Committee of experts wraps up work on impact of new technologies
From: Assistive Devices Industry Office - June 2001

The Council of Europe's Committee of Experts on the impact of new
technologies on the quality of life of persons with disabilities completed
its terms of reference at a meeting in Strasbourg, France, March 26-28. The
Committee has developed a set of recommendations that will be forwarded to
its parent group, the Committee on the Rehabilitation and Integration of
People with Disabilities when it meets in The Hague at the end of June. A
number of important events are taking place or have recently taken place in
several of the Council's member states. 

The Committee of Ministers have agreed to adopt the principles of Universal
Design into their countries' curricula in areas that include engineering,
architecture and design. Portugal has recently mandated the use of Priority
One of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines for government Web sites and
has instituted Web design training to make this happen and a number of other
countries are also in the process of adopting the Guidelines. The Council's
E-Europe Plan includes the concept of E-participation to increase access to
electronic information and services by people with disabilities and older
adults and an E-accessibility group has been formed to further these goals.

Submitted by Ray Grott

http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/as00054e.html#6