November 30, 2004 - “The World Bank considers it crucial that countries adopt development policies that include the concerns and needs of disabled people, who account for approximately 10 percent of the world’s population,” says President Wolfensohn.
On the occasion of the UN celebration of disability day and as a participation of Egypt PIC to the World Bank second annual conference on disability, a one day workshop on Visual Disability took place on November 30, 2004.
The celebration of disability day was an adequate occasion to gather specialists, main players, NGOs and people affected by this disability in one day workshop to discuss the problem and try to find suitable solutions for it. One of the most important targets is to enable this segment of the society to become effective actors in the development process in their countries.
The workshop was held at the Public Information Center recently launched at the Institute of National Planning. Egypt PIC is one of the few World Bank entities around the world, equipped with assistive facilities to serve visually impaired visitors and researchers. This facility is to help bridge the wide gap in information access between people with disabilities and those who are not. It was appropriate, in this context, to focus on this specific disability, and to engage a category of civil society, that may not always have the chance to participate in developmental debates or discussions.
The one day workshop attracted more than thirty concerned participants. Six sessions were held covering different aspects of the problem. Presentations were given followed by free discussions. At the end of the workshop, participants agreed on a number of recommendations that were communicated to the Disability Group in the Bank through a report covering the event.
|
RSS