The Ad hoc Secretary for the Information Society, Prof. V. Asimakopoulos, announced an intervention concerning the development of specialized broadband services for people with disabilities.

The Ad hoc Secretary for the Information Society, Prof. V. Asimakopoulos, announced an intervention concerning the development of specialized broadband services for people with disabilities.

Mr. Asimakopoulos noted, “…the use of new technologies, particularly of broadband, by people with disabilities, is solid proof that digital capabilities are for all people without any exception. We make use of new technologies not only to solve problems relating to people with disabilities, but also realize the broader social issue of equal opportunities for all.”

The project (intervention) carries a budget of five (5) million Euros and is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and by national sources. The project has been publicly announced as Call no.162 under the “Information Society” Program.

This project is open to all public entities under private law status (non-profit agencies/ organizations) which are supervised by the Ministry of Health & Social Solidarity and also accredited as per article 5, Law 2646/1998.

The actions included under this intervention (project) involve the development of specialized services to people with disabilities, for example information dissemination and empowerment (self-training) in the use of modern broadband services, the development of the required ICT infrastructure for the same group of people, etc.

People with disabilities may apply for subsidies to their welfare or other insurance agencies. These subsidies will allow them to purchase the equipment which is designed to meet the requirements of their specific disability (vision, hearing, comprehension and mobility). By way of example, the infrastructure and services to be developed spin around one or more equipment arrangements, e.g. personal computers, special peripheral hardware, design software, special telephone sets, broadband connectivity, broadband services and education.

Proposals by interested entities will be accepted from 10.04.2005 to 10.05.2006 inclusive.