White House Announces Next Stop on President's "Digital Divide" Trip

NEXT STOP ON PRESIDENT CLINTON’S "DIGITAL DIVIDE" TRIP:

DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY FOR AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES

September 21, 2000

TODAY, PRESIDENT CLINTON WILL CONTINUE HIS "DIGITAL DIVIDE" TRIP IN FLINT MICHIGAN, WITH A FOCUS ON CREATING DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY FOR AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES: President Clinton will visit Flint, Michigan as part of his ongoing initiative to bridge the digital divide and create digital opportunity for all Americans. The President will visit a Community Technology Center that will offer access to cutting-edge technology for people with disabilities and other members of the community. He will see demonstrations of advanced technologies such as an "Eyegaze System" that allows people with disabilities to operate a computer and send e-mail using only their eyes, and an online physics course that is accessible to people with disabilities, and electronic talking books that are accessible to people with disabilities.

PRESIDENT CLINTON WILL MAKE ANNOUNCEMENTS AS PART OF 5 KEY GOALS TO EMPOWER AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES IN THE INFORMATION AGE: At a speech at Mott Community College, the President will announce concrete actions by the Administration, companies, universities and non-profits to help ensure that people with disabilities are full participants in the Information Age by:

  1. Increasing the accessibility and usability of existing information and communication products and services for people with disabilities;
  2. Improving the state-of-the-art of assistive technology;
  3. Ensuring that existing efforts to bridge the digital divide and create digital opportunity are accessible to people with disabilities;
  4. Using information technologies to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities; and
  5. Increasing access to technologies for people with disabilities who cannot currently afford it.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCESSIBLE TECHNOLOGIES:

Ensuring that information and communications technologies are usable by the 54 million Americans with disabilities is critical, since it can increase their ability to participate in the workforce, allow them to gain new skills using online learning, and improve their quality of life:

PRESIDENT CLINTON WILL ANNOUNCE COMMITMENTS BY GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SECTOR TO CREATE "DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY" FOR AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES




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