Case study: Brighton & Hove City Council - Talking Bus Stops for the blind and visually impaired (linked to Real Time Bus Information signs) :: Public

This is a very interesting piece of news. A city in the UK has won a technology award for the provision of talking bus stops. I would suggest that people read the full article. They do say that this can be replicated in other areas, and I hope that will happen.

Case study: Brighton & Hove City Council - Talking Bus Stops for the blind and visually impaired (linked to Real Time Bus Information signs) :: PublicTechnology.net :: e-Government & public sector IT news job vacancies:: "A multi-disciplinary working group was been formed, including councillors, officers, system designers, users, local politicians and consultants. A partnership was formed with the Royal National Institute for Blind (RNIB) to evolve a RNIB React system from providing orientation messages to include Real Time Information. The interface to provide a text to speech link with the Siemens VDO Passenger Information Displays was created by working with SFX Technologies, whilst Atkins Consultants helped with project management. The resulting system can be replicated in other areas and interest has already been shown from London local authorities."

E Pahad on rights of people with disabilities during Imbizo Week

We have heard these sort of promises from different politicians before. But I would encourage public promises like this as it does raise awareness. So full marks to the Minister for this promise. My follow up question would be how? We do need to get more people with disabilities into employment, but in order to do that there is much ground work that needs to be done. It is not as simple as just going out to employ these people. Often many PWD have had no work and limited educational experience. There are often barriers for them to access the work place, both physical, and also attitudinal (other peoples' perceptions). What we don't want to witness is the usual stereotyping and merely employing blind telephonists which we see so often...

E Pahad on rights of people with disabilities during Imbizo Week: "Minister in the Office of the Presidency Essop Pahad has reiterated government's commitment to improving the living conditions of the disabled.

Speaking in Jane Furse, Limpopo during an Imbizo held as part of the government's Imbizo Week programme, he said government was doing all possible to meet its 2010 deadline of employing a minimum of two percent public servants with disabilities. Minister Pahad was responding to a question raised during the Imbizo about unfair treatment and less opportunities for the disabled in the workforce.

'It is the policy of this government that by 2010 we have within the public service at least two percent of our total staff being those with disabilities. This is a commitment we are working hard to achieve,' he said."