New United Nations Fund to Boost Action on Disability Rights
United Nations agencies have partnered on a new fund which will promote disability rights by supporting countries to improve their policies, data gathering and service delivery to persons with disabilities. The UN Partnership to Promote the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Fund launched today, aims to facilitate dialogue between governments and disabled people organizations in order to boost national action to address discrimination and marginalization.
From www.beta.undp.org, December 14, 2011
India: Pilot Project Scheme for Access to ICTs & ICT Enabled Services for Persons with Disabilities in Rural India
The Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) of India is considering interventions for access to ICT for disabled populations in rural areas. Schemes in this regard are to be evolved with due stakeholder participation. The scheme was presented at M-Enabling Summit, Washington, D.C., 5th-6th December 2011. Address by Joint Administrator, USOF at FCC Headquarters as part of International Panel on Policies and Programmes to promote Accessible and Assistive Mobile Services for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities.
From www.usof.gov.in, December 13, 2011
USA: Colleges Besieged with Disability Accommodation Requests
Requests for disability accommodations at college campuses are on the rise, leaving administrators struggling to determine whether or not flexibility is warranted in every case. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, universities are required to provide “reasonable accommodations” for students with disabilities. Often this means allowing those with special needs extra time or a quiet room for exams. But colleges from New York to Texas are reporting a dramatic increase in recent years in the number of students claiming that they need special accommodations, in many cases due to psychological conditions like depression and bipolar disorder.
From www.disabilityscoop.com, December 13, 2011
Qatar: IctQatar Introduces Electronic Accessibility Policy To Help Persons with Disabilities
IctQatar has implemented the Electronic Accessibility Policy, the first of its kind measure in the country that will ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy equal rights and access to technologies being served by both private and public sectors. Implemented as part of ictQatar’s Strategy ICT2015, the policy aims at ensuring persons with disabilities in Qatar have equal access to the technologies that can enrich their lives from a range of e-accessibility issues, including websites, telecommunications services, handsets, ATMs, government services, access to assistive technologies and digital content.
From globalaccessibilitynews.com, December 12, 2011
Saudi Arabia: Salman Center for Disability Research Wins Prestigious EU Prize
The Prince Salman Center for Disability Research (PSCDR) has been named one of the three winners of the prestigious European Union's Chaillot Award in Riyadh on Sunday. The center, a nonprofit organization in the Kingdom, conducts and funds laboratory and field research on disability. Luigi Narbone, head of the EU delegation in Saudi Arabia, announced the winners’ names at a special ceremony in the EU headquarters in Riyadh.
From arabnews.com, December 12, 2011
Australia: New App Gives Hearing Impaired Access to Public Announcements
The app, Silent Tweets, is a visual alert system for iPhone and Android smartphone users. It allows anyone who downloads the app to post and receive important information about public areas. Users are given 140 characters to write information to be shared with other users who are within the location that the announcement relates to.
From www.mediaaccess.org.au, December 12, 2011
Scotland: Unique Degree in British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreting Launched
The degree is the only one in the UK on which students will graduate as fully qualified and accredited BSL/English interpreters upon completion. This means they can start working anywhere in the UK straight away, without the need for further training. With 60,000 Deaf people in the UK and a national shortage of qualified BSL interpreters the degree could make a considerable contribution to the Deaf community, as well as offering good employment prospects to graduates.
From www.hw.ac.uk, December 09, 2011
Canadian Museum for Human Rights Designed with Disabilities in Mind
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) is raising the bar for what some say should be the standard of all new public buildings being erected. Located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, CMHR is working with an Inclusive Design Advisory Council (IDAC), made up of a panel of eight activists, advisors, and experts in the field of disability rights. The purpose of these meetings is to strive to meet the needs of people with disabilities. From the building itself, to designing each exhibit to be universally inclusive, the museum is setting a new benchmark in accessibility, programming, and business practice.
From www.disabilityliving.ca, December 09, 2011
Merge Paralympics with Olympics, Say 65% of Disabled Britons
Almost two-thirds of disabled people want the Paralympics scrapped and merged with the Olympics, a survey has shown. Support for such a move is backed by 65% of disabled people and 62% of parents of disabled children, according to a poll for the charity Scope. More than half of all Britons polled, including those without disabilities, said combining the Olympics and Paralympics would help disabled athletes to be taken more seriously and improve society's views about disabled people.
From www.guardian.co.uk, December 09, 2011
Australia: New DisasterWatch Smartphone App Launched
Australians can now download a free Smartphone application to get quick and easy access to information about emergencies and disasters across the country. Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, today launched the DisasterWatch app at the 12th Australian Safer Community Awards ceremony in Canberra. Mr McClelland said the DisasterWatch app, available in both Android and iPhone platforms, contains the latest public information about disaster events via direct feeds from a range of authoritative States, Territory and national sources.
From www.attorneygeneral.gov.au, December 08, 2011
