Accessibility for All conference -- Making a world we can all share.

M2 PRESSWIRE-25 February 2003-ETSI: Accessibility for All conference -- Making a world we can all share(C)1994-2003 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

RDATE:02242003

Sophia Antipolis, France -- A major conference will be held on Thursday 27 and Friday 28 March 2003, examining how the establishment of standards can help to widen access to a variety of modern products, services and environments for all - for young, old and people with disabilities or special needs.

The event, entitled 'Accessibility for All', is being organized by the three European Standardization Organizations (ESOs) - the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). It is part of their common action plan to meet the objectives set by the European Commission's eEurope initiative, and helps to mark 2003 as the European Year of People with Disabilities. The conference will be held in the Acropolis Convention Centre, in Nice, France.

The programme will cover the application of the ESOs' standards in areas ranging from construction design, ergonomics and transport services to intelligent homes and buildings and telecommunications, as well as the eEurope initiative and the concept of an Information Society for all; the final address will be given by Erkki Liikanen, European Commissioner for Enterprise and Information Society, on the subject of the eEurope Action Plan.

The conference will examine the role of standards in Accessibility for All, and user requirements, particularly the needs of older people and those with disabilities. The event will present the achievements of standardization to date and will also trigger new activities by identifying areas where additional standardization is required. The conference therefore represents a unique opportunity for interested parties to explain their specific needs and influence future work to improve life for those with special needs. The goal of the conference is to improve the impact of standards on the world of new technologies.

The programme will cover various aspects of accessibility for which the ESOs are developing standards:

* Accessibility to the public

* Accessibility at home (including electrical products for people with special needs, 'smart houses', TV broadcasting for all, access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) by young people)

* Accessibility on the move (accessible transport services, ticketing, mobile communications, technical aids etc)

* e-Accessibility (including Design for All, computing accessibility, assistive devices for ICT)

* Accessibility to the Internet (including e-Commerce)

There will also be case studies taken from experiences in different countries both inside and outside Europe. The final plenary session will bring together ideas for future action.

Expert speakers will be gathered from all over the world and will include senior representatives of the EC, officials of disability organizations, representatives from industry, from the ESOs and national standards organizations, academics and others working to meet the needs of disabled people.

The event is being funded by the European Commission under its eEurope initiative, which seeks to bring the benefits of the Information Society to everyone in Europe, and is offered free of charge to delegates. Details of the conference workshops and a registration form are available at: www.etsi.org/cce.

NOTES TO EDITORS

About ETSI

Based in Sophia Antipolis (France), the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) is officially responsible for standardization in telecommunications, broadcasting and certain aspects of information technology within Europe. As such, it also plays a major role in global standardization.

ETSI unites almost 800 members from 55 countries inside and outside Europe, including manufacturers, network operators, administrations, service providers, research bodies and users - in fact, all the key players in the telecommunications arena. For more information: www.etsi.org/

About the European Commission's eEurope Initiative

eEurope 2002 - An Information Society For All - was launched in 2000 to ensure that the whole of Europe reaps the benefits of the Information Society; it is a key element in the strategy for modernizing the European economy and aims to bring everyone in Europe - every citizen, every school and every company - on-line as quickly as possible. Building on the success of eEurope 2002, in June 2002, an Action Plan for eEurope 2005 was launched. Its objective is to provide a favourable environment for private investment and for the creation of new services and new jobs, to boost productivity, to modernize public services and to give everyone the opportunity to participate in the global information society.

For more information: www.eeurope-standards.org

CONTACT: Geraldine Tarroux, ETSI - European Telecommunications Standards InstituteTel: +33 4 92 94 4224Fax: +33 4 92 38 5224e-mail: press@etsi.orgWWW: http://www.etsi.org

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