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The e Inclusion: be part of it. Campaign is organised by the European Commission. More information on this action is available at http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/einclusion. The European Commission bears no responsibility for, nor is it involved in, the events, documents or other manifestations associated or claiming to be associated with the campaign, unless indicated otherwise
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Past News

Design For All @ eInclusion in AAATE 2009

Monday 31 August 2009, 11:30 – 13:00, AAATE 2009, Florence, Italy

Design for All in ICT: from policy to implementation: A DfA@eInclusion Project Dissemination Special Session

This interactive session aims to exchange and discuss the potential consequences which the ratification of the UN Convention may have for Design-for-all in ICT, and discuss how we can help to bring Design-for-all in ICT forward in Europe: Do good examples or roadmaps exist, can we identify key issues and missing links? We expect input from EDeAN and the supporting dfa@eInclusion project. We also expect input from the participants on the status of the ratification in their countries, and the concrete plans and measures of the governments for the implementation of Design for All.

The special session is chaired on behalf of the dfa@eInclusion project
by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Bühler (FTB)
For more information, please visit the AAATE 2009 Conference website

Best Practice In Education And Training

A Workshop To Showcase Best Practice In Education And Training, Tuesday 1st September 2009 at 14.00- 17.50, in the context of AAATE 2009 Florence, Italy - Inclusion between past and future. August 31st to September 2nd 2009

We invite you to take part in this special workshop to celebrate best practice in educating students and professionals in ICT about the principles and practices of Design for All. The aim of this workshop is to explore how best practice in knowledge about Design for All can be shared with future ICT designers and developers in order to create best practice in the design of inclusive ICT products and services. For additional information download the workshop leaflet.

Press Information Set

The Press Information Set of DfA@eInclusion contains useful information regarding the project, as well as a number of Good Practice Examples in Design for All, basic instructions to implement DfA, the Project fact sheet and EDeAN flyer, etc. You may download it from the link below. It is also available from the special "DFa@eInclusion" material section on the ARIADNE online Resource Centre at http://www.edean.org.
Press Information Set available for download (zipped file)

Recommended resources on Design for All

A list of selected resources on Design for All, recommended by the DfA@eInclusion project has been made available. You may download it from the link below. You may also browse through these resources through the designated section "Recommended resources" of the ARIADNE online Resource Centre at http://www.edean.org.
Recommended resources

Launch of e-Inclusion Public Survey

The eInclusion Unit of the EC has last week launched a public survey to gather views on the role of e-Inclusion on future Information Society Policy. Specifically, the objective of the survey is to gather views on:

  • The role of e-inclusion in the future European strategy on the information society that will succeed the 'i2010' initiative.
  • European programmes and activities supporting e-inclusion.
  • Cooperation modalities between European Commission services and relevant stakeholders regarding e-inclusion activities.

The survey is available to download in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian, whereas the online consultation form is also available. In addition to responding to the survey, position papers are welcome (each one of maximum 3 pages of A4 format), which can be also sent to eInclusion at ec.europa.eu (replace at with @). The deadline for contributions is 2 April 2009.

Report by the DfA@eInclusion project distributed during the e-Inclusion Ministerial Conference in Vienna

The Deliverable entitled "Report on the impact of technological developments on eAccessibility" (D2.1) of the DfA@eInclusion project, has been printed by the eInclusion unit of the EC and distributed in the Commission stand during the Ministerial Conference in Vienna.

The report discusses the present situation and the possible impact of the ongoing technological developments in Information and Telecommunication Technology (ICT) on the inclusion of people with activity limitations.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 published on 11 December 2008

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 covers a wide range of recommendations for making Web content more accessible. Following these guidelines will make content accessible to a wider range of people with disabilities, including blindness and low vision, deafness and hearing loss, learning disabilities, cognitive limitations, limited movement, speech disabilities, photosensitivity and combinations of these. Following these guidelines will also often make your Web content more usable to users in general.

WCAG 2.0 success criteria are written as testable statements that are not technology-specific. Guidance about satisfying the success criteria in specific technologies, as well as general information about interpreting the success criteria, is provided in separate documents. See Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Overview for an introduction and links to WCAG technical and educational material.

WCAG 2.0 succeeds Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 [WCAG10], which was published as a W3C Recommendation May 1999. Although it is possible to conform either to WCAG 1.0 or to WCAG 2.0 (or both), the W3C recommends that new and updated content use WCAG 2.0. The W3C also recommends that Web accessibility policies reference WCAG 2.0.

The European Commission announces the winners of the e-Inclusion awards

The winners of the 2008 European e-Inclusion Awards were announced on 1st December at the e-Inclusion Ministerial Conference in Vienna, the concluding event of the Commission's 'Be Part of it!' campaign. Seven European initiatives have been selected for their innovative uses of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to promote digital and social inclusion in Europe.

The European e-Inclusion Awards were run for the first time in 2008 and attracted 469 entrants. The winners of the seven awards categories are:

  • Ageing Well: London Borough of Newham (United Kingdom)
  • Geographic Inclusion: Kyyjarven Mediamyllarit ry (Finland)
  • Digital Literacy: Association "Langas i ateiti" (Lithuania)
  • Cultural Diversity: Milton Keynes Council (United Kingdom)
  • Marginalised Young People: A-Clinic Foundation (Finland) e-Accessibility: Synscenter Refsnæs (Denmark)
  • Inclusive Public Services: Sotiria Hospital (Greece)

Additional information about the awards and the award winners is available.

Communication "Towards an accessible information society"

On 1st December 2008, the European Commission adopted the Communication "Towards an accessible information society". This document makes suggestions for improving both web accessibility in particular and e-accessibility in general, to:

  • Pursue and make full use of instruments at European level - notably standardisation efforts, financial support for research and deployment of technology solutions in favour of people with disabilities and for elderly persons, and the possibilities of current and proposed legislation.
  • Reinforce cooperation with Member States and other stakeholders towards a common European approach for e-accessibility, including through a new EU high-level e-accessibility expert group to provide strategic guidance.

This Communication is accompanied by two other Commission documents: a staff working paper on e-accessibility, and a report from the online public consultation on the same topic. The Communication also builds on two independent studies on the situation of e-accessibility in Europe, conducted for the Commission.

For additional information and to download all documents, please visit: Communication "Towards an accessible information society

DfA@eInclusion at the e-Inclusion Ministerial Conference, Vienna 30/11 - 2/12/2008

The 2008 e-Inclusion Ministerial Conference will be held from 30 November to 2 December in the Vienna Reed Messe Congress Centre. It is jointly organised by the European Commission and the hosting Austrian Government, in cooperation with the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The event aims at accelerating progress towards an information society for all (digital inclusion), in order to combat social and economic exclusion.

The conference will provide a forum to discuss policies to achieve an inclusive, barrier-free, information society and the related social and economic benefits. An exhibition will feature the best in e-Inclusion in Europe and worldwide, with amongst others an e-Inclusion Awards finalists village, an experience space and commercial displays. Some 1200 participants are expected, including European Ministers, high level representatives of industry and NGOs, and members of groups at risk of exclusion (participation is by invitation only).

The DfA@eInclusion project will be represented by consortium partners at a number of country stands. More information will be available from this space very soon.

For additional information about the conference, please visit:
About the 2008 e-Inclusion Ministerial Conference

Call for training material in Design for All - Requesting ICT Industry participation

Design for All expertise constitutes a competitive edge in the sustainable Information Society - but more experts are needed. Europe has a common aim: an inclusive Information Society. Design for All is about ensuring that environments, products and services work for persons of all ages and abilities.

The DfA@eInclusion project is contributing towards eInclusion in Europe by encouraging ICT industry to use Design for All approaches. This call invites you to share your training materials in Design for All with other ICT industries.Learn how others are implementing DfA, what has worked and what to avoid.

Download the call

How to contribute:

Send a description of your training or curriculum material by 15 November 2008 to Ms Barbara Schmidt-Belz, Web Compliance Competence Centre, FhG-FIT.
e-mail: Barbara.Schmidt-Belz at fit.fraunhofer.de

Please let us know of any IPR issues to be solved before you can send and we can use your material. We will bilaterally work out a solution.

The deadline for contributions is 15 November 2008.

EDeAN Newsletter Issue 15 - October 2008

Issue 15 (October 2008) of the EDeAN Newsletter is available to download. All EDeAN Newsletters are available in Word, Pdf and HTML formats from the Newsletters Section of the EDeAN portal.

Download the newsletter

Launch of public consultation “Shaping the ICT research and innovation agenda for the next decade”

In search of the best strategies to boost Europe's leadership in ICT (Information and Communications Technology) research and innovation in the next decade, the European Commission has launched a public consultation. Contributions from industry, ICT experts, policy-makers and the wider public will be fed into a new strategy for ICT research and innovation, to be unveiled next year. The aim is to put European ICT industry, especially SMEs, to the fore of the race for global competitiveness.

The public consultation is open until 7 November 2008 and can be accessed via:
Shaping the ICT research and innovation agenda for the next decade

Live coverage of the EDeAN Conference, 12-13 June

The time for the EDeAN Conference is approaching: 12-13 of June, in Leon (Spain). The EDeAN Secretariat is pleased to welcome in Leon those who will be attending the conference. On the 13th of June, at the end of the conference, a room will be available for an informal meeting for the EDeAN NCCs, as it may be of interest to exchange experiences, ideas or outcomes of the conference.

For those who will not travel to Leon and would like to keep up to date with the developments, the conference will be visible real time on the internet, through the following channels:

New EDeAN Secreteriat Urges Action in Design for All

The EDeAN Secretariat for 2008, Cristina Rodriguez-Porrero (CEAPAT, Spain) claims that the time for design for all has come. Many of the European member-States have recognised the need to take action for their citizens. EDeAN is prepared to assist in this process. Mrs. Porrero called the representatives of the EDeAN National Contact Centres (NCCs) from 23 European countries to take action to support their governments. Alongside the DfA@eInclusion project meeting in Vesprem, Hungary (27-28.3.2008) she explained that on the background of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and ongoing European standardisation activities related to design for all and accessibility the time is mature to take positive action in favour of the European citizens. As a start, the joint organisation of a series of five events until July 2008 has been agreed by EDeAN and the DfA@eInclusion project, promoting the development of Design for All strategies across Europe.

Five important upcoming Design for All events until July 2008

Five important Design for All events upcoming until July 2008. Leading experts will present, discuss and exchange views on the design for all development based on their own work within the EDeAN network and the DfA@eInclusion project. The European Design for All e-Accessibility Network - EDeAN is a network of 160 organisations in European Union member states. The goal of the network is to support all citizens' access to the Information Society. EDeAN and the DfA@eInclusion project present a series of five events in early summer 2008:

  • May 21: Session on Assistive Technology, Design for All and Accessibility, in the context of the Congress ORTHOPAEDIE + REHA-TECHNIK 2008, in Leipzig, Germany.
    More information at: Kongressprogramm (available in German)
  • June, 12-13: EDeAN conference, in Leon, Spain focusing on DfA training
  • June, 26: DfA@eInclusion Workshop "Utilising best practise in ICT Design for all Teaching", in London, UK
    More information available at: Workshop info
  • July, 10: Special Themed Session "Design for all - form idea to practise", in the context of ICCHP 2008 in Linz, Austria
  • July, 11: DfA@eInclusion Dissemination Workshop, in the context of ICCHP 2008 in Linz, Austria
    More information available at: Session overview

January 2008: Recent reports published by the DfA@eInclusion consortium

A number of interesting reports have been published recently by the DfA@eInclusion. The reports -project deliverables that have been submitted to the EC for review- are public and free to download:

  • D2.1 Report on Technological developments introduces the Information Society concept, with particular focus on the possible impact of Ambient Intelligence. The report also discusses the relation between DfA and Assistive Technology, and reviews the status of ICT today (hardware as well as software). Finally, a comprehensive analysis of the possible developments in the near and far future is undertaken, including different development scenarios.
  • D2.2a Report on Standardisation briefly sketches the formal, the ad hoc, the company driven and the informal standardisation activities in Universal Design and assistive technology in general, and provides an introduction to how the standardisation process works. The report also contains an analysis of new developments in DfA related standards.
  • D2.2b Report on Policy and DfA is an overview of the recent developments in policy and legislation with regard to Design for All (DfA). The purpose of the report is to provide a conceptual framework and guidance for the understanding of policy related activities in the field.
  • D2.3 Report on Benchmarking provides an introduction to the concepts of benchmarking, criteria and indicators, as well as examples of European and national benchmarking activities and initiatives that are good practice examples. The report also introduces details of many national initiatives, provided by the EDeAN NCC's.

These reports are also available through the Special Interest Groups areas of the EDeAN web portal, at www.edean.org

Workshop – Paths to support adoption of a Design for All approach in ICT industries (September 24th and 25th 2007)

A workshop was held on the 24–25 September 2007 at the Schloss Berlinghoven campus of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology (FIT) in Sankt Augustin, Germany, to discuss the adoption of Design for All (DfA) by European ICT industry. The goal was collecting a set of guidelines for the process of adoption of DfA as well as content and suggested procedures for the adoption path. Present were 13 representatives from industry, with expertise ranging from representing well seasoned and integrated design for all programmes, to just starting out on the path of adoption; and varying in scale from typical SMEs to large multinationals. Joining them were 22 members of the DfA@eInclusion consortium who sponsored the workshop as well as a representative of the European Commission and from CEN, who presented the path to turning our insights into a CEN workshop agreement. The participants met together in two breakout groups throughout the two day workshop and discussed topics varying from motivation to start the DfA adoption process to specifics of content and roles in industrial organisations. A report of the deliberations and the initialization of the process of turning the workshops insights into a CEN workshop template is expected in the near future.

For more detailed information please contact:
Dr. Stefan Carmien,
Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology (FIT) Web Compliance Center:
http://webcc.fit.fraunhofer.de/
Schloss Birlinghoven, D53757 Sankt Augustin (Germany)
Phone: +49-2241-142639