Centre for excellence in universal design and assistive technology to be established in Egypt
Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has partnered with the Japanese Assistive Technology Development Organisation (ATDO) to establish of a joint centre for excellence in universal design and Assistive Technology at the National Academy of Information Technology for Persons with Disabilities (NAID) to improve the digital…
Online opportunities to learn about web accessibility
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in collaboration with UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education(UNESCO IITE) is launching a free online course on web accessibility on 28 January 2020 on the edX platform. This English-language Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), which is open…

ICT-enabled education for adults with hearing impairments in remote areas of Trinidad and Tobago
Deaf Pioneers Life Centre (DPLC), an NGO in Trinidad and Tobago providing educational opportunities for hearing impaired persons, and the Digical Foundation have partnered to enable deaf and hearing impaired persons living in remote areas of the islands to access educational content through…

Second annual Accessible Europe event held in St. Julian’s, Malta
The second edition of Accessible Europe was held in St Julian’s, Malta, from 4 to 6 December 2019. This regional event for Europe was jointly organized by the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the European Commission (EC), within…

Sixth annual Accessible Americas event held in Quito, Ecuador from 20 to 22 November
The sixth edition of Accessible Americas: ICTs for ALL took place in Quito, Ecuador, from 20 to 22 November 2019. Accessible Americas is the region’s flagship event to improve inclusiveness in the Americas by ensuring ICTs equally benefit all citizens, regardless their gender,…

Microsoft holds first AI for accessibility hackathon across the Asia Pacific
Microsoft held its first ever AI for Accessibility hackathon across seven Asian Pacific countries on 11 October, with the aim of developing artificial intelligence (AI) prototype solutions to challenges faced by persons with disabilities related to daily living, employability and communication, so…

Malta introduces biometric passports accessible to the blind and persons with visual impairments
Malta is among the first countries in the European Union to create a biometric passport (e-passport) accessible to the blind and persons with visual impairments. A Speech Code, in the form of a QR code sticker, can be affixed to…

New report on smart cities in Spain highlights the need for improved digital inclusion of persons with disabilities
The newly launched Smart Index (Índice Smart), the first such tool in Spain to measure the progress of smart cities and identify challenges and opportunities for improvement, indicates that Spanish cities should develop more active and efficient policies to improve the inclusion…

Qatar IT Conference and Exhibition 2019 organized under the theme of ‘safe smart cities’
The Qatar Information Technology Conference & Exhibition (QITCOM) took place from 29 October to 1 November 2019 under the theme “Safe Smart Cities”. One of the topics highlighted by this year’s event was the importance of digital inclusion in the…

International Congress of Technology and Tourism for Diversity takes place in Málaga, Spain from 23 to 25 October 2019
The third International Congress of Technology and Tourism for Diversity is being held in Málaga, Spain from 23 to 25 October 2019 to showcase initiatives and projects in the field of technology and tourism which promote respect for diversity and the inclusion of…