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PRESIDENT CLINTON TO VISIT MICHIGAN FOR NEXT STOP ON PRESIDENT'S
"DIGITAL DIVIDE" TRIP: TRIP TO FOCUS ON DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY FOR
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES
September 15, 2000
President Clinton will visit Flint, Michigan on September 21, 2000 as
part of his initiative to bridge the digital divide and create digital
opportunity for all Americans. This event will highlight the importance
of ensuring that new information and communications technologies are
accessible to and usable by the 54 million Americans with disabilities.
As with previous trips, the President will announce concrete actions by
the government and the private sector that will help ensure that people
with disabilities are full participants in the Information Age. The
President is travelling to Flint to highlight several model programs
that are empowering people with disabilities by providing access to
cutting-edge technology, increasing employment opportunities, and
allowing people with disabilities to acquire new skills using distance
learning.
THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCESSIBLE TECHNOLOGIES: Making mainstream
information and communications technologies accessible to people with
disabilities brings more Americans into the Information Age.
Incorporating accessibility features into mainstream technologies also
improves their usability for everyone. Web sites that are designed to
be accessible, for example, allow increased access to the Web for people
using mobile phones. And captioning helps people who are trying to
learn English as a second language.
Continuing breakthroughs in assistive technologies, such as voice
recognition, electronic books, and computers that can be operated by the
movement of one's eyes, enable more people with disabilities to take
advantage of mainstream technologies. Accessible technologies, in turn,
promote fuller participation in our society, including the enhancement
of educational and employment opportunities.
THE CLINTON/GORE ADMINISTRATION HAS IDENTIFIED 5 KEY GOALS IN EMPOWERING
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES IN THE INFORMATION AGE
Working closely with
disability communities, the private sector, and technology experts, the
Administration has identified five goals that will empower people with
disabilities in the Information Age. The President will announce
commitments by the government, the private sector, universities and
non-profit organizations to help address these five goals:
-- Increasing the accessibility and usability of existing information
and communication products and services;
-- Improving the state-of-the-art of assistive technology;
-- Ensuring that existing efforts to bridge the digital divide and
create digital opportunity are accessible to people with disabilities.
-- Using information technologies to increase employment opportunities
for people with disabilities; and
-- Increasing access to technologies for people with disabilities who
cannot currently afford it.
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