UNESCO and persons with disabilities
© UNESCO/Cover of a UNESCO report
In building inclusive knowledge society, access to knowledge and information is of vital importance to ensure that all persons are able to participate as creative and productive members of the society.
International Day of Persons with Disabilities is celebrated annually since 1992 on 3 December to promote an understanding of disability issues and to mobilise support for the dignity and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the inclusion of persons with disabilities in every aspect of life.
UNESCO is one of the UN agencies that promotes and supports the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted in 2006. The UN Convention represents the universal framework, which reaffirms that all persons with all types of disabilities can enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Music by Prudence: Oscar-winning documentary screened at UNESCO
On the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, UNESCO is organizing a screening ceremony of the 2010 Oscar-winning documentary Music by Prudence, produced by Roger Ross Williams (USA). The screening (in English, subtitled in English and simultaneously translated into French) will take place at UNESCO Headquarters on 3 December 2010, 6 p.m., Room XI, followed by a debate with the producer, Roger Williams.
Major 2010 events on ICT and persons with disabilities
Interactive session on ICT and Persons with Disabilities at WSIS Forum 2010
(11 May 2010, Geneva, Switzerland)
UNESCO and the Sindbad Mediterranean without Disabilities, organized an interactive session on ICT and Persons with Disabilities at WSIS Forum 2010. The session presented a number of good practices in the use of ICT to facilitate social inclusion of persons with disabilities, such as the development of accessible content on the Internet, the design of web pages accommodating the needs of those with disabilities, a network of special telecentres established in the Mediterranean region, etc. More
Consultative meeting on Mainstreaming ICT for Persons with Disabilities to Access Information and Knowledge
(22-23 February 2010, Paris, France)
In order to facilitate the implementation process of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNESCO and the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies, organized a consultative meeting. The major purpose of this meeting was to discuss how UNESCO could assist its Member States to meet this international commitment in facilitating social inclusion of persons with disabilities through ICT.
UNESCO-G3ict partnership agreement on ICT for persons with disabilities
(22 February 2010, Paris, France)
UNESCO and the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies (G3ict) signed a partnership agreement to facilitate the social inclusion of persons with disabilities through the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). This agreement contributes to the implementation of the Digital Accessibility Agenda defined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. More