In this section you'll find a number of inspiring speeches and presentations, lectures and papers by disabled people, experts and visionaries. Please note that all these links open in a new window.
The Information Society: opportunity or threat? full text of a speech by Guido Gybels, Director of New Technologies at RNID, at the conference on Access to the Information Society for deaf, hard of hearing and speech-impaired people, February 2004, Residence Palace in Brussels.
Barrier free access to the Information Society: full text of a speech by Erkki Liikanen, EU Commissioner for Enterprise and In formation Society at the conference on Access to the Information Society for deaf, hard of hearing and speech-impaired people, February 2004, Residence Palace in Brussels.
Inclusive eGovernment services: towards a more equal Information Society: full text of a speech by Guido Gybels, Director of New Technologies at RNID, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, London, UK, March 2004.
Disabled People in the Global Village: full text of a speech by Guido Gybels, Director of New Technologies at RNID, IFHOH 7th World Congress, Helsinki, Finland, July 2004.
The impact of new technologies on the quality of life of people with disabilities: This report analyses the impact of new technologies on the quality of life of people with disabilities, including consumer technology and, of course, assitive technology. It takes into account the different types of disability, covering not only physical and sensorial impairments, but also intellectual disabilities, mental illnesses and restrictions in social participation due to personal or environmental factors.
Deaf People and Rail Transport: full text of a speech by Guido Gybels, Director of New Technologies at RNID, at the Railway Interiors Expo, Cologne, Germany, November 2004.
Telecommunication, pillar of the Information Society: full text of a speech by Guido Gybels, Director of New Technologies at RNID, at the EFHOH Conference, The Hague, The Netherlands, April 2005.
Inclusive design - A report by RICAbility: Ricability's assessments of over 200 domestic appliances find hardly any products than can be unreservedly recommended for older and disabled people.
Disabled people and the Internet: Experiences, barriers and opportunities: An investigation of whether the Internet helps or hinders disabled people. The study surveys the views and experiences of disabled people, both Internet users and non-users. Topics covered include: what the Internet is used for; use of and difficulties with assistive devices (special equipment and adaptations needed by some disabled people in order to use computers); how people learn to use the Internet; views of website accessibility; advantages and disadvantages of Internet usage. It also explores participants' restrictions on using the Internet, and people's reasons for not using it. Published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, London
Access to the web: full text of a speech by Bert Massie, Chairman of Disability Rights Commission, at the UK Presidency's eAccessibility Conference, London, UK, October 2005.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Users and Web Accessibility (pdf format), White Paper, by Guido Gybels, Director of New Technologies at RNID.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Users on 2G and 3G Mobile Networks (pdf format), White Paper, by Guido Gybels, Director of New Technologies at RNID.
Equal Measures: Closing the Accessibility Gap: The aim of this COST219ter publication is to show how, with a degree of European co-operation, the powers devolved to national regulators can be applied to close the gap and bring in short- term measures that are consistent with the overall framework while addressing immediate problems of accessibility.
AbilityNet's State of the eNation Reports (pdf format): regular reviews of accessibility of websites.
The Internet and Disabled People - Access Denied?James Byrne from The Making Connections Unit talks about web accessibility.
Serving your community with an accessible website: Robin Christopherson, Web Consultancy Manager for AbilityNet, talks about the business case for accessible websites.
Leading supermarkets failing to address online shopping needs of disabled customers: news article discussing how of the UK's five most prominent supermarkets only one has a website which meets the basic accessibility needs of disabled customers.
About: ICT Accessibility: Rosario Gracia-Luque and Kevin Carey discuss design for all in this article from the Design Council.
ICT and Disability: A Personal View: Speech given at the e-Skills NTO Conference 'Disabled People in ICT Jobs', London, March 2002.
Product rage: when labour-saving devices attack: Times Online article about how technology is meant to make life easier, but the things we buy can end up causing more problems than they solve.
ICT Hub accessibility research report (pdf format): research into accessibility requirements of the voluntary and community sector.