UNDP and HAF will implement joint project that will grant blind people access to information technologies

President of the HAF stated that there are 350 thousand men with disabilities in Azerbaijan and 40 thousand of them are blind or have a weak eyesight. Aliyeva underlined that this document will ensure access for blind children to information communication technologies.

In his turn, Morsotti expressed his confidence that the project will be efficient and will reinforce the cooperation in the future projects. The project has been drawn up in accordance with the commitments on ensuring access to the new technologies, especially ICT equally for all citizens that were undertaken by the government in the UN "Deceleration of Millennium" and the National Strategy of Azerbaijan Republic on ICT.

The project that will be implemented in co-operation with the UN Development Program will consists out of three stages. The first stage envisages preparing National Strategy for defining the needs of the blind and people with weak eyesight to ICT and removing digital difference for the blind and people with weak eyesight.

At the second stage there will be established Model ICT form in boarding schools for blind and children with weak eyesight. There will be special computers installed, software will be localized, access to the Internet will be provided and curriculums will be made at this stage.

The third stage of the project envisages providing library and training center for the blind and children with weak eyesight. There will be a recording studio built to convert all kinds of literature into audio library. At the third stage it is also planned to convert publish books with Braille alphabet, provide services such as access to the Internet, fundamental training courses, to build computer center assisting with search for information on the Internet and to train tutors and trainers for computer courses.

The total budget of project to be carried out in 8 months equals to $418,000.

APA