Scientific and technological reports

Newsletter No. 1, January 1996

COST 219

This project is concerned with:

Making telecommunications useful to all including disabled and elderly people.
Using Teleinformatic services to support disabled and elderly people in their activities of daily life.

COST is the acronym for the European cooperation in the field of scientific and technical research. Project number 219 is supported by Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.

COST 219 is on the World Wide Web at www.tiresias.org/cost219ter/index.html

UK Group

At the conference on "Telecommunications for Everyone" in March 1994 it was decided to form a group to monitor developments in telecommunications which might affect disabled people. This group would act as a national reference point for COST 219 which would involve feeding information and views to COST 219 as well as disseminating information from COST 219.

A steering group has been formed under the chairmanship of Mike Martin (Tel:/Fax: 01428 72 3184). This steering group is planning to hold a series of seminars as well as disseminate information in the form of publications; a start has been made on producing of a series of handouts.

The UK Group is supported by BT and Department of Trade and Industry.

Oftel

The Office of Telecommunications has an advisory committee on telecommunications for disabled and elderly people (DIEL). In addition there is a working group for the hearing impaired (WGHI) which deals mainly with technical matters concerning telecommun-ications for deaf and hard of hearing people. The work of DIEL is primarily of a policy nature and, through Oftel, sponsors research into consumer matters relating to tele-communications and disability. The results of a recent qualitative survey have been published; the report "Using a Phone: People with Additional Needs" costs £5 from DIEL Secretariat, Oftel, 50 Ludgate Hill, London EC4M 7JJ.

New Book

This book gives a general overview of issues related to accessibility and usability of telecommunications equipment and services for disabled and elderly people. The social, demographic and marketing aspects are also discussed while highlighting the significant role that can be played by standardisation and legislation.

The second part of the book looks more specifically at some of the available and forthcoming telecommunications equipment and services, identifying some of the existing accessibility problems and potential solutions.

Copies, in print or on computer diskette, are available free of charge from COST 219 (Fax: +358 0 3967 2054).

TAG

The Telecommunications Action Group is launching a research project, funded by BT, to find out about organisations and centres which encourage deaf, deafened, hard of hearing and deafblind people to make better use of the telephone.

TAG has identified a lack of awareness of tele-communications facilities as one of the major barriers inhibiting deaf people’s use of the telephone network. In this project, TAG aims to identify good practice, to encourage links amongst the organisations and to help disseminate good practice. TAG would like to hear from any organisation or centre which is active in promoting telecommunications to hearing impaired persons. For further information, contact Stephen Fleming, 11 Byfields Road, Kingsclere, Newbury RG20 5TG (Tel: voice and text 01635 299646, Fax: 01635 299689).

Distribution List

If you would like to be included on the circulation list for future publications in this area, please write to:

Dr John Gill
Chief Scientist

RNIB
105 Judd Street
London WC1H 9NE
Tel: +44 20 7391 2244
Fax: +44 20 7391 2318
Email: john.gill@rnib.org.uk