1 ict for empowering pwds the egyptian experience abeer shakweer, ph.d., advisor to the minister of...
TRANSCRIPT
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ICT for Empowering PWDsThe Egyptian Experience
Abeer Shakweer, Ph.D.,Advisor to the Minister of Communications and
Information Technology for Social Services
WSIS – Geneva 29th May 2015
Arab Republic of Egypt
Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
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Content
ICT4PWDs’ strategy
Innovation in Accessibility Technology
Enhancing education and employment through innovation
The Regional ICT Center for PwDs
A diagram explains the strategy for ICT for People with Disabilities. The strategy is based on 3 basic layers which are the infrastructure, Science Technology and Innovation, and Services. Three pillar will function based on those 3 layers. The pillars are Education, training and employment. This will lead to the ultimate goal of developing an inclusive, empowering and participatory society.
Strategy framework
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55 million Arabic speaking PWDs are challenged with
the lack of ICT based assistive technologies which
support the Arabic language
The Egyptian Ministry of ICT launched “Tamkeen”
Innovation competition for the development of software
and mobile applications for PWDs in 2012
Innovation in Accessibility Technology
Identifying the themes of the competition
A hearing impaired person contributing to identifying the themes of Tamkeen competition
Running information sessions
Idea generation session to identify the themes of Tamkeen competition. 2 males and one female working on a white board to come up with the specific needs for pwds.
Money reader mobile applications for the visually impaired.
Now available
on play store
A visually impaired male using his mobile to read the currency and pay at a café.
To help combating the challenge of differences in the sign language
The unified educational sign language digital dictionary
Welcome screen of the unified sign language digital dictionary
Application translates from Arabic text to sign language
The version which translates from sign language to text is now being
developed
Screen shot representing how text is translated into sign language
The deaf reader
Builds on the digital dictionary
Fundamentals of the Arabic language for the hearing impaired
Welcome screen of the program which teaches the Arabic language fundamentals for the hearing impaired.
Builds on the digital dictionary and the Arabic language fundamentals for the hearing impaired program
Touch typing program for the hearing impaired
Welcome screen of the program which teaches touch typing for the hearing impaired
Graph for the number of inclusive and special education schools equipped with relevant equipment and programs. 199 schools for the hearing impaired, 26 for the visually impaired, 35 inclusive schools. A total of 260 schools
Providing better education opportunities: The 1000 schools for PwDs initiative
Students at a special girl’s schools for the hearing impaired using the unified sign language digital dictionary
The unified educational sign language digital dictionary
Now being distributed at the special schools for the hearing impaired
Teachers are being trained on the digital dictionary
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Teacher woks with hearing impaired kids to explain the fundamentals of the Arabic language for the hearing impaired
Fundamentals of the Arabic language for the hearing impaired
A visually and cognitive impaired male student using a large screen computer at a special school for the visually impaired
Providing better education opportunities: The 1000 schools for PwDs initiative
Training for Employment
Graph introduces the number of People with Disabilities graduated and being trained through the ICDL grant and the training for employment grant. For the ICDL grant, 129 were graduated and 237 are being trained. For the training for employment grant, 210 were graduated, 250 are being trained and 152 were employed. The total engaged in the 2 grants are 826.
Training and qualifying for employment
Training and qualifying for employment
An employed visually impaired female working at a call center
The touch typing program for the hearing impaired will be used to qualify them as data entry
Annual international conference and exhibition
Minister of ICT and ITU vice president testing an application for People with visual disabilities at the exhibition.
Introduce the developed technologies
Feedback on the applications in the pipeline
Raise awareness of available technologies, programs
and grants
2 female youth and one male show how their robot follow special roots to guide people with Alzheimer indoors
Youth with hearing disabilities explain their developed
robot to help people with Alzheimer
Annual international conference and exhibition
Prime minister listening to 3 people with disabilities at the conference
Annual international conference and exhibition
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The Regional ICT Center for PwDs
February 2014: Egypt announced its strategy to launch a regional ICT center for PwDs
March 2014: at the WTDC, the ICT accessibility for PwDs initiative was announced as one of the 5 initiatives of the Arab Region
December 2014: Arab ICT ministers blessed the proposal at their ministerial meeting held under the umbrella of the League of Arab States
April 2015, the ministry announced the launch of the center as a partnership project between the ITU and MCIT
Dr. Abeer Shakweer with Mr. Houlin Zhao the Secretary general of the ITU
The Regional ICT Center for PwDs
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The Regional ICT Center for PwDs
Developing ICT Accessibility Policies and Strategies
Developing ICT based assistive technologies
which support the Arabic language
Capacity building for ICT designer and
developers in the area of ICT accessibility
Advising Governments and other entities in
ICT accessibility affairs
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Thank you
www.tamkeen.gov.eg