World Autism Awareness Day,2 April

Apparently the UN have declared 2 April to be World Autism Awareness Day 
with a focus on Assistive Technology. I don't think they include 
cognitive accessibility or personalisation but of course they are 
important. Further, some AT can be built with web technology which 
should be accessible and personalisable (eg https://alwaysinmind.info/)

http://www.un.org/en/events/autismday/

"For many people on the autism spectrum, access to affordable assistive 
technologies is a prerequisite to being able to exercise their basic 
human rights and participate fully in the life of their communities, and 
thereby contribute to the realization of the SDGs. Assistive technology 
can reduce or eliminate the barriers to their participation on an equal 
basis with others.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities acknowledges 
the instrumental role of assistive technologies in enabling persons with 
disabilities to exercise their rights and freedoms. It obliges States 
that are party to the Convention to promote availability and use of such 
technologies at an affordable cost, to facilitate access to them, and to 
undertake or promote research and development into new such technologies.

While technological advances are continuous, there are still major 
barriers to the use of assistive technologies, including high costs, 
lack of availability, lack of awareness of their potential, and a lack 
of training in their use. Available data indicates that, in several 
developing countries, more than 50% of the persons with disabilities who 
need assistive devices are not able to receive them.

In September 2018, the UN Secretary-General launched a new Strategy on 
New Technologies, which aims to define how the United Nations system 
will support the use of these technologies to accelerate the achievement 
of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. The Strategy is also 
intended to facilitate the alignment of these technologies with the 
values enshrined in the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of 
Human Rights, and the norms and standards of International Law, 
including the CRPD and other human rights conventions. These values 
include equality and equity, inclusion and transparency. Design and use 
of new technologies, according to the Strategy, should be guided by a 
rights-based and ethical perspective.

In the context of the Secretary-General’s Strategy, the 2019 World 
Autism Awareness Day observance at UN Headquarters in New York will 
focus on leveraging the use of assistive technologies for persons with 
autism as a tool in removing the barriers to their full social, economic 
and political participation in society, and in promoting equality, 
equity and inclusion."

Received on Friday, 15 March 2019 13:38:48 UTC