International Day of Disabled Persons
3 December 1998
Workshop on
"Accessing technology in the twenty-first century
(United Nations, 3 December 1998)"
The Non-governmental organisations committee on aging (New York) organised the workshop
at the United Nations for the purposes of reviewing and discussing current issues and
trends related to accessible information technologies and the contributions that these can
make to building societies for all ages. Presentations were made by representatives of the
Microsoft Corporation on "building the digital divide and removing barriers" and
on an international grant programme to non-profit organisations for development and
testing of initiatives to be placed in the public domain to make information technologies
more effective and accessible for persons with disabilities.
The NGO committee on aging (New York) is an open-ended consortium of private voluntary
organisations and non-governmental organisations in consultative status with the Economic
and Social Council of the United Nations. A current concern of the NGO committee on aging
(New York) is mobilising support for international, national and local programmes
benefiting older persons among their constituencies. It also is promoting awareness and
support for the goals and objectives of the International Year of Older Persons among
interested non-governmental organisations and other appropriate organisations and their
affiliates in countries.
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