The advent of NICTs (new information and communication technologies) has, over the last decade, influenced the development of numerous technological products now in use in business, education and, increasingly, the home. People with disabilities are being offered ever more sophisticated technological solutions that are increasing their autonomy. NICTs are opening the door to new possibilities for, among other things, adapting training methods and advancing the insertion and continued employment of people with disabilities.
In Quebec, as elsewhere in Canada and the world, many groups and individuals are being drawn into the debate regarding the obstacles and solutions that NICTs represent for people with disabilities.
The Comité d'adaptation de la main-d'oeuvre pour personnes handicapées (CAMO) has been actively involved in the issue of NICTs since January 2000. CAMO therefore organized, with the support of a committee of partners, a symposium on the impact of NICTs on the integration of people with disabilities. Under the theme of Towards technology connected on diversity, the symposium brought together some 150 participants and about forty speakers from Quebec, Canada, the United States, Europe and New Zealand on October 2 and 3, 2000 in Laval, Quebec.
The symposium allowed participants to obtain information on and discuss the impact of NICTs on regulations, research, experiments, training, integration and employment of people with disabilities, as well as on the current situation and related national and international issues.
The discussions that took place during the symposium allowed a certain number of important observations to be made. Following is a summary of the workshops, forum and closing plenary session, during which courses of action were identified and an outlook for the future was considered. We have included the main concerns and issues raised by participants during the symposium, i.e., adaptive product research, development and markets; the role of governments; Web sites; international research co-operation; the professional environment; training and the importance of structured intervention.
It is important to note that the symposium on NICTs and their impact on the integration of people with disabilities allowed participants to underscore certain problems related to basic accessibility in general, i.e., access to basic services (e.g., paratransit, interpretation for people with hearing impairments, etc.), school enrolment, basic training on new technologies and employment, as well as the poverty, illiteracy, and rights infringement experienced by people with disabilities.
These basic problems, which have still not been solved for many individuals, do not allow people with disabilities to play active roles in the development of NICTs or even to use them; instead, they remain spectators. NICTs are tools and not solutions.
Finally, the proposed courses of action generally reflect the ideas expressed by participants during the symposium; they are but a summary and not a complete list.
La Commission des partenaires du marché du travail contribue au financement des activités du
Comité d'adaptation de la main-d'oeuvre (CAMO) pour personnes handicapées.
Pour plus de renseignements sur le marché du travail et sur les programmes et services publics d'emploi, consultez le site d'Emploi-Québec.