Frequently Asked Questions - How many people will benefit from ISdAC's programme?

This is a first draft answer to the question, comments and improvements welcome! Please comment by mail to ISdAC at secretary@isdac.org

More than one in ten citizens of the European Union is disabled in some way that affects their ability to fully participate in society. ISdAC's vision is that Europe will become the world class exemplar of how Information Society technologies and methods can be applier to liberate and empower these citizens to play their full role and make a powerful contribution to Europe's future development.

One in ten people means around 40 million people in the 15 member countries of the European Union and an even larger number as the Union expands in future years following the treaties of Maastricht and Amsterdam.

In the immediate future (within two to five years) ISdAC believes that up to one in three people with disabilities can make a significantly increased contribution to society and the economy if they become empowered to do so through the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs). This means a potential increase in Europe's GDP of perhaps 2 percentage points, or US$ 70 billions or more. It is expected as well a higher participation of PwDs in other social events through the IS tools. The ISdAC team could be an example of how the new technologies are bringing people together through telecooperation.

In the medium term future (the early decades of the next millennium), as Europe develops an Information Society and more and more of the value of economic growth derives from information-based and information-enabled activities, ISdAC believes that all people with disabilities can be to some extent empowered and enabled through the use of ICTs and that all can gain some benefits.

However, these gains will not come without effort and ISdAC believes that the main effort needs to be made right now, while the Information Society is in its infancy, not after its patterns have been set.

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