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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 |
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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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