts in Open Source Community and Accessibility. 3rd generation access techniques and their potential for more accessible mainstream ICT for end‐users and relevant toolkits for developers will be explored. Interactive demos will embellish the presentations sessions.

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ETICA project will organise the “The Future as we see it: Emerging ICTs and resulting ethical issues” conference on April 13, 2010 in Rovira and Virgili University, Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain.
The prospect of new and emerging technologies is an exciting one, not least because of the potential developments and improvements they promise to bring to our lives. Enhanced better health, the allure of new forms of friendships, the fight against crime, the potential for better and more accessible education, an improved environment as a result of new technologies; all give a sense of excitement and optimism of what might be. However, this sense of what might be often overshadows the need to critically examine the ethical issues that may result. The conference intends to explore these issues with international scholars who have an interest in emerging technologies and ethical issues.
The conference will be held in conjunction with the ETHICOMP 2010 conference.
More information on the event website.

Senior (Social Ethical and Privacy Needs in ICT for Older People: a Dialogue Roadmap) project is organising its final conference on 27 November in Brussels, Belgium. This support action developed a systematic assessment of the social, ethical and privacy issues involved in ICT and ageing. This will help to understand what lessons should be learned from current technological trends and how to plan strategies for governing future developments, ensuring that new ICT meet the needs of senior citizens without compromising privacy and ethics. The main outcome is a roadmap which will be presented then as well.

Where?: Borschette Centre, Brussels, Belgium

Due to limited seating, please note that they reserve the right to limit the number of people attending the final conference. There is no fee for attendance, but all who would like to attend needs to contact Valeria Balestrieri (valeria.balestrieri@cssc.eu) at least two weeks in advance.

More information at the project website.

What is needed to reinvigorate the European Ageing agenda? What are the visions of ICT industry and businesses in the coming decades? How do older people, care organisations and policymakers react to business visions? We live in a world of technology communications, products and services, a world where our work, quality of life, health, and environment are all being transformed by technology. With progressive ageing of the European and worldwide population a new strategic thinking is required in business and beyond. Tackling the needs of an older population means new ways of thinking, social innovation and taking a holistic approach to ageing: at work, at home and in the community. The aim of the workshop is to identify how ICT Industry and businesses are or will be creating a new ageing vision within their own companies, with their products and services.
It takes place on 6 October 2009 at the European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium. More info at AGE-platform website.

From 2007 to 2010 ECDL Hellas is providing free training and certification in entry-level ICT skills to 750 blind or visually impaired people in cooperation with the Pan- Hellenic Association for the blind. Within the context of emphasis that the European Union places on socially vulnerable groups and the people with disabilities (PD), the mission of the project is to provide equal opportunities to the blind or visually impaired and to ensure their access in knowledge and offer employment opportunities.
More information can be found on the www.ecdl.gr and www.epractice.eu.