PRESIDENT CLINTON TO VISIT MICHIGAN FOR NEXT STOP ON
PRESIDENT'S "DIGITAL DIVIDE" TRIP:
TRIP TO FOCUS ON DIGITAL OPPORTUNITIES 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 traveling 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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