News & Events
Blind Cricket World Cup 2006
The 3rd world cup cricket for the Blind is Scheduled to take place in Islamabad, Pakistan from December 3-16. All major test playing nations including Australlia, England, South Africa, NewZealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka and India have confirmed their pariticpation. Pakistan is the defending champion and host.Pakistan Blind Cricket Council(PBCC) is the official organizer of the event.
PBCC has maked arrangements for special enclosures for diplomats from participating countries and expats. 4 matches will be covered live on Geo Super TV including PAK VS IND match, the two semi-finals and the final. Support your favourite teams.
Matches schedule and detail availableInternational Day on Disabled Persons 2006, E-accessibility in Islamabad, Pakistan
Annual observance of International Day of Disabled Persons (IDDP) aims to promote an understanding of dsability issues and mobilize support the dignity rights and well-being of Persons with Disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of PWDs in every aspect of political, social economic and cultural life.
In Islamabad STEP are planning to organize a national level forum to peruse the UN Convention, particularly its clauses on E-Accessibility in accordance with the theme of IDDP 2006.
Program schedule and detail availableInternational Day on Disability 2006
Access to information and communication technologies creates opportunities to everyone in society, but perhaps no-more so than for persons with disabilities. No longer do the societal barriers of prejudice, infrastructure, and inaccessible formats stand in the way of participation. When available to everyone, information technologies foster individuals to reach their full potential, and for persons with disabilities it allows them to play their part in society’s development.
At the First World Summit on the Information Society in 2003, Governments expressed their commitment to build a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented information society, where everyone can create, access, utilize and share information and knowledge. Despite the vision, many persons with disabilities remain unable to take full advantage of the Internet as most websites are: inaccessible to the blind and visually impaired, heavily dependent on using the mouse, and training is often conducted in inaccessible formats and venues. As persons with disabilities are amongst the most marginalized in society, many do not have access to information technologies at all. Even those with access to information technologies may not be able to utilize them effectively, as available adaptive equipment cannot keep pace with innovation.
Persons with disabilities are at a considerable disadvantage by not being able to access information technologies. For instance, as education becomes increasingly dependent on information technologies, not being able to access the Internet for example limits the learning potential of persons with disabilities.
Several places already have legislation and regulations requiring websites to be fully accessible. At the international level, standards and guidelines on website accessibility are being developed. Once adopted and ratified, the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will require entities ensure that persons with disabilities can access information technologies. It specifies that measures should be introduced to eliminate obstacles and barriers to information and communications, and to promote access for persons with disabilities to information and communications technologies, including the Internet.
Making information technologies available to persons with disabilities is not only a matter of human rights, it also makes good business sense. Studies suggest that accessible websites appear higher up the page rankings of search engines and can save costs on web maintenance. It also allows companies access to a largely untapped customer base. Many websites, however, remain inaccessible for the visually impaired and the blind. A recent study of the FTSE 100 companies in the United Kingdom showed that around three-quarters of company websites did not achieve basic levels of accessibility. By not making their websites accessible, UK companies are forfeiting £80 billion in lost revenue.
The theme for this year’s International Day of Disabled Persons (3 December 2006) is accessibility to information technologies, and the day will be referred to as E-Accessibility Day. Through its efforts, and collaboration with others, the United Nations aims to raise appreciation among Governments, private entities and the public of the significant benefits to persons with disabilities and society when they are empowered with increased access to information technologies.
The World Bank Honors Pakistan Development Marketplace Winners
The World Bank today announced nine winners at the grand finale of the first Pakistan Development Marketplace held in Islamabad. The Pakistan Development Marketplace entitled Mazoori Majboori Nahin is supporting innovative ideas for improving the lives of persons with disabilities and offer scale-up or replication potential.
Today, we will be examining innovative proposals from thirty three finalists, each of whom believes they can make a difference. To my mind, each and every one of the finalists is ALREADY a winner, said Praful Patel, World Bank Vice President for South Asia at the inaugural ceremony. The World Bank has often been accused of throwing large amounts of money at problems in the hope that they would eventually go away. Problems that WE think we understand best, and solutions that WE tend to think we know best. The Development Marketplace is an instrument that teaches us at the World Bank to listen to YOU more carefully; to learn from YOUR vast experience; and to support YOU in whatever small way to resolve what YOU think are YOUR most pressing problems.
Since 1998, the World Bank's global Development Marketplace program has awarded US$40 million to more than 1,000 groundbreaking projects in over 70 countries. Country level Development Marketplaces are mini marketplaces for innovative ideas that address local development challenges. Like the global competition, they consist of a competitive, juried process that awards small grants to social innovators, and a knowledge forum to share ideas and provide networking opportunities. They aim to: identify innovative approaches to alleviate poverty at the very grassroots level; mobilize public opinion around key development issues engage civil society organizations , private sector, and development agencies in new ideas through partnerships and leverage other resources to broaden partnerships for supporting social entrepreneurs in fighting poverty.
In response to the call for proposals for Pakistan Development Marketplace, the World Bank received 215 proposals from allover Pakistan, each one engaging with thematic areas highlighted as priorities in the Government of Pakistan National Policy for Persons with Disabilities (2002) and Draft National Plan of Action for Persons with Disabilities. A team of Assessors, experts in disability and development assessed each proposal and decided upon the finalists.
The Development Marketplace is a unique idea, especially from fund raising and awareness building perspective said Zoubaida Jalal Federal Minister for Social Welfare and Special Education while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the event. She announced that the National Plan of Action for the implementation of the National Policy for Persons with Disabilities will be finalized in a week time.
The good news is that all were welcome to apply; now we have had to choose from among the many who did apply said John Wall, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan at the awards ceremony. With the selection of nine winners the Pakistan Development Marketplace process begun in September last year has reached one milestone. How these innovative proposals are put into action and how their successes can be replicated is going to be an equally important phase of this journey Pakistan has embarked upon.
The nine winners who would share grants of up-to US$25,000 from a total award pool of approximately US$235,000 are: Mehnaz Fatima Educational and Welfare Organization; World Population Foundation & Kiran Vocational Centre; Disabled Welfare Association; Association for the Rehabilitation of Physically Disabled; Pakistan Foundation Fighting Blindness; Development and Empowerment Women Association; Society of Collective Interests Orientation, SOCIO; Milestone Society for Special Persons; Special Talent Exchange Program, STEP. Each one of the remaining 24 finalists will get Rs100,000 as a token of recognition for their participation and innovative ideas.
The winning projects addressed eight sub-themes of Mazoori Majboori Nahin, i.e., Preventing Disability & Early Detection of Disability; Low Cost Technological Aides; Improving Medical Rehabilitation Services; Special & Inclusive Education; Employment & Economic Rehabilitation; Creating a Barrier-free Physical Environment; Advocacy & Public Awareness; and Independent Living.
