Vodaphone Smart Accessibility Award - deadline for applications: 15 October

Vodaphone Smart Accessibility Award

Organised with the collaboration of AGE and EDF (the European Disability Forum), this competition aims to promote the development of IT mobile applications designed to improve the lives of people with disabilities and older people to help them become more actively involved in society.

The contest, which is open from 14 June 2011 to 15 October 2011, will award the best smartphone application across four different categories: social participation, independent living, mobility and wellbeing.

More information in AGE press release

EDF Campaign ‘Freedom of Movement’

The European Disability Forum (EDF) has launched a campaign entitled ‘Freedom of Movement for All’, focusing on the freedom of movement of persons, as well as of goods and services.

The objective of that campaign is to raise awareness of the many obstacles that persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility, including a large number of older people, face in accessing the freedom of movement within the EU and help remove them.

Mainstreamed goods and services are not fully accessible for all groups of the population, and there are a number of barriers to the built environment, to transport, to education, employment, access to information, etc that make it very difficult or even impossible for persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility to make use of their right to work or study in – or simply visiting - another Member State.

In order to reach that goal, EDF calls for the adoption of

In addition, a “Freedom Guide”, which will assess the current situation for persons with disabilities in relation to Freedom of movement, including a number of recommendations, will be issued in December 2011.

The accessibility and mobility for all whatever their age and ability is an issue AGE is dealing with as an important factor of social integration, participation and cohesion and a way of promoting equal opportunity for all citizens across the European Union. Giving people with disabilities and older people the means to move freely and to benefit from the same advantages and facilities as those offered to the other citizens’ groups is essential to enable everyone to participate actively in society, mobilize all human potential and make sure no one is left behind.

That is why AGE strongly supports EDF’s campaign for free movement for all, an initiative that is fully in line with AGE’s objective to achieve an age-friendly European Union by 2020 and with the aim of the upcoming European Year 2012 for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations which seeks to foster older people’s active participation in society and promote independent living in old age.

More information about the EDF campaign is available on the website http://www.edf-feph.org/Page_Generale.asp?DocID=13854&thebloc=27027. This website will shortly be updated with more comprehensive information.

Last Updated on Friday, 09 September 2011 10:54

AGE - Contribution to the Green Paper on Research and Innovation Funding

20 May 2011

AGE Platform Europe welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the reflection on the future of the EU research and innovation funding. For several years now, AGE Platform Europe has been involved in different Research Projects and our response to the Green paper is based on our experience in this area in particular with regard to the organization and working methods used for EU research and innovation fundings. In addition, AGE Platform Europe would like to share its views on what should be the priorities of the next programming period for research and innovation.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 25 May 2011 14:51

Telecare at home: question for potential users

5 May 2011

The EFORTT project (Ethical Frameworks for Telecare Technologies for older people at home), is concerned with the implications of the introduction of remote care technologies worn, installed or embedded in the homes of older citizens/frail older people. It addresses an ethical and democratic deficit in this field which has arisen due to a proliferation in research and development of advanced care technologies that has not been accompanied by sufficient consideration of their social context. In-depth qualitative research methods will deepen the understanding of ethical issues raised by these developments and will develop qualitative approaches to understand the making of practice around telecare in both preventive and responsive modes. It will also develop deliberative approaches to the making of remote care policy at a European level by separately recruiting citizens' panels of older people and carers in each partner's region. By convening these panels twice: early in the research to gain citizens views about care systems, and later to consider research findings from the project, the study will develop a grounded evaluative and ethical framework to enhance the legitimacy of European policymaking in this highly sensitive area.

Booklet: Telecare for older people living at home: questions for potential users and their families

Website of the project

Last Updated on Wednesday, 10 August 2011 09:44