- From: Leonard R. Kasday <kasday@acm.org>
- Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 09:13:57 -0400
- To: w3c-wai-eo@w3.org
A press release, in English, on Progress on the Portugal Petition (which is already mentioned on the EO Policy Page) Len >>From: Francisco Godinho [mailto:f.godinho@mail.telepac.pt]=20 >> >>------------------------------------------------- >>Contact: >>Francisco Godinho and Ricardo Silva >>Coordinators of Petition for the Accessibility >>of the Portuguese Internet >>Email: guia.pasig@bigfoot.com >>Portugal >>------------------------------------------------- >> >>Press Release >>Petition for the Accessibility of the Internet crowned of success >> >>http://www.acessibilidade.net/press990709.html Lisbon, 09/07/1999 - Already >>has a favorable answer the first petition carried out through the internet >>to a Parliament in the Europe. The "Petition for the Accessibility of the >>Internet" is Portuguese and was submitted by email to the Portuguese >>Parliament, in February, after collecting 9,000 electronic signatures in >>http://www.acessibilidade.net. >> >>This petition, innovator in its form and its content , proposed the adoptio= >>n >>of a set of basic rules to be applied in the production of the information >>offered on the Internet by the Government and all other public services, >>with the purpose of facilitating its access to people with special needs, >>specially people with disabilities and the elderly. >> >>The Parliament, through the Commission for the Constitutional Affairs, >>Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees, agreed with the intentions of the present >>petition in the past 30th of June, approving by unanimity a recommendation >>to the Government so that, considered the suggestions present in this >>petition, and in the shortest period of time, adopts the necessary and >>adequate measures to ensure the full accessibility of that information to >>all citizens with special needs, specially the people with disabilities and >>the elderly. >> >>In report, this commission considers that "In a way, the proposals >>formulated in this petition follow the same principles that are in the base >>of the existing legislation regarding the elimination of physical barriers >>to people with disabilities, specifically the law 123/97, recently approved >>by the Government, which endorses the adoption of a set of technical rules >>to eliminate the architectonic barriers in public buildings, collective >>equipment and the public way to provide better accessibility to people with >>conditioned mobility. In fact, the digital barriers which we are discussing >>are only another dimension of the same accessibility problem to the public >>services of people with special needs, and so it deserves an adequate >>reflection." >> >>This Petition was the first official initiative of the PASIG - Portuguese >>Accessibility Special Interest Group who joined other efforts that have bee= >>n >>developed on other levels to face the same problem, be it at the >>international level, as the "Web Accessibility Initiative" promoted by the >>World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), or even the "National Initiative for the >>Citizens with Special Needs in the Information Society" promoted by the >>Government through the Mission for the Information Society. >> >>The Government should now take the measures, so that Portugal becomes the >>fourth country in the world declaring the elimination of digital barriers o= >>n >>the Internet, after the United States, Australia and Canada. >> >>For more information see: >> >>Press Release >>http://www.acessibilidade.net/press990709.html >>Parliament Report >>http://www.acessibilidade.net/petition/parliament_report.html >>PASIG - Portuguese Accessibility Special Interest Group >>http://www.acessibilidade.net/index_eng.html >> >>-------------- >>Highlights >>--------------- >> >>It is the first time in the world that a Parliament produce a report about >>Internet accessibility. >> >>This was the first online Petition in Europe. Signatures were collected >>online from 1998/12/03 till 1999/01/31 and the Petition was sent to the >>Portuguese Parliament by email, on February 17. >> >>The Petition proposed the approval of a set of Internet Accessibility >>Guidelines and the use of a Web Accessibility Symbol (NCAM's Web Access >>Symbol). >> >>The Acessibility Guidelines will be firstly applied to government online >>information. >> >>During 60 days (from 1998/12/03 till 1999/01/31) we collected 8,721 >>individual signatures (we needed 4,000 to submit the Petition) and the >>support of 149 organizations. During this period more than 800 websites wer= >>e >>linked to our homepage >> >>Portugal may become the forth world country with Accessibility Guidelines >>for the Internet (after the US, Canada and Australia). >> >>An International Accessibility Board reviewed the Accessibility Guidelines >>in an web newsgroup during last December. Download the International review >>report(File size: 726KB - forum.doc Word 97). >> >>The Guidelines were also discussed in a national web newsgroup. >> >>For assistance in designing accessible Web sites, PASIG supports the W3C >>Recommendation - Web Content Accessibility Guidelines . >> >>------------------- >>About PASIG >>------------------- >> >>PASIG's original name is "GUIA - Grupo Portugu=EAs pelas Iniciativas em >>Acessibilidade". >> >>GUIA, which means "guide" in portuguese, is the acronym for "Portuguese >>Group for Accessibility Initiatives" . >>PASIG is a non-profit organization dedicated to promote portuguese >>initiatives in the accessibility field. Its first public action was the >>Petition for the Accessibility of the Portuguese Internet. >> >> >>VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List. >>To join or leave the list, send a message to >>listserv@maelstrom.stjohns.edu. In the body of the message, simply type >>"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations. >> VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at >>http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html >> >Joanne Watson >Information & Referral / Special Projects >Pennsylvania's Initiative on Assistive Technology >The Institute on Disabilities, UAP >423 Ritter Annex, >Philadelphia, PA 19122 >Temple University >Ph: 1 800 204 PIAT > > ------- Leonard R. Kasday, Ph.D. Universal Design Engineer, Institute on Disabilities/UAP, and Adjunct Professor, Electrical Engineering Temple University Ritter Hall Annex, Room 423, Philadelphia, PA 19122 kasday@acm.org (215} 204-2247 (voice) (800) 750-7428 (TTY)
Received on Wednesday, 14 July 1999 09:11:28 UTC