DAISY gets World Telecommunication and Information Society Award

Cairo: The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technology issues, awarded its World Telecommunications and Information Society Award 2008 to the DAISY Consortium at a ceremony in Cairo, Egypt. The DAISY Consortium was selected for its ongoing efforts to implement the principles of the World Summit on the Information Society. Announcing the award, ITU Secretary-General Dr. Hamadoun I. Touré stated “ITU has decided to honor DAISY Consortium with the prestigious World Telecommunication and Information Society Award 2008, in recognition of its work in accessibility issues and your efforts to bridge the digital divide by ensuring access to information for those who have previously had severely limited or no access to information, such as persons with print disabilities, speakers of minority languages, indigenous populations without a written language, and those who are illiterate.” DAISY Consortium President Hiroshi Kawamura accepted the award on behalf of the organisation. He said, “This award reinforces the DAISY Consortium's commitment to improving access to information for everyone, everywhere. We strive for an inclusive society where no-one is excluded from participation due to the format of knowledge base and communications.” DAISY denotes the Digital Accessible Information System. The DAISY Standard has revolutionised the reading experience for people unable to read print due to a visual, physical, perceptual, developmental, cognitive, or learning disability. Formed in 1996 by like-minded organisations and companies around the world, DAISY Consortium, today, consists of nearly 70 non-profit organisations representing 35 different countries and more than 20 for-profit companies which provide products and services to meet the needs of the DAISY community. These organisations are working together to develop and promote international standards and technologies which enable equal access to information and knowledge by all people with print disabilities and which also benefit the wider community. World Telecommunication and Information Society Day marks the establishment of the International Telecommunication Union on 17 May, 1865. The World Day helps raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information communications technologies (ICTs) can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide. Since the conclusion of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in November 2005, the World Day has been marked by a high-profile ceremony that includes the presentation of the ITU World Telecommunication and Information Society Award to distinguished laureates for their contribution towards building an inclusive and more equitable Information Society. This year, the awards focus on eminent personalities for their work in providing ICT opportunities for persons with disabilities, the theme of the celebrations for 2008. Also receiving honors today were Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak, Egypt's first Lady, President and Founder of the Suzanne Mubarak Women's International Peace Movement and Andrea Saks, coordinator of the Internet Governance Forum's Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability. Past laureates have included Mozilla Corporation, First Lady of the Dominican Republic Margarita Cedeño de Fernández, Professor Dr. Mark L. Krivocheev of the Radio Research Institute in Moscow, Professor Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank, and President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal. Source: DAISY Consortium

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