Det talte ord gaelder.
Thank you for the invitation.
I am pleased to know that the use of information
technology takes such a high priority at this conference. I truly
believe, that this new technology will offer great changes in our
lives. To imply a social awareness/dimension into the production
line is a Danish tradition. Therefore it gives me great pleasure
to be here today. And to discuss the impact of information technology
for people with disabilities.
I always welcome an occasion to discuss, how our lives
may change due to technological development. We must address our
problems and reservations about the new technology. It is the only way
to make it better for us all. Actually, this "to make it
better for all" is a cornerstone in Danish traditions.
In Denmark, it is considered crucial, that the
improvements in our society, benefit all citizens. No single group
should be ignored or favoured. Last year, the Danish government
put forward an action plan for IT use by people with disabilities.
This action plan was specially dedicated to people with disabilities.
But it didn't signify, that the use of information technology by people
with disabilities should be dealt with as a special problem. On
the contrary. The action plan had a very clear message: When we say
"information society for all", we actually mean it! Men
and women, young and old, people with or without disabilities. Everyone
must have equal rights in the information society.
In the near future, I will put effort into defining
these rights:
For me it is important, that the information technology
will change a lot in our society:
We need to discuss quite a lot of issues. Also, we
need to work with the designs of IT-products today. They must be
accessible to all. In fact, a lot of us experience a huge gap
between what we want to do with the technology and what we are able
to. Therefore, I will arrange a "universal design
competition" for Danish designers this year. I want to
stimulate architects and designers to design IT-products for all of us.
That is what is in focus of the Danish way of life.
So far, I have had only positive reactions.
The information technology has made it possible to make
a lot of new services available for people. They must - of course - be
accessible to everyone. And I believe they will. But today we
still need special services for people with special needs. For
instance within my field, deaf people or people hard of hearing need a
compensation for the ordinary telephone service. That is a political
wish. In the near future, and over a period of two years, the
Danish telecommunications operator, Tele Danmark, will install their new
upgraded text telephones for deaf subscribers, I hope. And at the
same time, an Internet connection will be established.
I firmly believe, that the future communication line
will be the Internet. Already, the Internet has opened a door of
communication for a lot of people. Once I heard of an old retired
professor saying: "I keep myself going using the Internet. Here
nobody looks at me as an 80 year old man - here we are all the
same." For me the example shows, that if we dare to use the
new technology, we surely have a lot to gain.
